Piano Lessons Encino

I found out about the music academy through a friend who said she was pleased with the piano lessons her daughter was receiving. She highly recommended the school. The first time I called, I had to leave a message and some one would call back soon. It was a week when I decided to call again, this time a man answered and he seemed real nice and gave me information that was helpful he told me he would contact the instructor who would call me back in a few hours. That never happened, the next day I called back and he seemed surprised the instructor never called me. He told me I will make sure she calls you back in a few minutes this time. It never happened.
It’s pretty sad because I was really looking forward to putting my daughter in piano lessons from someone that had already had a wonderful experience.

This music/​dance school is terribly managed. The new «office manager» never once introduced herself to me or my child, would be on Facebook all the time and eat food at her desk which is poorly placed right next to the room that my child took lessons in. The only conversation I had with her is when she called me the same day my child had a lesson to tell me that his instructor no longer was teaching and she had placed him with another instructor that she believed would be a good fit. How would she know who a good fit for my child would be since she never attempted to get to know him or myself? My son had been with his instructor for 2 years and had a comfortable, nurturing relationship. I was at this music school for his instructor not the school. I kindly declined the offer of a new instructor and never went back.
In regards to the dance instructors that I had witnessed teach classes were horribly trained and teaching incorrect technique. The classes were never the same each week and had inconsistent instructors. I had recommended a teacher to the owner, however she was more concerned if the person I was recommending was good looking and in shape. Apparently she wasn’t interested in their talent, background, or potential increase in clients that the teacher would bring to the school.
For being a nice facility, it’s too bad that the management is terrible. Find another school; there are plenty in Ventura County.
I gave one star only because I had to in order to post this review.

I love my piano teacher, Jeff! I had never taken a piano lesson in my life, because I’d had a phobia of music notes. (They just looked like an army of tadpoles to me… LOL) Well, here’s how good my teacher has been: It’s been only three months since my first lesson. I’m now able to play Beethoven’s sonata «Pathetique»!!! No joke.
Thank you, Jeff, for being such an awesome piano teacher. Not only my music note phobia is gone, I now have a joy of playing piano for rest of my life! (I wish the tuition was a little less expensive. If it were, I would have given 5 stars plus another one! ;))

In response to the comment by the owner that this is a bogus review.
While I know you would like to believe that these are not real comments I would ask you to please review your email records on December 7, 2012 when an email and letter was sent to your company following two phones conversations with your husband and three conversations with the office manager in the weeks prior. We were real clients for 4 years and my name, son’s name and contact information was on the letter. I never received a response, even after leaving a phone message. If you were unaware of this communication that took place then you should speak with those managing the company.
I think you might also be surprised to know that Dominic has never spoken badly about your facility with me and remained very professional through all conversations I had with him.
At the end of the day — it has turned out very well — we are at a studio we love with an instructor we love.

Beware. This institution has unfair business tactics and so this poor review is for the Management and Owners of this Academy (who also run the Thousand Oaks location). We attended this Academy for approximately 3 years and were extremely happy with a particular teacher (Dominic). So happy, that we made a 40 mile round trip commute weekly to see him. My 9 year old daughter thrived with him as she received a firm musical foundation starting with piano, and then transitioning to guitar and voice, all with Dominic.
Last week, we were notified that Dominic was fired because of a parent complaint and for the «betterment of the school». A few days later, we were also subsequently charged for a full upcoming month of lessons in the amount of $ 142.00! Since there was no reply to my initial email inquiry as to why we were being charged for lessons that we couldn’t have with Dominic, the response was «that was the school policy» and we could have lessons with another teacher. But we had initially attended this school because of a recommendation for Dominic, and simply did not want to be forced into lessons with another teacher. Mind you, had we quit on the school, we would have accepted this policy. But the fact is that the school fired my daughter’s favorite music teacher and inconvenienced us, so they should have never charged us for an extra month of lessons to begin with (and a few days after notifying us that Dominic had been fired). I had even offered to split the $ 142 with them, and at the very least, they should have accepted that. But the response was negative and that there were others in the same situation as we were! Really? and there is nothing wrong with that? Apparently the owners and management did not think so.
I don’t accept bad policy for the sake of accepting policy, and nor should anyone else. This school only looks out for the betterment of the Owner’s wallets. Teachers aside, I cannot recommend this school for their poor ethics and bad business policy alone.