Why Choose Us

Welcome! With our wide array of programming, our professional skilled teachers, and our researched quality resources. Your child will succeed and their life will become enriched with the arts! Myriad’s Mission is three-fold! We want you to have lots of fun, discover your own unique voice, fostering musicians, dancers and artists for a lifetime!

Our convenient location and full-service staff are built to serve your family with the highest standards in mind.

So why choose Myriad Music School and Dance Academy for your child’s arts education? In searching for music lessons, dance classes and art classes in the San Mateo, Burlingame, Foster City, Redwood Shores, Belmont, San Carlos, or general Peninsula, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the benefits to becoming a Myriad student, and what to consider when choosing a quality, stand-out school for Music, Dance and Art classes and lessons.

Our Music School offers private music lessons in piano, guitar, ukulele, violin, viola, voice, and flute. Music Classes include preschool music classes, music classes for kids, ukulele bands, rock bands and singing / choir / glee-style classes.  Our Dance Academy offers the award-winning Twinkle Star Dance classes for little ones, ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, Kpop, lyrical and contemporary dance. Art Classes for ages 4-14 explore watercolor, painting, drawing, cartooning, oil pastels, multi-medium collage and more. All of these classes are provided in one location! We are the only music, dance and art school in the area to offer all of this in one location, making it possible for busy families to save commuting time between activities.

For all of our programs, we prioritize excellent teachers, outstanding curriculum and the convenience of having one child in music while the other child dances, and the other child is having a great time in art class.

For Music, Dance and Art students, Myriad provides informed, researched, healthy instruction. If you are a new music, dance or art student, before anything else, you need the right, smart foundations, not out-dated approaches. If you are a more advanced student, obviously you need informed, experienced music, dance and art teachers guiding you to the next level of skill. Undoing sloppy techniques learned in the early years is time-consuming and frustrating and can actually cause long-term issues. We’ll help you avoid that experience, as our teachers have additional training in these areas.

Families start here and stay here for many, many years. We have both students who want to play, sing, dance or create art just for fun, and also students who wish to audition for conservatories upon graduating.

1. ALL AGES WELCOME! Preschoolers ~ Adults ~ Seniors

We believe it’s never too early or too late to take music lessons, dance classes or art classes!  Our programs are not just for children. From our Music Classes, Dance Academy, to our Art Classes, we want everyone to enjoy a sense of community and accomplishment through the arts. We love teaching adults who have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, or dance but never had the chance before, or just want to dust off some old skills with a little help. We welcome students of all ages and backgrounds who have a desire to learn and grow.

2. MYRIAD’S MISSION DELIVERS 

Our Mission is three-fold. The first goal is to have fun, and lots of it! The second goal is to help each student discover their own unique voice / style as a musician, dancer or artist. The third goal is to foster smart musicians, dancers and artists for a lifetime!  Many of our students go on to pursue other fields of study, with music, dance and art laying an important role in stress-reduction. Their craft continues to provide a joyful place to return to, helping this individual maintain a balanced lifestyle. Recent Myriad graduates have gone on to Berkeley, Boston University, Stanford, UCLA, Cornell, American University, NYU and other reputable schools. Some graduates have chosen to major or minor in music or dance degrees. We celebrate all of our students!

3. CELEBRATING YOUR SUCCESS

Your goals are emphasized and celebrated along your journey! Myriad is a beta tester and one of the only music schools world-wide to launch an amazing new, innovative Myriad Milestones app for private music lesson students and their families. This is where you’ll receive regular updates, featuring videos and explanations about why these skills matter in your child’s musical journey, as their progress unfolds. Perfect for all parents, regardless of their musical background.

Students in all programs receive recognition for milestones with medals, gold pins, certificates, ‘student-of-the-week’ postcards and graduating seniors’ awards for achieving skills in their progressive curriculum (similar to earning karate belts). Dancers and Artists receive progress reports for skills covered in their level and style. All progress is measured by a checklist of skills a student should be able to demonstrate after that year of study to measure progress and keep parents informed. This acknowledges progress in repertoire / choreography, technique, music theory, composition, and personal-interest projects. We so enjoy celebrating our students’ dedication and growth. Our students love the acknowledgment in our School’s Newsletter and at end-of-year celebratory events.

4. GENEROUS MAKE UP COURTESY SYSTEM

We provide an unlimited make-up courtesy system for all active, registered students. We know life is busy, and we do our best to encourage consistency, while offering flexibility.

5. FESTIVE SEASONAL THEME WEEKS

Our little ones enjoy celebrating music, dance and art with a fresh twist during our festive seasonal theme weeks.

6. TOP-NOTCH CLEAN FACILITIES

Our classrooms and studios are well-lit, equipped with the best technology, are full of multi-sensory resources, and are distraction-free with sound-dampened walls to allow for maximum focus during lessons. Our music lesson rooms feature quality Yamaha, Baldwin and Kawaii pianos, tuned multiple times per year. Our dance studios are equipped with sprung floating Marley floors to ensure student safety, as well as large mirrors and state-of-the-art sound equipment.

7. BOOKS, MUSIC & MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED

Books, sheet-music and all learning materials are all in-house! We stock a full music library with the best, expert resources on the market. No need to go shopping for your own books or supplies.

