Riverside Music Studios - New York, New York

Willem B.

Charles Jones is one of the finest piano teachers I have ever studied with over more than 60 years. He is a creative problem solver, a great motivator, and a superb pianist and musician. He is also kind and understanding, especially about my limitations as a piano student. I would recommend him to anyone interested in studying classical piano.

Greg L.

I’ve been taking piano lessons with Ben for almost a year now and I’ve been enjoying it a lot! I’ve been playing off and on almost my whole life, and Ben is the most engaging and thoughtful teacher I’ve had. He makes sure to focus not only on the notes and technique, but also analysis and interpretation; he is constantly challenging me to learn to form my own opinions and arrive at conclusions without simply giving me the answers. He also encourages me when I’m tackling something that I think might be out of reach for my skill level (looking at you, Prokofiev sonata).

My only nitpick with the studio is that I think some of the pianos could use a little more love (sometimes we find things out of tune, broken keys, finicky pedals), but this also just part of having heavily-used pianos. I’m not sure it’s avoidable, and it does not interfere with the lessons.

Stuart J.

I’m so thankful to have started attending lessons at Riverside Music Studios; it’s a great place to learn piano for a casual enjoyer or aspiring professional. I began my piano lessons a few months ago, and have been able to attend consistently because they offer lesson times in the evenings, which work great with my work schedule. From my instructor to the staff, everyone is extremely friendly and professional. I would highly recommend starting lessons here!

Yining L.

This is a great music studio!

I have been taking violin lessons with Deborah and piano lessons with Peter for almost two years now. Let alone the improvement of my skills, I oftentimes get inspired by Deborah's attentive teaching style and Peter's knowledge in the piano literature. During semesters when I wasn't too busy, I had also taken voice lessons with Liz; their love for playing and teaching music is clearly shown through the weekly lessons as well!

On top of the wonderful instructors, their admin team is always super responsive and helpful. Lessons at RMS have been a highlight of my weeks; I would recommend RMS to anyone who is looking for a well-run music studio!

Estelle X.

We have been taking piano lessons at Riverside Music Studios for almost one year now, both child and adult classes. They have the best teachers and staff, and we feel so grateful about finding this gem!
Our teacher is Emma Stephenson - she is by far above and beyond the way we could define “amazing”. I have been taking class with her as an adult, and so has my 4 years old boy. She accommodates to different audience so well, and we both always learn so much in a very efficient and effective way. What impressed me the most, is that for the past couple of months I was too busy with work, I gave my class time to my son, so he has been taking the full 1 hour. Emma did a wonderful job keeping the 4-year-old fully engaged and focused for the whole hour, with so many fun and creative methods, such as playing games, using colors, having mini competition, and writing their own songs, which all were exactly what would work the best for this age. My boy always looks forward to coming to the piano class. He also had a blast at his very first recital at the end of the semester, playing on a grand Steinway & Sons as a young beginner, and proudly earned a trophy for his hard work and achievement, while having so much fun with the other students as passionate about the performance!
Besides Emma, everyone at the studio is very friendly and helpful. Melissa, the manager of the studio, is always extremely communicative and accommodating, which made us feel very supported and taken care of. The new studio is also beyond fabulous - very spacious and modern to accommodate a growing body of students. Thank you so much Emma and Riverside Music Studio for the great experience - we look forward for continuing our music journey for the many more years to come!

Judy

My son's piano teacher is amazing! We love him. Riverside Music Studios has the best teachers.

Matthew F.

I've been taking piano lessons at Riverside for almost 5 years now! I can't say enough about this music studio. I've worked with several different teachers during my time there and have been overly impressed with all of them. Although my main focus is piano I expressed my interest in violin and Riverside was able to place me with one of their fantastic violin teachers as well. Whatever your interest is in music Riverside will be able to accommodate! By far one of the best studios in NYC!!!

Bernhard B.

Highly recommended! My 6 yo daughter has been taking piano lessons for about half a year. It shows that Dmitry, her teacher, is very experienced teaching younger children. He makes the lessons fun (critically important!), while moving forward. Great experience!