As a concert pianist, I have realized over years of teaching how crucial it is to nourish a young musician. Students can be either touched with great joy and curiosity during their first introduction to music or they can be greatly defeated by the technical challenges and seemingly rigid practice routines. This school is a result of my desire as a musician and a music educator to created a environment where children and adults can freely explore all aspects of their curiosity towards music.Our faculty all holds degrees from some of the top universities and music conservatories in the country, including Juilliard School of Music, Harvard Universtity, Rice University, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, Indiana University, and many others.
Highlights and features
- Piano
Services
Private lessons
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The importance of one-on-one lessons with your dedicated music teacher is to focus on the fundamental of technique, note reading, rhythm, musical expression, development of practice routine at home, and preparation for students performance opportunities. Private lessons are available for piano, violin, cello, clarinet, voice, guitar, music theory, composition and others. Group Keyboard Class for Children
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Group keyboard class is a 45 min class for the series of 8 weeks designed for 4~6 year-old children to introduce the piano playing and music basics. This is a perfect class to prepare students to private lessons for correct postures, finger numbers, fundamental of notes and rhythm. Group Violin Class
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Group Violin Class is a 45 min weekly class for the series of 8 to 12 weeks, designed for beginning students of age 5~7. The class will focus on the importance of learning the correct posture, bow grip, straight bowing, and fundamental of notes and rhythm, as well as fun aspect of playing violin. 
People
Dulais Rhys
Piano & Composition
A native of Wales, Dulais Rhys has been a professionalmusician for over 25 years. He holds Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degree in music from the University of Wales as well as several teaching diplomas. He also studied Composition, Conducting and Electronic Music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD.
Linsey Rae Johnson
Vocal, Piano & Kindermusik
A native of Minnesota, soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson has performed throughout the United States and Europe. Winner of competitions including 1st Place in the Texoma Region NATS Artist Award competition, Lindsey has also been a Finalist for Classical Singer magazine and Sparkling City Light Opera competitions.
Sarah Stone
Cello
Sarah Stone, cellist, is currently working on her masters degree in Cello Performance at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she is studying with Jean-Michel Fonteneau. Ms. Stone graduated in May, 2011 with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, TX, where she was a student of Norman Fischer.
Teresa Yu
Director
Teresa Yu is enjoying the career of a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and the director of Amabile School of Music. She has won several competitions including first prize at the New England Piano Teachers Association in 1999 and 2000, the San Francisco Young Pianists Competition, and the Berkeley Piano Club Competition, and the first prize in Mu Phi Epsilon Competition in 2007.
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Reviews (13) Chloe Hebert
Apr 19, 2022
I'm very happy enrolling my kids at Amabile School of Music. The teachers are all professional musicians, and I can tell they are passionate about their teaching. Both of my kids are now improving a lot and they started really enjoying playing the piano. The staff has always been helpful to us. It's a good learning environment and I appreciate the school. Thank you!
Mango Lassi
Feb 25, 2022
This school has the worst and unfair makeup policy of all the institutions that we have been to. Like previous reviews of this school, I also find their policy and the director Theresa Yu the director to be not customer centric and favors heavily the school financially. With their policy, what the customers end up paying per lesson is a lot more than what is on the paper or what you think.
All makeup lessons are group lessons by zoom, not in person. Their policy allows the teacher to cancel your lesson without obligation from the school to make up another in person lesson for you even though the teacher or school is the one who initiates the cancelation. If the student needs to cancel a lesson, even though the teacher has a vacant spot due to a cancellation by another student, the school still does not allow you to fill that vacant spot as a make up lesson.
The school contacts me multiple occasions to ask if our lesson appointment to be moved to accommodate, but we ask to move our appointment a bit on rare occasions, the school never attempt to assist! Their response is always to cancel our lesson and do a makeup group lesson by zoom. And if you want the lesson to be with the same teacher, there are usually only 3 dates available over 3 to 6 months!
Even if you can attend one of those makeup group lessons by zoom, the quality of the lesson is not the same. You lost money there; and if you attend lesson given by a different teacher, that teacher has to start from scratch with you, you lost value/money again; and if you could not attend to any zoom lesson, you just lost the value of the entire lesson which is $72.5 for 45 minutes lesson at the time of this writing.
Another unfair practice by the owner of this school Teresa Yu is that she can decide to terminate your lessons without any advanced notice but she requires that you give her at least 2 weeks notice if you want to cancel your lessons. She would cancel your lessons if you make comments that you feel her policy is unfair. Lastly I need to make a comment about Teresa Yu.
