5 Star School for Music

Mark Wilson is far more than a guitar teacher. He has become a mentor and friend. My now 16-​year-​old son has been studying with Mark for almost three years now. While he had played some flute in elementary school, he had limited background coming in. Due to Mark’s ability to draw students in by selecting music the students are interested in, and not subjecting them to endless repetitive chords, students thrive. Mark keeps it fun so students practice naturally and he pairs them up with other students in workshops, who learn from each other as they play together. Any good teacher of music can get students to learn to play guitar. But Mark is interested in more than whether students strum the right note. Mark sees his students as individuals and his lessons are therapeutic as well as instructional. In his kind and calm manner, he connects in a way that many adults do not take time to do, and develops a rapport with each student. He builds on their interests and their confidence, and he is very patient. (I know because I filled in for a few of my son’s lessons). Students feel safe to open up, and they prosper and grow in Mark’s studio. Not all of us are destined to become the next Eddie Van Halen but Mark provides a valuable outlet to slow down, soak in the music, discover one’s hidden gifts and experience the joy of music. His passion is contagious. I am grateful for all that Mark has taught my son both on the guitar and around the studio. I appreciate how Mark provides a positive outlet for both kids and adults, and for his personal, intuitive instruction.

5 star school of music is… well the name says it all… indeed a 5 star establishment. My 9 year old daughter learns vocals and guitar from the awesome Karen and gets to practice in a band setting. She gets a lot of encouragement and that feeds into her confidence. Even though we are planning to move farther from school, I wouldn’t think of changing the school. She is excited to go to her classes, and practices so much at home that we need to remind her to be kind to neighbors :-). I have noticed tremendous improvement in little over 3 months.

I have been working with teacher Karen for voice lessons for a few months now.
She is exactly what I expect from a teacher. Someone who is humble, sweet, nice, kind and serious about her work, patient also.

Karen has been super patient with me! I’m a very novice singer and she was able to help me get much more comfortable with my voice (Super shy about singing in head voice aka falsetto) She also teaches you many exercises that allows you to become a better singer!

This is the best music school ever! Mark is a teacher extraordinaire. Karen is awesome! Whether you want to take lessons in guitar, drums, keyboard, or singing, this is the place to be in the Bay Area. Teaching styles are very unique and comfortable. Workshops are super where you feel part of a band and jam with your peers with no pressure regardless of your level. If you are anywhere in the Bay Area, you can’t go wrong with this place. Here are a few examples of the workshops:

Music is very therapeutic for me. I looked around at a few places to take guitar lessons. They all seemed the same. Very cookie cutter and generic. But one day, I was passing by 5 Star School for Music and thought to stop in. I talked with teacher Mark. He explained everything about the school. I liked what I saw at the business. The school has a lot of personality. I liked the studios where the students learn. I also liked the teaching system. Within five minutes I thought, I love this guy! I’m still taking lessons at the school after 7 years. And I also take part in the workshops the school has. They have really helped me grow as a musician. One last thing! Teacher Mark even helped me to write my own love song. I will be performing it at my upcoming wedding. I’m going to be so proud to see the look on my fiancé’s face. 5 Star is even going to record the song for me. I highly recommend 5 Star School for Music to everybody looking for a great music school.

I have been taking guitar lessons at 5 star Music for 2 years. Mark treated me like family from the first day I walked in the door. I have sincerely enjoyed the support and encouragement which I have received from the entire staff at «5 Star Music».
Their approach to teaching is first in class which has made my experience learning to play guitar a pleasure. Thanks 5 Star Music… You guys ROCK!

I’ve taken guitar and workshop lessons with Mark Wilson and Karen for many years. My experience has been amazing! I went from a beginner guitarist to writing and singing my own songs, adding bass and percussion to my instruments and eventually playing in the live performance band at parties and festivals.
There isn’t a music program out there that matches 5 Star’s. Mark dedicated his time to meet my individual goals and personalized his program to fit the speed I wanted to move at. He also gave me confidence to play in the workshops that created a whole new community of friends and commitment to practice. The group workshops were not only fun, but helped my growth as a musician. I can’t say enough about the program!

My three sons and I have taken guitar, bass and drum lessons from Mark for the past 4 years and have been completely satisfied with our progress and excellent level of instruction. Mark’s approach encourages musicians to play as part of a group and he facilitates that by providing workshop opportunities where many students at the same level get together to basically jam on common songs they’ve been working on. This is guitar hero on steroids b/​c you get to get to hear yourself playing along w/​other players and really making music. I would strongly encourage anyone who’s interested in learning to play guitar to get some lessons from Mark and experience his unique, fun and results oriented instruction — you be glad you did it!

I took lessons from Mark back in 2002 for a couple of years. Really good stuff. He knows his stuff, is really patient and makes learning guitar a fun environment.
I moved away from the bay area in 2005. I tried other teachers and on-​line courses. Nothing really matched up with what I had with Mark.
Luckily this year he started offering lessons on Skype. Now I can take lessons and not be in the bay.
I high recommend Mark as a guitar teacher for those who are getting started or have played for a long time.

Mark and Karen are some of the best music teachers you’ll ever find. They are patient and fun to learn from. They adapt to a person’s pace to make the process non-​intimidating. Many of their students have been taking lessons with them for many years. I’ve been taking voice and guitar lessons since April of this year. I look forward to my one-​on-​one guitar class with Karen, and to our fun workshops where I get to play and sing all types of music together with other students who have already become quite proficient at playing guitar, bass, and/​or percussion. They offer a great environment for students of all ages.