"Our girls have been attending the Masaki School of Music for several years now, attending their weekly lessons without fail, until we were all hit with the Covid-19 shutdown. Not only were their daily routines and lives disrupted, they were stuck at home 24/7 like many of us were. The initial exuberance of not having to physically go to school slowly turned into a monotonous drudgery. Our teacher at the Masaki School was quick to adapt to our “new normal”, conducting our weekly piano lessons uninterrupted via Zoom app, and allowing the kids a break from their siblings and parents. The kids really appreciated the opportunity to see and talk with Miss Noe, their teacher. The new assignment/ practice tracking app that was also concurrently implemented actually increased focus and the duration of their daily practices and their playing improved dramatically over the past several weeks. The competition aspect of the app also made it fun to compete with our teacher’s other students, driving them to put in a few extra minutes of practice every day. We’ve now resumed in-person tutoring sessions with precautions in place after certain stay at home restrictions were lifted. Cleaning and sterilization of the classroom and hygienic rules make me feel comfortable with the face to face instruction. Miss Noe even brought fabric in and had the girls pick their favorite ones, and had face masks ready for them the next lesson. We feel lucky to be a part of this school, and we look forward to seeing their continuing growth in their musical studies."
– Paul O., parent

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"Although I believe the best way to learn music is in-person lessons. We didn't want our 7-year-old daughter Eliana to lose her momentum and motivation. The online cello lesson was satisfying because it was quite convenient and there's more flexibility when scheduling lesson time. Ms. Nancy guided her very well and Eliana enjoyed her lessons every week. Thank you so much! :^)"
– Ashley C., parent

"The pros for online lessons are that it is convenient because it saves me traveling time and I don't need to worry about forgetting anything (cello and book) to lessons. The cons of online classes are clarity of sound is inconsistent, sometimes the sound isn't really different from in-person lessons, but sometimes the sound sounds like an electric cello sound. Another inconvenient thing is setting up the camera angle to catch my fingers and bow for live video. In conclusion my focus, motivation, and learning quality are the same for on/offline lessons, so my preference is to learn offline because of sound quality and being with you, Ms. Nancy. 😘
– Chase N., student

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'Your teaching methods and dedication is same whether we are on/offline, so I am pleased either way, actually saving travel time to the studio and back, so It was good for me via Zoom learning as long as the internet connection is safe and stable :)"

– Kristi N., parent

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"It was wonderful that I was able to continue my piano lessons on Zoom with my teacher Miss Noe during the coronavirus.  This was an excellent way for me to continue my lessons and keep playing beautiful songs.  It was fun because I got to do piano in my house without going anywhere."

– Mia O., student

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"While at home during the coronavirus, it made me very happy when I heard that I would be doing my piano lessons with my teacher Miss Noe on Zoom. I really enjoyed my weekly online lessons. Thank you Masaki School of Music for allowing me to experience a new way of learning from home and making it so fun for me!"

– Maddy O., student

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"He has enjoyed his online lessons being more comfortable at home practicing.  Using FaceTime has been easy as well.  We are thankful that the lessons have continued and look forward to getting back to normal soon. Mahalo"

– Cappy D., parent