Parent Resources
Enrollment is on-going! It is never too late to join our music or dance lessons and classes. find a class time!
Welcome! This is the smart page for smart parents with smart questions. Here’s everything you need to know to get acquainted with Myriad’s community. Give us a call if you do not see an answer to one of your questions here. Check back throughout the year for Owner / Director / Department Leader Quick Tips & Videos.
Preschool Parents ~ There is a special section at the bottom of this page just for you!
Register TODAY for your FIRST CLASS.
Follow these 3 easy steps to reserve your spot in our popular programs.
1. Click on your program of choice: MUSIC, DANCE or SUMMER.
2. Choose by Age for maximum educational benefits.
3. Register for the class time that works best for you.
Don’t see a class time that works? Call us at (650) 412-6322, email us at lessons@myriadmusic.net, or use the online form on the bottom of our website. Our friendly Arts Administrators will assist you with solutions.
Monthly Newsletter
The most asked question we receive is: “What is happening at Myriad?”
We are thrilled with the level of involvement with all our Myriad families and are proud to share in their success.
Our students are constantly achieving new goals and participating in new events.
The best way to stay up-to-date and involved is to read the Monthly Newsletter
Q & A
Our #1 guiding principal has always been that our school remains a place where our students, parents, and teachers feel safe.
Yes! For the following programs, we encourage you to register and join the class. You may be contacted by our Arts Administrators prior to your first class, verifying that your child is matched to the correct level for their age and experience.
- Dance Academy Classes
- Preschool Music, Mini Piano Plus, Superstars, Mini Singers
- Kids’ Ukulele Band, Adult Ukulele Band
- Summer Camps, Summer Ensembles, Summer Dance Programs, Summer Leadership Programs
After the first class, if the teacher notices a student is better suited to a different skill level, they will make a recommendation and match that student to a different class. Our Arts Administrators will help you with the transition.
Yes, absolutely. For Private lessons, Piano Teams, Violin Teams & Guitar Teams, we always recommend a one-time Trial lesson first. This is an opportunity for you to meet with the teacher, get a sense of their teaching style and see how your child responses to their personality and teaching methods.This also gives the teacher a chance to evaluate the student’s learning style (and their skills if they have had lessons before) and determine the student’s readiness. These classes require more home practice, more musical literacy, technique refinement. The teacher is assessing many parameters during this first visit.
The same invitation to attend a first trial class is extended for our other music & dance programs. For ensemble music and dance classes, a trial student has the option to observe or participate, whichever is most comfortable. We know all children can succeed in these classes, and will adjust to the format of the class. The teacher will always encourage the child to participate. This helps the teacher observe current skills, focus & readiness, so they can make the best recommendation.
At Myriad, we are providing quality program, offering consistency and choice for all.
On our website, and explained again during the registration process / confirmation, each family receives information regarding whether the enrolled program is a Year-Round on-going enrollment program, or a 10-month program, requiring repeated registration. It’s important that you know whether you are enrolled in a Year-Round Program (Summer Term is included) or a 10-month programs (separate Summer Term registration is required). This format optimizes the membership process, and maintains the schedule that works best for students and their families.
Read below for a summary of which programs are Year-Round and which programs are 10-month.
MUSIC: Private Lessons, Piano Team, Violin Team & Guitar Team Classes are 12-month, year-round programs. Summer classes for Private Lessons and Team Classes are included in your 12 month membership. Your reserved lesson times carry into our 6-week summer term. No separate registration will be necessary. Your lesson time will not change for the following school year, unless you wish to change it.
MUSIC: Foundations Classes (All other music classes) are 10 month-programs, August -June. This includes Preschool Music, Mini Piano Plus, Superstars, Mini Singers & Glee, Kids’ Ukulele Band, and Adult Ukulele. These classes require a separate summer registration.
DANCE: All Dance Academy Classes are 10 month-programs, August -June. These classes require a separate summer registration for our Dance Camps and Performing Arts Camps.
