Soma USA

Great place for music lesson. The owner of this establishment is well connected with Diamond Bar schools and is very accomplished musician. One time my daughter’s string snapped before a concert and dropped by Soma for help and the administrator/​receptionist totally came to my aid! I was so stressed but thank you Soma for your help! Recommend this place for anyone.

When my oldest daughter entered Chaparral Middle School (CMS), she decided to join the orchestra and chose to play the cello. My husband and I have close to zero musical talent and couldn’t even determine if the sounds we heard while she practiced was music or random strokes. We didn’t even know how to hold the cello and/​or bow. Fortunate for us, SOMA Music came to the rescue.
It’s been over two years since she has been taking cello lessons and her CMS orchestra teacher says that she’s making great improvement. Most importantly, she loves to play the cello and being a part of the orchestra. The lessons she received at SOMA have given her pride and confidence among her orchestra peers. Because we saw such tremendous progress with our first daughter, we decided to register our second daughter for lessons at SOMA as well. She plays the viola. Her teachers have been a good balance of challenging and nurturing.
Coordinating lesson days and times can be tricky as my daughters’ schedules change but Ronnie (the front desk administrator) is very accommodating. Whether by text, email or phone call, I know that I can get in touch with Ronnie to confirm lesson times and dates. She also emails invoices which helps me to keep track of the lessons we paid for.
I would highly recommend SOMA MUSIC!

customer service was poor…

In a town of Tiger Moms, there are so many music schools that I was quite overwhelmed and didn’t know where to look first. I asked around for recommendations and originally started at another school. But, during the trial lesson I could tell that my 5 year old daughter was not comfortable and the front desk workers were so rude and cold. So, when walking in the strip mall, I came across SOMA music academy a few door down. They also teach the violin, piano, guitar, drums, harp, cello, and more.
The warm and welcoming demeanor of the front desk was so inviting so I inquired about lessons here. Then I picked up my daughter from the other school and cancelled future lessons there. At SOMA, we first had a trial lesson with the the Director, Ara so that she can determine what level she was at and who to place her with. She was also so patient, warm, and friendly. I wanted her as the teacher but she only instructs the advanced classes. However, she was very confident with placing my daughter with Miss Kate who is equally patient, warm, and kind.
My daughter has been taking 30 minute lessons once a week for a month now and loves it! I sit in the soundproof private music room for the last 5 minutes of every lesson so that I can see her progress and how to help her at home. She is excited to practice everyday and show Miss Kate how much she has improved.
The price is very reasonable and the instruction is excellent. It is located in the strip mall by H-​Mart so there is a huge parking lot and plenty of stores and restaurants to peruse while waiting for the lesson to conclude. There is also a comfortable waiting area where students are usually getting a jump start on homework or doing their Kumon assignments. And you can hear the beautiful music being played.
*Yelp 100 Challenge: Review 79/​100*

Rude staff member

Nice staff to work with, teacher is excellent