Looking for the best piano lessons in San Jose? You’re in the right place!
We’ve done the research for you, and we’ve curated a list of the best six piano instructors in the city. The instructors included in our list provide different kind of services such as online lessons, in-home lessons as well as in-studio lessons. They also offer lessons in different genres such as jazz, classical, contemporary, pop, and others.
Here is the average cost of piano lessons in San Jose and surrounding areas:
Average Hourly Rate for Piano Lessons in San Jose*
Type of Piano Lesson | Cost Per Hour |
---|---|
Piano lesson (all types) | $65 per hour |
Online piano lesson (all types) | $60 per hour |
In-home piano lesson | $100 per hour |
Adult lesson (60-minute) | $65 per hour |
Child lesson (60-minute) | $65 per hour |
Adult lesson (30-minute) | $39 per hour |
Child lesson (30-minute) | $39 per hour |
* Note: The purpose of these figures is to give you an overview of what you can expect to spend. The cost varies instructor to instructor and in some cases teacher to teacher within a school.
Tip: Most schools have discounts available, and some have “hidden” charges. We have detailed everything here so you can make an informed decision for yourself and your child.
Best Piano Lessons in San Jose (Top 6)
In the table below we summarize all of the key information for the top piano schools and instructors in San Jose. Then in the section following the table we provide a detailed description of each school/instructor.
Top 6 Piano Schools/Instructors in San Jose (Table)
School / Instructor | Years of Experience | Hourly Rate* | Online Classes | Private Classes | In-home Classes | Types of Clients | Types of Instruction Offered |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Willow Glen Music School | - | $42 / 30-minute | No | Yes | No | Ages 5 and up | All |
Phil Johnson Music Lessons | - | Contact them for pricing | Yes | Yes | No | Ages 8 and up | All |
San Jose Piano Lessons | 12 | $60.00 | Yes | Yes | Yes | children, Adults | Jazz, Classical, Contemporary, Pop |
The Hunter School of Music | 5 | Contact them for pricing | Covid-19 = Yes | Yes | No | Ages 5 and up | All |
Musicians Mobile | 11 | $105 | Covid-19 = Yes | Yes | Yes | children, Adults | All |
Darrell Leffler's Academy of Music | 31 | $35 / 30-minutes | No | Yes | No | children, Adults | All |
* Please note that the Hourly Rate is for the most common programs for each instructor. They have other programs too that might have higher or lower Hourly Rates. Please refer to the individual instructor for more details below.
Top 6 Piano Schools/Instructors in San Jose (Detailed Descriptions)
Willow Glen Music School offers private piano lessons as well as group piano lessons. In a one-on-one setting, the teacher will take the time to get to know your goals, strengths and weaknesses. They will show you the fundamentals of sight-reading, technique, theory but will also incorporate your favorite songs into the lessons.
Group lessons can go two ways. Peer interactions either can either make the students lose interest and put pressure on them to perform or in Willow Glen Music School’s case, becomes a natural way of gaining rhythm and a rhythmic sense. Teachers emphasize not only good piano technique but also style, finger velocity and sensitivity. When modeling proper technique, the teacher’s presentation has more impact in a group, because it fosters mild competition between students to do it well, not only for the teacher but for peers.
Phil Johnson is a professional music artist and songwriter. He has a BA in music from San Jose State University and over 19 years of both teaching and performing experience. In this teaching career, he has helped hundreds of students on their musical journeys. He has also released 5 CDs and three DVDs and tours nationally.
He teaches from his comfortable studio in San Jose. Lessons are available for students as young as 8 to adults. Phil will help you learn the correct techniques form the very beginning and also Improvisation techniques so you can enjoy the purest form of music. Phil’s way of teaching is very open. You won’t be in dark about how or why we’re doing anything and you’ll find each new concept immediately useful.
Whether you are an advanced player or a beginner, whether you're searching for a teacher for your young child or yourself, San Jose Piano Lessons’ mission is to provide the highest quality private piano lessons and tutoring at an affordable cost.
There are currently five teachers at the school who are from diverse backgrounds and are highly trained in communicating core concepts such as rhythm, harmony, and melody. Music theory is also part of lessons and abilities in pitch, expression, identification, and notation are developed through the teachers' knowledge of the necessary content.
Three different kinds of styles are taught at the SJPL: Jazz, Classical, and Contemporary and Pop. Jazz is appealing to those who like to play fun, groovy music and is great for parties. Jazz musicians heavily improvise, so a lot of jazz training includes an intense focus on scales and how notes play with each other, as well as how to keep up a rhythm.
Classical music is seen as a special, extremely unique type of music because of its unmatched ability to produce emotion both in those who play it and those who listen to it. The Instructors understand the value of classical music, and how its benefits transcend across all styles of music and suggest exercises in classical music accordingly. Teachers are experts in other genres too and will happily teach you whatever your end goal is.
Amy is the owner and founder of the Hunter School of Music. She has a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Piano Performance from Temple University’s Esther Boyer School of Music and Dance in Philadelphia. She has been teaching private piano lessons since and in 2015, she started Hunter School of Music.
Amy loves to share her love of music with her students and she believes every person should have the opportunity to learn an instrument, learn the language of music, and discover how exciting and fun it is to play. Hunter School of Music accept students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities and work with you/your child’s interests and musical desires to design a lesson that fulfills your individual goals and provides you/your child with a balanced musical background.
The other teachers at the school are also accomplished musicians and expert teachers. Lessons with the teachers include learning music theory, history, sight-reading, as well as important fundamental technical skills.
There are a lot of supporting activities at the school that helps in learning. These include Performance Opportunities, Certification, Student Spotlight, Social Aspect, Duets, Field Trips/Concert Attending, and Concerts.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving or waiting at the studio, Musicians Mobile is the solution. They provide professional music lessons in the comfort of your home. Musicians Mobile was founded by Nate Mueller in 2009 with the goal of providing enjoyable home music lessons. The company offers a collection of music instructors who share a similar passion for teaching.
All the teachers are background checked, an expert in the instruments they teach and bring passion, professionalism, and a friendly personal approach to teaching their students. They can teach many genres like Jazz, Pop, Video Game/Film music, and Classical, emphasizing expression and musicality.
You can take a trial lesson before starting and if you decide to continue, you will be sent an electronic service agreement and invoice. However, you will have to pay in advance for 2 months at a time.
Darrell Leffler's Academy of Music is a family-owned and run business. Darrell opened the academy 31 years ago after earning a BA in Music Education at San Francisco State University and an MA in Piano Pedagogy at San Jose State University. Since then the academy has helped hundreds of students achieve their musical goals.
Private as well as group lessons are offered at the academy. However, they strongly advise starting with group lessons. The reason is that they are considerably less expensive and your child will not only learn how to play the piano but learn how to read and write music.
The programs available at the academy include Piano Workshops, Basic Library, Discovery Workshop, and Music for Little Mozarts.