Blue Bear School of Music

After an initial stumble/​mixed bag with Blue Bear years ago I decided to give them another go to try their beginner band class.
They have a couple of practice locations to choose from and a lot of possible time slots. Playing in a band (even for a few months) is a serious commitment so I decided to pull together my own group of friends rather than throw caution to the wind. A more typical approach is you simply sign up and they find you bandmates. Our instructor/​bass player was Sean and our group unanimously thought he was totally awesome. He’s musically very talented and always brought positive energy and focus to our practice sessions.
The class includes a showcase night aka a full set on stage at a real rock venue. The «gig» creates pressure in a positive though sometimes stressful way, acting as a clear (achievable) goal your band is working towards.
While it was a scary leap to go from living room rocker to playing in a live performance I’m so glad to have had the experience. Our band was all adrenaline and smiles as we finished our set, A+!

After moving to the city from the Peninsula, I was terrified to find a new guitar teacher who would live up to my old teacher. However, it’s safe to say I have loved my experience so far at Blue Bear School of Music!
I love that the reception desk handles scheduling and buying packages– it’s nice to not have to worry about that with my teacher. Instead, my teacher and I can just focus on jammin’.
My instructor is wonderful. Very patient (phew!) and receptive to my suggestions (i.e. more strumming songs, concentrating on finger-​picking, etc.). I’m not a great singer but he also has given me the confidence to start singing while I play. The trick is if you strum loud enough you can hardly hear the vocals :) I personally like the private lessons but they offer group lessons as well if that is more up your alley.
Overall, I’ve been really happy with my experience at Blue Bear so far. Contrary to popular belief, great guitar instructors in San Francisco exist!

Review of adult band workshops:
I did several adult band workshops with Blue Bear over multiple years, and during that long period of time and exposure to several Blue Bear band coaches /​instructors, I learned that two of the six or so Blue Bear band workshop instructors are extremely disrespectful of singers. The bands are allowed or even instructed by these instructors/​coaches to simply drown out the singers during rehearsals and performance.
Further, if the coach/​instructor doesn’t like a song within the workshop’s genre range that’s selected by a singer, the coach will simply refuse to learn the song and will throw a fit about it and butcher the song weekly — even if sheet music, chord charts, and training on how to play the musical instrument part (like a keyboard part) required for the song are provided by a singer or by another band coach/​instructor from Blue Bear.
The administration and coaches tend to use the singers as cash cows and do not seem to care whether the singers have a good experience. It’s the singers and the guitarists who pay the money to finance the band, rent the studio space, and pay the instructors because only the singers and guitarists pay the full retail rate to participate in the band — as drummers and bass players can join the bands for free.
The guitarists at least get instruction on how to play chords during the workshop; the singers get treated rudely instead and get no support at all. There are no lead-​ins, no cues for singers; nothing is there to support the singer. Whereas guitarists, bassists, and keyboard players get chord charts, coaching and instruction during the workshop and drummers get coaching during the workshop, singers get no instruction or coaching at all and no sheet music, and harmonies are usually completely ignored until the last week before the show. Two of the six band coaches /​instructors show open resentment for singers. These band coaches /​instructors will even refuse to play a single note for a singer for a pitch match. The same band coaches /​instructors have no trouble at all in teaching a guitarist how to play chords or supporting any instrument player in the band.
Further, if the band plays 8 songs, each singer only gets to sing four — if they are lucky — as the band may choose to entirely exclude the singers from a song by doing a purely instrumental song, meaning that the singer is paying close to $ 500 to sing three songs. So the singers stand there twiddling their thumbs through a huge portion of the rehearsals and performance — not singing or doing anything at all because they are not included in some of the songs at all.
Since the singers are paying the full retail rate (and half the band pays nothing at all to participate in a Blue Bear workshop) and since the singers get no instruction from the instructors/​coaches, the least the school could do is make sure the singers get treated with respect and the singers’ song selections are treated with respect and that the singers have a good experience on the songs in the set when they are singing lead.
Three of the six or so band coaches/​instructors throw temper tantrums on a regular basis during workshop sessions, too. Crabby doesn’t begin to describe their behavior.
Review of singing private lessons:
Two of the Blue Bear singing instructors (whom you pay the school for separately in private lessons at separate times outside the workshops) are completely incompetent and have never received singing training themselves, have no training or competence as singing teachers, and cannot even hold a tune themselves. One of the former private lesson singing instructors from Blue Bear was a competent singing instructor; unfortunately, he moved out of town and no longer teaches singing lessons through the school.
Review of singing workshops:
The Blue Bear «master» instructor came unprepared every week for 10 weeks. The instructor threw a temper tantrum every other week during the workshop session. The instructor could not remember instructions he gave to the workshop members from week to week, so every week was like starting over from scratch with a different set of instructions. The instructor did not deliver on what was promised by him or by the school. The singing workshop was even more expensive than the band workshop. The singing workshop was a bad experience with no redeeming features.