Prorated means to divide an amount proportionally, based on a unit of time. Tuition is based on the number of hours your student is in class per week. Please refer to our current School Year calendar, for start date per program. We calculate the # weeks of classes in our School Year calendar. Our tuition calculation is the # of weeks of class x hourly rate based on the number of hours in class per week divided by 10 equal monthly payments. You may wonder why you’re paying for a full month of December when there are only 2-3 weeks of classes in the month, or why you are paying less in a month with 5 weeks. Rather than charge different amounts every month, we find that it is more accurate to charge a lower monthly rate by using our weeks x class hours/10 payments calculation.
Yes, we have many Performance options for our students, depending on the students’ ages and the program in which they are enrolled. Your teacher and the Director will invite your child to the performance event that will provide your child with the best experience. Please see our Performance Events page for more information about performance opportunities we create especially for our students.
DANCE ACADEMY: Our Dancers do attend the June Spring Showcase. This is a team event and we need every dancer on stage. If you are enrolled in a Dance Class, and have enrolled prior to March, be prepared to dance in our Dance Showcase. Choreography is dependent on each child being present.
MUSIC ENSEMBLES: Mini Singers & Glee students, Kids Ukulele Band, Rock Band and Chamber Music students are also enrolled in a “team sport” class. If you are enrolled in any of these classes, be prepared to sing in both our Winter Concert and our Spring Concert. Harmony and singing parts are dependent on each vocalist being present.
PRIVATE LESSON & TEAM STUDENTS: We never ask a child to perform in a music concert if they are not comfortable performing in public. Students will be encouraged to perform in the small group settings of Workshop Week. There are no parents at these events, just other students and their teachers. This still gives our students a goal that they are working towards throughout the year. We also have the Playing Parties held twice a year as well. These are small classes on the weekends, with parents attending the last 25 minutes of our cozy music sharing time. Children play for each other in an informal, friendly atmosphere. Playing Parties are for our younger children, ages 6-9. Our pre-teen & teen students have the option to attend our low-key Teen Master Class. We have observed over many years of teaching children of all ages, that these smaller nurturing settings often provide the experience necessary for our younger or shyer students. They then can be promoted, if they feel ready, to our Concert Events.
Yes, for students who exhibit responsible practicing routines, we do offer the popular ABRSM program. We also hold a national certificate and evaluation event for qualifying students each spring through the Music Teachers National Association. National evaluations and certificates are more recognized across the country and internationally than state-wide programs. Student must have been enrolled with us for 1 year to qualify, and exemplify consistent practice habits.
We do not use any one method. We research the best methods out there and then match the material that works best with that students’ learning style. We also use a variety of fun teaching aids during the lesson to help students understand the more challenging abstract musical concepts. Students really enjoy the variety in their lessons.
We recommend that beginners practice about 10-15 minutes per day, 5 days a week. We believe in the 5 days a week format as it allows the student to make choices and they take ownership over their own practicing. Intermediate and Advanced students make that decision with their teacher. We help our students set practice goals that ensure progress each week and balance with the student’s other weekly time commitments.
Our dancers receive stretching books, with recommended stretches for their ages, dance style and fitness needs. They also follow choreography for their class, and can practice with private YouTube links.
Seasonal Owner’s Message
Upcoming events
We Love Our Students
Q & A cont.
The Myriad Music School and Dance Academy has been in San Mateo since 1996 and has been in its current, expanded location since 2005.
Private Lessons and Team Classes have the most involved home practice assignments. For these programs, each student receives a Myriad School Binder. Your child’s teacher creates personalized, weekly action steps on customized assignment sheets that outline the student’s practice goals. Here, parent and child can find clear and detailed instructions for success-based practice. We specialize in providing clear attainable goals, taking the student several steps closer to amazing accomplishments each week. We know the key to retention and on-going music lessons is making sure our students feel confident with the projects they take home with them, clearly understanding their role in the process. Our other programs have Homework cards, song folders, Myriad’s YouTube Practice Channel, and digital music lists to use at home. Our teachers are excellent at communicating what parents can use at home to support their child’s music and dance education.
