Vivaldi Music Academy

I searched for years trying to find a good classical guitar teacher in Houston and finally found this School! I have been attending for two years and it has great teachers and facilities! Friendly staff as well — they deserve to do well and have just opened a second facility which I hope does as well.

My daughter took lessons at Vivaldi. The Saturday make-​up classes were only once a month not every Saturday as we were told when we signed up.
Most importantly, the Vivaldi model is to just run students thru as quickly as possible. When my daughter got a brand new violin, we swung by Vivaldi to get help tuning it. The owner was at the front desk and when we asked if he could help tune it, he said, «No – we can’t do that for you” – even though he plays the violin.
Vivaldi wants your money – but it is not really interested in helping your child learn.

I have been searching for a good Classical Guitar Teacher /​School, finally here at the Vivaldi Academy I have found what I was looking for. I have been attending for about 18 months and I am very happy with my progress and I look forward to my lessons. The staff are super friendly and whilst the demographics of the students is more towards the younger end of the spectrum I am not alone in being a more mature student. I am fortunate to have Marc as my teacher and whilst he is a talented played he is an excellent teacher with a lot of patience.

2 months at Vivaldi and I still love it here! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Dominique is great. She’s truly the best music teacher I’ve ever had. She’s knowledge and supportive. She’s becoming a great friend. I always look forward to my lessons with her. Ask for Dominique if you want to transform your voice. You won’t be disappointed.

Vivaldi Music Academy. For adult lessons, too!
I was pretty impressed with «VMA» as I’ll call it. They have a really great website with instructor bios and loads of information. They have a good Unilocal presence. They come across like you’re friendly neighborhood music school but with its game all amped up. They have a beautiful waiting room, which was nicer than anything I experienced in California as a kid. Just the other day, a bunch of kids were «doing homework», waiting for their class, and sneakily watching Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone on the big beautiful glossy TV.
Some perks about Vivaldi:
– A nice folder of policies, waivers, and reminders at your first lesson; you sign a copy and return it to them but they have a copy for you to keep
– Email reminders of upcoming classes
– Automated credit card payments for next month’s classes
– Range of lesson types: composition, cello, piano, guitar, vocal, violin, etc.
– Make-​up lessons — one hour in a group
Yes, you can opt in to do recitals. As an adult returning to the piano after 20 years, I’m not sure how I feel about this, even though I’m quite the stage ham!
I enjoy that they ask you what your intentions are with music classes. You don’t have to go in thinking that you’re going to be the next Beethoven. For me, I’m going for an extracurricular and to relieve some work stress. I love soundtracks and musicals, and so far no teacher has had a problem with me learning these.
One thing to note, they have a yearly enrollment fee ($ 25 per individual or $ 35 per family). Perhaps this helps them keep those automated emails coming. Anyhow, you pay it once in a calendar year in addition to the classes you take. Also, they charge a flat rate of «4 lessons per month» no matter the actual number of weeks in the month. It evens out with a few holiday breaks.
— — –Faculty Reviews — — — — -
As I have had many a make-​up lesson, I have learned this much about piano teachers:
1. Ben [no longer teaching]. Specialties had included jazz and composition in addition to classical. He was SUPER SMART and could «sight sing» along with your piano playing on the spot. I got a really good handle on the jazz theory for the four weeks we studied it before he moved; we had fun exploring Gershwin, Just Friends, and jazzing up Somewhere Over the Rainbow. (Had as a regular teacher from April-​June 2015).
2. James J. Favorite composer might be Czerny, as he can’t say enough about him. I have this mental block about playing classical, and he’s been the ONLY teacher who has made it less intimidating. He figured out quickly that I’m a theory girl, and he had me sight reading AND playing some Mozart within 10 minutes.
3. Jinhua L. Favorite composer is Schumann, who she said is nuts but has amazing music. She helped me break down some classical and was very unassuming.
4. Kristen R. Favorite composer «might be Brahms» but «definitely something from the Romantic [era]». Though the website says she’s a violinist, she had a good grasp on teaching piano and helped me through some Satie and John Williams.
5. Matthew G. Favorite composer is Beethoven. This guy has a really broad and sound music history and knowledge of classical and even pop music. He would be really great if someone likes music appreciation as much as the practical doing. He has some fun «listening» assignments and will lend insight into what the composer was thinking when writing various songs. (Have as a regular teacher beginning July 2015.)

Love this place! Very professional and clean and organized. The pianos are lovely, the teachers are fantastic. The recitals have been top notch. I asked my son to help me with this review and he stated that his teacher (Mr. Lachlan Fife) is very patient with him and that is why he likes it so much. My son is 8 and had taken 3 previous years of instruction with three different teachers and never liked piano before. Now he loves it and practices on his own. I’ve seen a lot of progress.

We enrolled our son here shortly after the school opened. The owners are very visible and actively involved with all their clients. All of the instructors are highly trained and excellent with students. They have a great variety and do everything to accommodate parents/​students. Also, if you miss a lesson you can make it up. The hours are flexible and it is very clean inside. We love Vivaldi and the staff. I recommend this school to everyone I know.

We enrolled our 4 year old at Vivaldi Music Academy into their choir program. Subsequently we began to notice the lack of interest they had in her. From the owners to teacher, they showed preferential treatment to certain kids and I was reluctant to admit it at first. Then when my husband started noticing it, it was time to pull away from a unhealthy atmosphere as she had not experienced discrimination until now. But I can see how others would feel differently, just my point.

Great school, teachers and staff. They have all types of music classes such as piano, voice, violin, etc. They also have Kinder Music programs for the younger ones. They just celebrated 300 students which is great considering they are fairly new. This is a great place to be and I highly recommend it.

The owner and his team and wonderful. This is a high quality music school and I can not give them enough praise for their excellent music program. The Kindermusik class teacher is specifically exceptional and we can’t wait to have another class with them!

We sure are glad that we found Vivaldi Music Academy for our daughter. She is 4 and loves to sing… they had a perfect option for kids her age in their Kindermusic class. The instructor is great with kids and has good methods for teaching them the fundamentals of music in a fun way that they understand and retain. The school also offers private lessons in everything from cello to piano to voice. The owners are always there and are very friendly… all in all, a great experience.
BOTTOM LINE: Best music school for kids that we could find in the Houston area.