I use to play the guitar back in 4^th, 5^th, & 6^th grade but stopped for whatever reason.
My wife bought me private lessons for my 41^st birthday this past Feb and I’ve been going ever since.
It ‘s a nice distraction from my day job and I hope to keep getting better at it.

Stage 3 and beyond:
We are now fully entrenched in Blue Bear. Scheduling has been smooth and easy, and Jim and my kid continue to work very well together.
In the short time between May and now, Jim has gotten my then-​beginner daughter to the point where she’s tackling the most difficult aspect of clarinet playing. It has something to do with the transition between the upper and lower registers, and is the most challenging finger work on the instrument. It’s exciting to know that once she gets through this phase she’ll be golden on the clarinet and will be ready to move onto some really fun and varied music.
Jim is great about keeping her motivated and moving forward in her learning at a pace that seems just right for her. We just paid for our second 10-​lesson package (okay, so maybe Grandma actually paid!) and are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Jim and Blue Bear!

Re: practice room prices:
I wish I had known about this music school before leaving San Francisco. I received an email response to my practice room fee inquiry from the Program Director, but it sadly went into my spam folder so I did not see it until I had already left the city: «You can use a practice room for $ 1/​hr. They’re quite available from 12:30−4 pm»
Wow, $ 1 !?
Musicians should really know about this, because this is an unbelievable price.
I was paying $ 5 at another place all week, which was fine, but it adds up if you have a lot to work on. Next time, Blue Bear, next time! Thank you :)
It is worth noting that according to their website these are their hours:
Monday to Thursday 1−8pm
Friday — closed
Saturday 10:30am — 3pm
Sunday — closed
If you need a practice room on Friday, Sunday or earlier in the morning, the SF Community Music School charges $ 5 an hour, otherwise B. B School of Music cannot be beat at $ 1.

This is for that Little Bears Classes.
I tried these music classes for close to two years and a few different locations and not all of the teachers are worth it.
Barb & Rachel are great, but the rest of the teachers we had seemed bored, snarky, lackluster, and one was decidedly scary acting.
I’m done.

I’ve done several of the Blue Bear Bands (with Sean Leahy) and they/​he do a really great job with setting it up and managing it all the way through the performances. Its basic enough for some beginners but challenging for intermediate players. I’m just now signing up for another since they are so much fun!

I’ve waited to write this imagining that blue bear would follow up on the complaint I left at the front desk or at least send me an evaluation form for the ukulele course I took this winter. I am a former supporter and donor of blue bear so it is painful to see they have no quality control. When I started beginning ukulele there were six students. When I attended, and left, the fourth class there were only two left. The teaching was «book teaching», «open the book and play the exercise .» I never felt that Matt was teaching us, just that he using a stagey voice to go through his book. I left the class and in one lesson elsewhere learned more than I had learned in four blue bear ukulele courses. Bad value, bad intro to a great instrument.
1950’s pedagogy doesn’t fly today.

This is a review for Kai. I just finished up the Intro to bass workshop. Prior to this workshop, I wasn’t even fully sure what the difference is between a guitar and a bass.
Kai is an extremely patient teacher to say the least!
From start to finish, Kai helped me stay excited and confident which was so necessary as I found it easy to get discouraged. As a person, Kai is also super sweet. I had a terrific experience and would highly recommend this workshop to other novices.
My only qualm is that you can’t reschedule any workshop classes, so plan accordingly!

Taking beginning acoustic guitar. Can’t say enough good things about the instructor, Januk. He is very talented and very patient. Overall experience has been great!
Only thing I would say is if you sign up for a group class, practice, practice, practice to prevent from falling behind. A couple back-​to-​back business trips have me behind the 8 ball.

I am very happy with our experience through the Little Bears program. My son is just about 3 years old and he loves going to Rachel’s class. She is just the right kind of sunshine for kids to enjoy without parents wanting to throw themselves out of nearby windows. Her guitar playing and piano playing are big hits… so much so that my son repeatedly asks for them again and again during the class. No worries, because she keeps things moving with enough different instruments for the kids and even parents to enjoy that things never get boring during the perfectly timed 45-​minute session. And as a random side note… I love that there is a bucket for each round of «clean instruments» vs. those that have been in tiny mouths… why do they not do this everywhere so that parents do not spend the whole time trying to pry little jaws open and remove slobbery toys, maybe or maybe not wiping them off with a random pocket tissue before tossing them back?
It is worth noting that my son is definitely the oldest/​biggest in the class for 1 – 3 year-​olds. So I might shoot for the next age group when we sign up again!

Again, this is only about Little Bears and is no reflection on the entire Blue Bear program.
I had not had a chance to read the response from Blue Bear until recently. For being so defensive and getting me mixed up with another parent I dropped them another star.
I am not sure who they think I am but opps, nope not me. I called and was never able to get in touch with anyone. Left messages and never heard back, which is why I am so annoyed. The person actually said it was a woman that was in charge but I don’t recall the name they gave me. Apparently, there is another unhappy parent as well but that person at least got to talk to Blue Bear to vent. Oh well. As for me and 2 other parents from our group we have taken our business elsewhere. There are other music programs in SF and there is always Gymboree. Can’t do worse. Just wish they would stop email spamming me and mailing me postcards.