Our dancers receive stretching books, with recommended stretches for their ages, dance style and fitness needs. They also follow choreography for their class, and can practice with private YouTube links. See also our Practicing Dance at Home page for more information.
Our make-up courtesy is generous, surpassing industry standards in the Bay Area. All students have the opportunity to enjoy unlimited make-up courtesies, provided advance notice is given prior to each absence. These make-up opportunities do not expire, provided the student’s registration is on-going and this student remains actively registered, Our registration policies contain more details.
There are no refunds for missed lessons, and no guaranteed make-up lessons. Your lesson time is reserved exclusively for you. The Music & Dance School does not assume any responsibility for missed lessons for any reason. If you schedule a make-up class and then miss that make-up for any reason, it still counts as a make-up lesson. You will only be eligible for a make-up opportunity if you have given the Music School & Dance Academy advance notice, by contacting us by 12:00 noon on the day of the lesson. Make-up opportunities are provided on the terms of the Music School & Dance School’s availability and convenience. The Music & Dance School provides make-ups strictly as a courtesy, for registered / active students only.
All of our teachers have Degrees in Music and Dance from accredited Universities and have great interpersonal skills with children and adults alike. We only hire teachers who have these qualifications. The Owners provide year-round professional development workshops for our teaching artists. Our Team is always working on perfecting their craft. It shows in their enthusiasm and innovation, which trickles down to our students!
All of our teachers are excellent and they meet frequently as a teaching team to discuss motivational teaching techniques and the latest methods. Our students benefit from the knowledge of the whole staff here, as well as their own private teacher. If after your first trial lesson, you would like to meet another teacher, you may schedule another trial lesson with our Arts Administrators. Each trial lesson is a separate payment.
If you are experiencing scheduling challenges, communicate first with our Arts Administrators , who will be solutions-based on finding you a better class time. If we can’t accommodate your needs immediately (which is rare) we will put you on a priority wait-list for a new lesson time.
For any reason, if you feel that this school is not right for you, just let our Arts Administrators know, and they will provide you with a withdrawal link. We do require 14 days written notice via the completed withdrawal form. Your withdrawal is effective 14 days after we receive written notice.
There are no early-withdrawals from any programs after April 1st. We support your child together with their teachers, as we complete curriculum, complete skill levels and prepare for your child’s end of year performances. Early withdrawal does not allow your child to complete their curriculum with their teacher, and affects performance events, which are held in May and June. Teachers and students are all working on wrapping up year-long skills. This is also the time of year when we honor students for their hard work and dedication throughout their classes. In the best interest of our students and the integrity of our programs, we do not promote early withdrawals.
Private Lessons, Piano Team, Violin Team and Guitar Team are year-round enrollment. These are specialized instruction classes. Summer lessons are included in your membership and tuition. Summer lessons are held for 6 weeks during the summer (end of June – beginning of August). We do close for 5 weeks during the summer. See our calendar.
For our Summer Camps and Summer Classes, check out our website. Online Summer Registration begins typically on January 1st. Our Dance Academy and Music Foundations Classes (Preschool Music, Mini Piano Plus, Superstars, Mini Singers & Glee, Kids Ukulele Band and Adult Ukulele Glee) have a separate Summer session registration.
Our enrollment is on-going, year round. Register online, following our 3 steps to make the best choice. Or Call our Arts Administrators anytime to get started and we’ll match you to the best choice for you or your child.
Lessons range in length from:
- 30 min for Beginners/Elementary Level students in their first 1 – 3 years of lessons.
- 45 min for Late-Elementary – Intermediate students in their third year of lessons
- 60 min for Intermediate – Advanced Level students beyond their fifth year of lessons. Students in our national exam program are taking 1 hour long lessons.
Preschool Parents, this may be a new experience for you. We have developed 3 unique, amazing programs just for you! Below is all the information you need to make a great choice for your little one.
Preschool Music & Dance Storytime Combo
Preschool Music “ABC Music & Me!”