She is not customer centric to say the least. Communication with her is difficult. She has no perspective or understanding of where I come from. Making money or the bottom line seems to be her only purpose.
All makeup lessons are group lessons by zoom, not in person. Their policy allows the teacher to cancel your lesson without obligation from the school to make up another in person lesson for you even though the teacher or school is the one who initiates the cancelation. If the student needs to cancel a lesson, even though the teacher has a vacant spot due to a cancellation by another student, the school still does not allow you to fill that vacant spot as a make up lesson.
The school contacts me multiple occasions to ask if our lesson appointment to be moved to accommodate, but we ask to move our appointment a bit on rare occasions, the school never attempt to assist! Their response is always to cancel our lesson and do a makeup group lesson by zoom. And if you want the lesson to be with the same teacher, there are usually only 3 dates available over 3 to 6 months!
Even if you can attend one of those makeup group lessons by zoom, the quality of the lesson is not the same. You lost money there; and if you attend lesson given by a different teacher, that teacher has to start from scratch with you, you lost value/money again; and if you could not attend to any zoom lesson, you just lost the value of the entire lesson which is $72.5 for 45 minutes lesson at the time of this writing.
Another unfair practice by the owner of this school Teresa Yu is that she can decide to terminate your lessons without any advanced notice but she requires that you give her at least 2 weeks notice if you want to cancel your lessons. She would cancel your lessons if you make comments that you feel her policy is unfair. Lastly I need to make a comment about Teresa Yu.
She is not customer centric to say the least. Communication with her is difficult. She has no perspective or understanding of where I come from. Making money or the bottom line seems to be her only purpose.
Oliver Q.
Feb 19, 2022
We are getting more and more unhappy with this music school because of its poor customer service, high cost and dishonesty by its owner Teresa Yu. It is probably why our music teachers that we like are leaving without any advanced notice. We are left scrambling to find another teacher all of a sudden. Teresa Yu is extremely strict and rigid in her management of the business all in the name of increasing her profit.
She is unprofessional. She lied about the number of attendants for the recital because she was not willing to accommodate one extra family member. A few our friends have also left this school one by one lately.
She is unprofessional. She lied about the number of attendants for the recital because she was not willing to accommodate one extra family member. A few our friends have also left this school one by one lately.
Bay Aqua
Jan 23, 2021
I was looking for good piano studio in SF to prepare my kids for ABRSM tests. After searching for a while, we found Amobile. Both of my boys are now on track for both theory and practice tests. And Teresa, the director, is so good at motivating and bring the best out of the kids which she calls by "young artists." She is a true artist herself and is a hard to find music teacher and music learning advocate!
Vivien Kong
Jun 28, 2020
Kris I.
Jun 15, 2020
What a wonderful little school with such big love for what they do! As a music teacher myself I've had the chance to visit both the SF location here as well as the Moraga location, and both are more than up to snuff when it comes to what they bring to their students, teachers, and community. A visit there brought me joy to see kids with big grins pasted on their faces while they navigated in or out of the building and the practice rooms, which is honestly a rarity in my experience working with a handful of other music schools in the SF Bay Area.
All of the students from kids to adults seem both genuinely interested in their studies as well as excited to involve themselves in them, and as a music teacher myself as of the past 15+/- years, it gives me great hope that a school like Amabile exists to keep music in both the education system and in the hearts of the community at large :
All of the students from kids to adults seem both genuinely interested in their studies as well as excited to involve themselves in them, and as a music teacher myself as of the past 15+/- years, it gives me great hope that a school like Amabile exists to keep music in both the education system and in the hearts of the community at large :
Kotting Luo
May 21, 2020
Joann Arco
Feb 08, 2020
Oh dear, I realize I posted this review before I had come across good piano teachers. This place is not a place that I would ever enroll my kinds in knowing what I know now about what teaching piano entails. My children spent about 2 years at this place and learned absolutely NOTHING. They had to start from zero with their current competent and master piano teacher.
Ethan L.
Apr 17, 2019
The music director Teresa is an amazing concert pianist and educator. She provides the best facility, instrument, and music program to students. In addition, she is an organized and efficient business owner, and take cares of teachers and students.
Operated more than 10 years, Amabile School of Music hosts student recitals every two month. Students have various opportunities to perform on-site, outreach, and at real stage (Recital Hall at San Francisco Conservatory of Music).
Students here, ages from 4 to adult, are truly having fun with music and enjoy it in their life.
