Pacific Music Academy

My three children have been taking piano, choir, and voice lessons at the Pacific Music Academy (PMA) for two years. I recommend PMA highly.
First of all, PMA attracts many accomplished teachers and musicians with advanced degrees in music from prestigious music schools to teach at the academy. The school holds an open class when a new teacher is brought in to allow parents and students to find the best fit.
My daughters enrolled in PMA’s piano program with Larisa Konakova after over a year of laid back learning. Within half a year, Larisa raised them to the first place in the US open piano competition, a result that would not be possible without her teaching.
Larisa is a masterful teacher. She is passionate about music, and she ignites the same passion in her students. She has an extraordinary ability to communicate the essence of music to her students. She not only shows her artistry and expression backed by her professional Russian training, she also encourages students to explore expressing the same piece in different ways, enabling her students to develop their own appreciation and interpretation.
Larisa is effective. She does not follow specific piano courses. Her lessons are tailored to each student’s level and needs. She works with students on hand-​picked repertoires that have appropriate challenges. Her personalized lessons are the key to her students’ remarkable progress. Larisa strives to raise the bar for her students to reach a level they never thought achievable. Instead of rushing through pieces, she takes time to perfect a piece until her students bring out the intensity and beauty of the music and realize the joy of playing it. This training process is extremely valuable to our children as it can be applied to learning all subjects in their lives.
Dr. Weng taught my daughters music theory and is extremely nurturing and thorough. She helped them build a solid foundation in how music is written and structured. My daughters have also taken choir and voice lessons with Ms. Kim at PMA and have acquired a greater appreciation of the music and sense of artistry.
Our son began piano in a group class with Nataliya Shishkina. She kept the class of 3 boys on track and provided a good introduction to piano. We then moved to an individual class with Dr. Sergiy Komirenko. Sergiy has been patient, persistent, and maintained a good humor that has kept my son engaged throughout his lessons. My son has been encouraged to find his own intuitive feel for the music, and I am impressed with his progress with his teachers.
PMA offers ample opportunities for students to perform in various music events. Their students have a formidable set of accomplishments in various music contests including the US Open Music Competition, where they won 20 medals in 2011 and 55 medals in 2014, which ranked them #1 in medals per student in the Bay Area. They also have many students advance to the finest music schools in the nation.
I am very pleased with our decision to enroll our children at PMA, and we plan to continue there in years to come.

For background, I have been playing violin for almost 12 years since I was 5 years old.
Master violinist Arthur Mikhailov is one of the best violin teachers in the Bay Area, and for the 5 years I have participated in lessons with him, he has not only been a excellent teacher, but also a personal friend.
Through his advanced teaching methodologies and never-​ending patience, he has improved my violin technique by leaps and bounds. Arthur’s focus on building violin fundamentals vastly improves sound, allowing you to become a better violin player almost overnight. Most importantly, he adapts his teaching style to how you learn, maximizing lesson throughput and skill progression.
I would recommend Arthur Mikhailov to any serious musician who wishes to reach the pinnacle of violin playing.

Piano master Larisa is not only an amazing musician, but also a great teacher. She works tirelessly to ensure you improve and become better at playing the piano. I highly recommend anyone of any skill level to learn from Larisa.

Pacific Music Academy is the best place for kids to learn piano. During my daughter’s 5 years studying with its Music Director Larisa Konakova, she has made tremendous progress. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend for anyone beginning to advanced.