As a daughter of a few generations of singer/song writers I was not surprised to find my son banging his spoon in rythm to twinkle twinkle little star (the rocknroll version) and singing in perfect pitch before he could barely talk. Ate age 6 it became apparent that my son was more than ready for music lessons, as every utensil he picks up tends to become a drumstick. My father always told me, you don't need music lessons -music is everywhere. I'm a labor and delivery nurse and a single mom and just wanted to find a place for my son to express himself and develop his craft. Jon's school of Music is the Ultimate musician building playground! My son not only gets to express himself with the drums, bongos, xylophone and other various percussion instruments but he gets to communicate with other future budding artists of the Bay Area as well. This is what my father was talking about, music is communication and it's everywhere. Jon's school of music is the playground (with Jon acting as referee/coach)and well worth more than any money spent on other so called music lessons. If you or your child have any interest in the art of music -this is the venue- this is the place to commune!

Fun! Fun! Fun! AND worth every (extremely reasonable penny)! My husband and I stumbled upon this hidden gem of a music class while out on a walk one day with our 1 year old. We had been looking to start some sort of fun, group music class and after checking out various venues (JCC, Gymboree, Golden Gate Park rec dept) we were pretty disappointed with the choices. Jon's classes are entertaining, educational and filled with personal touches we hadn't seen before. The array of musical instruments is fantastic and there are always plenty to go around. His curriculum is set up in such a wonderful way, the time flies by and you come out realizing you were just given the building blocks to playing guitar, piano, drums and more! The best testament I can give is that when we stroll up to the building and my daughter recognizes it - she squeals with delight and grins from ear to ear. Enough said!

JSOM is great. Both of my children love it every time. Jon engages them both in the sibling class that we're doing now. And he's been able to inspire them at each developmental stage for the last four years. Tons of instruments to play, awesome techniques to introduce kids to music and theory, and often hilarity ensues, especially with flub flavors and the alternative responses to "hey"! Also of note, Jon has always been very flexible with make-up classes. Vacation and sickness alike. I highly recommend these classes.

Jon’s School of Music is really spectacular and I highly recommend it. As a former early childhood educator, teaching at UC Berkeley for 15 years, and in more recent years, a student of music at the Jazzschool, Jon provides exactly the kind of music education I was hoping to give my 4 year old granddaughter and certainly the kind I wish I had as a child. Jon recognizes that young children learn best through play, and his playful approach makes learning fun. He is very respectful of each child’s temperament and developmental level, and individualizes his interactions with them. He even builds in mistakes so that a “flub” becomes expectable and made acceptable. He meets children at their level and challenges them appropriately. Jon has designed many activities and games all geared to teaching the principles of music education. Throughout the class children are exposed to rhythm, harmony, melody, dynamics, tempo, and more. They also have the opportunity to play real instruments, some that are child size, so that they get to experience what it’s like to play a cello, trombone, guitar, drums, keyboard, violin and more. He reinforces what he teaches them with hand-outs to take home and a CD. In addition, children learn a tremendous amount about working together to make music. They work as a band and learn about how to listen to each other and play together. Team work is crucial to many of his activities. Best of all, this class is sheer fun. Jon’s zany personality brings out the belly laugh in all of the children as well as all of the adults.

They really have a lot to offer to help your children learn. The price is sometimes high, but worth it.