Bonus: Musical Ladder System (trophy, wristband, and certificate) rewards their hard work. As a music instructor, I highly recommend Amabile School of Music to other educators, students, and music lovers.
Operated more than 10 years, Amabile School of Music hosts student recitals every two month. Students have various opportunities to perform on-site, outreach, and at real stage (Recital Hall at San Francisco Conservatory of Music).
Students here, ages from 4 to adult, are truly having fun with music and enjoy it in their life.
Bonus: Musical Ladder System (trophy, wristband, and certificate) rewards their hard work. As a music instructor, I highly recommend Amabile School of Music to other educators, students, and music lovers.
Agustino B.
Apr 16, 2018
My 5 years old son has been taking piano lessons with Dr. Ethan for 16 months. Now he knows how to clap on beats, read music notes, and play piano. Dr. Ethan really passion about teaching, he knows how his students develop and try to keep on the students learning pace rather than rushing the students. I highly recommend Dr. Ethan, he will make sure that your kids have a strong basic music.
The other thing I like about Amabile School of Music is Recital part. Twice a year Amabile will let student to perform in front of families and friends to boost their confident and self esteem. The teachers and front desks attendance always greet you with smile. Thank you Amabile!
The other thing I like about Amabile School of Music is Recital part. Twice a year Amabile will let student to perform in front of families and friends to boost their confident and self esteem. The teachers and front desks attendance always greet you with smile. Thank you Amabile!
Tracy Morris
Jan 19, 2018
Virginia L.
May 15, 2017
I was a piano teacher at Amabile for almost 2 years from 2015-2016, ended last year when I moved out of town. With my 9 years teaching experiences, I can say Amabile is the best music school I have ever worked for! Not only is the director Teresa a wonderful person and a great boss, she also truly cares about every students at the school and does her best to provide the best environment and music education to them.
I was always impressed how Teresa keeps bringing in new systems and ideas to motivate the students! During my job interview three years ago, I already realized that Teresa picks teachers super seriously and carefully. All my former co-workers are professional musicians with great personalities and patient, foremost, we all love working with kids! I miss my time teaching at Amabile! Highly recommend this school if you are looking for the best music learning experience in San Francisco!
I was always impressed how Teresa keeps bringing in new systems and ideas to motivate the students! During my job interview three years ago, I already realized that Teresa picks teachers super seriously and carefully. All my former co-workers are professional musicians with great personalities and patient, foremost, we all love working with kids! I miss my time teaching at Amabile! Highly recommend this school if you are looking for the best music learning experience in San Francisco!
John S.
Feb 01, 2013
My son has been taking lessons for about 3 months so far and he really enjoys it. He has a great teacher with Ms. Lindsey (as he calls her). She strikes a nice balance in terms of making it fun and supportive while still keeping the student progressing at a nice pace. I had the standard concerns about enrolling my son:
- will he dread going to piano lessons?
- will he get distracted?
- how will the teacher interact with him?
- will it be too "formal" (I want my kid to enjoy himself as well)
I searched the web for potential schools and I was drawn to the philosophy of Amabile. Theresa, the director of the school, responded quickly to my email and her answers put my mind at ease about enrolling my son.
The structure of the program has been great. He has three books: a practice book (to mark when he practices), a music theory book and his musical pieces book. All three have been age appropriate while still teaching him the basics. I realize that the monthly tuition isn't cheap, but you are paying for a nice environment, structured program and a qualified one-on-one teaching experience.
It's definitely a commitment for you and your child. Going on our 4th month, my son still looks forward to his lesson. Hearing him play the piano on his own (only sometimes - let's be realistic) versus playing on the computer is definitely priceless.
- will he dread going to piano lessons?
- will he get distracted?
- how will the teacher interact with him?
- will it be too "formal" (I want my kid to enjoy himself as well)
I searched the web for potential schools and I was drawn to the philosophy of Amabile. Theresa, the director of the school, responded quickly to my email and her answers put my mind at ease about enrolling my son.
The structure of the program has been great. He has three books: a practice book (to mark when he practices), a music theory book and his musical pieces book. All three have been age appropriate while still teaching him the basics. I realize that the monthly tuition isn't cheap, but you are paying for a nice environment, structured program and a qualified one-on-one teaching experience.
It's definitely a commitment for you and your child. Going on our 4th month, my son still looks forward to his lesson. Hearing him play the piano on his own (only sometimes - let's be realistic) versus playing on the computer is definitely priceless.