8. PROFESSIONAL, NURTURING EDUCATORS

Myriad has a team of 35+ Teaching Artists. All are university-trained, friendly, warm, professional. Many have current or former performing careers.  All serve as an inspiration to our students! Due to the number of teachers on staff, students have a choice between teachers. Our teachers are passionate about giving you the best foundations while also learning about your personal goals, helping each student reach greater heights as a musician or dancer. We celebrate together with our students at each lesson. You will learn how to master your skills with teachers who take a profound interest in the art of teaching. As a result, you will be inspired, motivated, and will revel in the results of your improved skills. Our dedicated professionals provide our music and dance students with organized practice plans. Moreover Myriad’s Owners, Directors and Teachers provide on-going support to each other, share resources, and coach students together during performance workshops. Our teachers benefit from professional development seminars. This is the school where you not only benefit from your own private music lesson teacher, but also from the support of the whole department with special events throughout the year. As a result, Myriad’s Team is invigorated with both tried and true, and new ideas each year, excited to share these with students of all ages ~  kids, teens and adults!

9. SMART OPTIONS ~ Choose between Classes or Private Lessons

Our school is unique in that it offers a wide array of classes or private lessons. Our youngest music students thrive in our smart Foundations Music Classes (Preschool Music, Mini Piano Plus, Superstar Musicians and Kids’ Ukulele Bands) These young musicians enjoy the collaboration and learning alongside their peers. These little ones are more attentive in these classes, and find more joy in making music with others, rather than being isolated in a private lesson too soon. Similarly, dancers and artists of all ages thrive in class settings, learning and creating choreography together, creating a motivating, social dance community. We’ll help match you to the right class or lesson for your child.

10. SMALL CLASS SIZES ALWAYS

From our youngest to our oldest students, our instructors take great care to know each student personally. With a maximum 12:1 student-teacher ratio, our instructors take great care to know each student personally. We have many types of music classes to choose from, especially for dancers and our younger musicians. Younger children enjoy the collaboration and learning alongside their peers. These little ones are more attentive in these classes, and find more joy in making music with others, rather than being isolated in a private lesson too soon. Dancers and artists work together in small classes where they receive more personal technique coaching.

11. OUTSTANDING PRIVATE LESSONS ~ All Musical Styles, A Fun Approach, Performance Events & much more

Private music lessons are a treasured time with a caring mentor each week. Myriad’s private lesson students range from ages 6 ~ 85 currently. You’ve done the first step, which is to chose the musical instrument that is most exciting to you. The next step is to find an informed, inspiring teacher who keeps the fun alive, helping our students make good progress each week with outstanding instruction and innovative methods.

Happy musical sounds emerge from each of our 13 classrooms, 6 days per week. Our classrooms and music library are fully resourced with engaging, motivational materials. We excel at matching each student to excellent method books and supplementary music that teach music reading, technique, and musicality. Through these resources, our students are exposed to many musical styles, which is how they begin to find their own voice. We learn about our student’s musical taste and what style inspires them the most, will keep them coming back for more! We specialize in healthy posture and ergonomics in each instrument. Therefore, our students are learning how to play tension and injury-free from a young age, developing good habits from the beginning. Behind the scenes, our teachers enjoy professional development meetings, newly-researched resources, and the best, innovative pedagogy concepts. Each year, our teachers receive on-going training, new innovative tools,  and our robust library, to use with their students. Our team meets by department frequently to exchange ideas and approaches that serve to inspire our students and help them shine at their instrument.

All of our students are invited to participate in performance events designed to give them a nurturing experience, instilling self esteem. Every private student receives performance coaching workshops, ensuring confident, prepared performances. At Myriad, we teach strategies to help minimize performance anxiety.Younger students and beginners perform on Myriad’s stage in our performance classroom. Early -Intermediate through advanced students perform at an off-site venue with a beautiful grand piano, stage, lighting, sound system, and a reception area. These experiences provide memories for a life-time for the whole family.

Myriad prepares students who wish to pursue state and national certification programs. We have a thorough training program to help our students prepare for these exams.

Families start here and stay here for many, many years. We offer every style of musical study, from classical to jazz and pop. We have both students who want to play just for fun, and also students who wish to audition for conservatories upon graduating.

12. AN INFORMED HEALTHY APPROACH ~ Avoid Wasted Time, Outdated Approaches, Injuries and Costly Frustration

If you are a new music or dance student, before anything else, you need the right, smart foundations, not out-dated approaches. For example, our young piano students think that our ‘froggy hops’ are just a fun game, but we know they are receiving crucial foundational ergonomic cues to protect their little wrists from repetitive stress injury. If you are a more advanced student, obviously you need informed, experienced music and dance teachers guiding you to the next level of skill. Piano, guitar and string instrument practice are all repetitive movements. Undoing sloppy music or dance technique learned in the early years is time-consuming and frustrating. Our teachers provide the tools and guidelines to help families avoid these unnecessary distractions. For elementary through advanced students, we root our teaching in the natural anatomy, alignment, and movement of the  body, arms, fingers, wrists, all the way down to vocal cords for singers. We also employ many different methods to make reading music accessible and easier.

Myriad’s Owner is a specialist in integrated alignment when it comes to piano ergonomics, and all of our teachers receive this special training. We avoid outdated concepts of music lessons past and present. It’s important when seeking quality music lessons to know that many teachers are not enlightened with the importance of ergonomics. Outdated teaching models create tension and rigidity which limit speed and ease, and ultimately make it impossible to develop a virtuosic technique.

Our Music and Dance students develop a tension-free awareness of all movement when playing, singing and dancing! Many students following the guidelines prescribed by Myriad have found relief from discomfort and tension. The results include increased virtuosity, beautiful tone, flexibility and an ease when tackling more difficult repertoire or choreography. This applies whether you’re a 6 year old beginner or advanced, college-level / adult student!