Pre-Dance: Ages 3-4
Owner’s Insights
Student Practice
Safety Measures
Q & A cont.
Preschool Parents, this may be a new experience for you. We have developed 2 unique, amazing programs just for you! Below is all the information you need to make a great choice for your little one.
Preschool Music “ABC Music & Me!”
Pre-Dance: Ages 3-4
The Myriad Music School Owners and Preschool Teachers have observed for years that children learn best when presented with learning objectives that are designed with the age of the child in mind. This is the best way for a child to gain confidence and self-esteem. Too much information presented too soon just causes confusion and frustration. This is especially true for music & dance, as intricate motor skills are introduced for both. We want this experience to be positive and to foster musical confidence in each child. Each curriculum level is designed to best suit the stages and goals of the age range they address. The youngest child in the age bracket will be ready to flourish in the environment, and will be looking to the older children to provide them with a model of new ways to move, create, and explore concepts. The child in the upper end of the bracket benefits from the ability to fully involve themselves with the imaginative aspects of the lesson, the ability to take a leadership role in developing the ideas presented, and the chance to have true mastery before moving on to a new challenge. It is a true strength of our programs that we are privileged to see many stages of concept development going on simultaneously, rather than requiring only one “acceptable” outcome. A well-matched age grouping can understand the strategies needed to play and create together at their level, have a natural spontaneity while still maintaining the structure of the activities, and is stimulated by the varied abilities and perspectives of its members. What can happen in such a group is enriching musically, socially, and developmentally.
encourage expressive vocal use, nurture the development of pitch, and increase awareness of the sounds and rhythms in speech, music and dance. Pattern recognition in speech is a key element of good musicianship and dance patterns at all ages
or timbre, allows individual exploration of ways sound is produced and how that sound can be modified, develops steady beat, and is the beginning of ensemble play (how people make music together).
which means that they learn best and more quickly through movement-related activities. Movement, including free dance, patterned movement, and musical movement-stories, provides the physical experience which children need to explore and understand abstract concepts, allows expression of emotion in self and in the music, builds coordination, and assists in growing social skills.
through active involvement in storytelling, both from books and storyboards.
Our Pre-school Music “ABC Music & Me ” (Ages 3 – 4 years old ), Preschool Music & Dance Combo, Pre-Dance classes, Mini Piano Plus (ages 4-5) and Superstar (ages 5-6) classes are what we call “independent child classes”. These classes are direct-enroll, for safety-reasons and to give your child time to acclimate to their class environment. Most children gain their confidence and find their comfort level in after several classes. Young children do best in class if they can focus on just their teacher and their classmates. Should you or your child feel that the class is not a good fit, after giving adequate time for adjustment, we have a very flexible withdrawal process. Just let our Arts Administrators know.
For all ages, it is not uncommon for a child to attend several classes before feeling comfortable in class. Don’t be discouraged – what a child is absorbing in class is often evidenced in the comfort of the home environment rather than in a certain level of participation in class. Remember that all children learn at different paces. While it may seem as if your child is not “getting into the class” at first, you’d be surprised at what they are actually learning. This is what is referred to as “peripheral” learning. Let your child have the time he/she needs to adjust, adapt, and absorb the class environment. The understanding and consistency of the parent or caregiver in class and at home are key to facilitating learning and growth.
Come visit a one-time trial class anytime! To reserve a space please call (650) 412-6322 or email lessons@myriadmusic.net. It usually takes 2-3 classes for children to find their comfort zone in a new class. By participating in the trial lesson and watching the enrolled children who are more familiar with the activities, you will be able to get an idea as to how the children’s skills develop throughout the semester.
Enrollment is ongoing, so you can join anytime! You may still register even if the start date has passed. Tuition will be pro-rated.
One of the most important aspects of learning a musical instrument is for it to be engaging and fun, especially for kids. If a child can enjoy their music lesson or practice session on the piano or guitar, then they will easily become a better musician and have fun in the process. Please click here for more information and resources.