I’ve been taking group guitar classes at Blue Bear for about a year and a half now with Kent Brown. Kent is awesome — I can’t say enough great things about him. He is so nice and makes guitar so much fun. I’m just taking classes as a fun hobby and didn’t want to get too serious about learning to read music or anything like that. Kent is the perfect teacher for that — we learn a new song each week, he picks great songs that I enjoy playing, and I really look forward to class each week.

I have been going to Blue Bear for about 1 ½ years. I’ve really enjoy the group lessons and have learned, and continue to learn, a lot.
I have been taught by a few of the different instructors there, and they all teach differently. My favorite is Brian Gire as he teaches a lot of technique and concepts which I like. The other instructors are good as well, but tend to teach more song focused classes which is great for some. I would check out different teachers to get a feel for the one you like best. Blue Bear is very accommodating in this regard. If you go to the first class and decide you need a different level, or would like a different teacher, they’ll let you switch.
I’ve only taken their group classes, and I’d highly recommend them. The groups usually have four or five in a class. They offer private lessons as well for those that would prefer one on one instruction.

This place rocks!
Just had a private electric-​guitar lesson with Brian Gire yesterday. He helped me break through the plateau.
I had recently tried some teachers from Craigslist but also gave Blue Bear a shot and they are the real deal!
Brian showed me in 1 hour how to play lead guitar in a way that no one has before. It will help me improvise to any song!
Thank you Brian and Blue Bear School for being here and keeping the spirit in what you do.
Oh, yea, and parking is great.

If you want to learn guitar in San Francisco– BLUE BEAR IS IT!!!
Excellent staff, instructors are REALLY REALLY GREAT. I have been going there for about 4 years. Totally pleased.
Some of my favorite guitar instructors there:
Brian Gire, Tal Morris, Steve Kirk. Its really good to mix instructors and learn different strong points of each.
You won’t be sorry.

I did my first workshop at Blue Bear in 2004 or so, then did another one, out of which, with a few personnel changes, emerged our band, which has been playing gigs around the Bay area ever since. Even though I had the band going I then went back and did another workshop with some friends, ‘cos it is such fun.
If you have the basics grasped on your instrument I highly recommend talking to the Music Director about a band workshop. They last ten weeks, and at the end you play on stage a club like Café du Nord. The workshops are a wonderful way to get into playing with a band as they deal with many of the issues that arise should you try to do it yourself:
— Who shall I play with?
— When are we going to practise?
— Where are we going to practise?
— Where do find a PA/​bass amp/​guitar amp/​drum kit?
— Who’s in charge of the practice sessions?
— Once we’ve learned all these songs where can we play for them for our friends and family?
All taken care of for you! The especially cool thing about the BB workshops, apart from how good the workshop teachers are, is that unlike some other places you and your band-​mates get to suggest the songs you’ll play. So sign up, bring along a CD, and have fun!

Twenty-​four reviews? What? Where are the reviews from all the parents of the kiddies who line the halls when I’m there, eagerly waiting to strum their little guitars? I slip past them to have my voice lesson — taught by Masha, one of the best teachers I’ve ever had of anything ever — but they always look happy before and after.
The front desk: wonderful. The location: perfect — a beautiful building to come out of after creative exploration. And Blue Bear has taken the time to interview teachers so that you don’t have to rely on some drummer’s website for his credentials. And by having a nice place that does scheduling and paying for you, you don’t have to worry about musicians being flaky. Wish I’d had something like this when I was a kid.

I got an acoustic guitar as a present for my birthday. I found Blue Bear and decided that’s where I’d go for lessons as an absolute beginner.
I’m very glad I did. My instructor Janak (sp?) is a great guy, very patient and a comforting for beginner students. I’m in a small class with 5 other people who very easy to get along with. I’m in my late twenties and I was afraid that going to music lessons at this age might feel a bit weird but it’s the exact opposite, I look forward to my lesson every week. I’m learning at a good pace and I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.
Some other random points:
There’s a private parking lot right outside the fort mason building if that’s where you’re taking lessons, $ 1 per hour parking is a steal, great if you’re driving to your lessons. There’s also a free parking area right outside of that if you want to spend $ 0, but it’s farther away and gets full quickly.
The initial interview was a somewhat disappointing. The guy (I forget his name) was ok but we rushed through it and got the money situation taken care of, total of 5 minutes. If you’re signing up as an absolute beginner see if you can just do the interview over the phone, save yourself some hassle.
Blue Bear is right next door to the Fort Mason park. If you have time before or after your lesson you should go for a walk. The views of the bay are awesome. Helps to clear your mind and think of the music.
I highly recommend Blue Bear for the beginning guitarist, great people and a great experience.