PALAKA Music and Arts Studio is a new small business, and we started out of our humble backyard studio in Oakland Eastmont Hills. We are committed to living in a mixed-income, diverse neighborhood and love our urban location in Eastmont Hills. We've got folks of all colors and ages, Elote and ice cream vendors, kids and youth hanging out in the streets, music bumping via cars speeding by, the occasional loud fireworks explosion, and buses running past. If East Oakland isn't for you, we wish you the best and encourage you to find another school and another neighborhood to pursue your child's music education. UPDATE AS OF MAY 2023: We now have a new satellite location in the Laurel district of Oakland, out of Left Coast Power Yoga at 4148 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, 94619. We are excited to offer classes out of both locations!

PALAKA Music and Arts Studio is a new small business, and we started out of our humble backyard studio in Oakland Eastmont Hills. Our private lessons are held inside our home with our Yamaha U1 Upright Piano. Our group music classes and group piano classes are held in our backyard studio to the right of our house down the driveway. It is a simple, humble converted garage that we renovated with our hands. We are committed to living in a mixed-income, diverse neighborhood and love our urban location in Eastmont Hills. We've got folks of all colors and ages, Elote and ice cream vendors, kids and youth hanging out in the streets, music bumping via cars speeding by, the occasional loud fireworks explosion, and buses running past. If East Oakland isn't for you, we wish you the best and encourage you to find another school and another neighborhood to pursue your child's music education. UPDATE AS OF MAY 2023: We now have a new satellite location in the Laurel district of Oakland, out of Left Coast Power Yoga at 4148 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, 94619. We are excited to offer classes and lessons out of both locations!

More information about our rates can be found on the "Our Services" section of our website www.palakamusic.com. We are priced competitively compared to other local music and piano schools, and we aim to provide quality music education that is accessible to families, while compensating our teachers appropriately (based on their training and experience) and still sustaining our small business. Our rates will increase annually with the rate of inflation, plus any changes based on demand and additional training. Scholarships and sliding-scale rates are available for families that qualify (household income <$100K/year). If you have any concerns about being able to afford tuition, please talk to our founder and we may be able to work something out.

You can find out about what we are offering via the "Services" page on our Palakamusic.com website: https://www.palakamusic.com/our-services

PALAKA Music & Arts Studios utilizes the My Music Staff scheduling and billing system. If you are already a student of the studio, you should have received a login to the MMS system and can enroll in classes and sign up for lessons yourself. You can also reach out to Heidi via email for assistance with enrolling. If you are a new student, contact groups@palakamusic.com for Groups or lessons@palakamusic.com for Lessons to get set up in the system.

For the group classes, you sign up for an entire session (usually 4-8 classes) and encourage you to stay the entire session to determine if it's a good fit for you. For the private and semi-private lessons, we offer an introductory rate for one lesson to determine if it's a good fit. If you decide to continue, it becomes a credit for your monthly tuition. Your scheduled lesson slot is held for you for the remainder of the month (and quarter if you pay quarterly, and year if you pay annually). We are unfortunately not able to hold your slot if you decide to take a break from lessons for whatever reason (summer breaks, vacation, etc), but we encourage you to inquire about availabilities when you are ready to return.

We encourage you to practice at home between classes and lessons. However, we also understand that owning an instrument can be a large financial investment for families. I wouldn't recommend getting an expensive instrument right off the bat (unless you already have one, or can obtain one). See if your child likes the classes/lessons after a month and then decide after. You can use cheaper alternatives in the meantime. I also encourage you to use your local Buy Nothing group to borrow one from a neighbor or Facebook Marketplace to buy a discounted, used one. For Parent+Me and Preschool Piano Prep Students: A keyboard would be helpful, but not necessary at this level. A basic or a baby piano would be fine. Basic: Any keyboard with at least 32 full-sized keys ($30-$99) https://a.co/d/iXjHdpZ https://a.co/d/4F35PBj https://a.co/d/7baMjZ6 https://a.co/d/bYmGkOO Baby Budget: ($25 and under) https://a.co/d/9V49lHz https://a.co/d/9o0GQqs APP-BASED INSTRUMENT ALTERNATIVES: For Parent+Me classes, we encourage you to download the FREE app: Prodigies Bells For Preschool Piano Prep classes, you can download the Prodigies Bells and a Piano app (there are many out there). For Private, Semi-Private, and Group Piano Lessons Students: In order for your child to progress, having a keyboard or piano at home (or accessible on a daily basis) is highly recommended, if not required. RECOMMENDED KEYBOARDS BASED ON BUDGET: Ideal situation: Piano or Keyboard with 88 keys, weighted keys, touch sensitive, keyboard stand, adjustable chair, foot stool ($200+) e.g. Yamaha P-series, Casio Privia, Korg SP series, Alessis Recital Pro, Roland, Kawai, etc https://www.pianodreamers.com/best-digital-pianos-under-700/ https://www.pianodreamers.com/best-digital-pianos-and-keyboards/ https://www.digitalpianoreviewguide.com/ranking-the-best-cheap-digital-pianos-with-weighted-keys/ Intermediate: Keyboard with 61-88 keys, full-sized keys (not just the tops) ($100-200) e.g. Yamaha PSR series or Piaggero NP-12 $200 https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-yamaha-keyboards https://a.co/d/aid4uvL https://a.co/d/ef1hTpG https://a.co/d/0BAXQ0m https://a.co/d/2VySKIq https://a.co/d/bE6iaab Basic: Any keyboard with at least 32 full-sized keys ($30-$99) https://a.co/d/iXjHdpZ https://a.co/d/4F35PBj https://a.co/d/7baMjZ6 https://a.co/d/bYmGkOO Baby Budget: ($25 and under) https://a.co/d/9V49lHz https://a.co/d/9o0GQqs

Yes! We recognize that music education is not as accessible as we'd like it to be and it can be cost prohibitive for your child to participate in these kinds of activities. If your household income is less than $100K/year, we offer sliding scale rates for certain group classes: 20% discounts for households between $80-$99K/year 40% discounts for households between $60-$79K/year 60% discounts for households between $40-59K/year 80% discounts for households less than $39K/year

LOCATION: Classes will be held at our open air backyard studio in Oakland Eastmont Hills (94605) near the Oakland Zoo. The studio is a converted garage so one "wall" of the room will be left open. If families prefer to be completely outdoors, we will set up tables that are outside of the studio (covered by a tent). VACCINATIONS/MASKS: I am fully vaccinated as are all the members of my family. I am asking that all adults be vaccinated (or do a COVID-19 home antigen test before coming) and will be encouraged to wear masks. Children over 2 will also be encouraged to wear masks. SIZE OF CLASSES: The toddler classes are capped at 8 and the preschool piano classes are capped at 6. DISINFECTING: I will have hand sanitizer for all to use before entering the studio. Additionally, instruments and surfaces are disinfected between classes, and students are encouraged to keep their hands to themselves.

We are planning to offer virtual classes in the future - if you are interested, please reach out and let us know what days and times work best for you!

PALAKA Music & Arts Studios utilizes the My Music Staff scheduling and billing system. Remember, group classes in October are FREE for October FREE PREVIEWS! Once you are enrolled in group classes or lessons, you will receive an invoice close to the end of the month. A grace period is allotted, and late fees will be charged if invoices are paid beyond the grace period. We encourage you to make payment via Zelle bank transfer, Venmo @palakastudios, or Paypal bank transfer @palakastudios. The invoice may also be paid via credit card with an additional processing fee. Contact Heidi if you have any questions about your invoice.

Books and materials are an additional fee on top of monthly tuition (or session tuition for groups). You can find them on Amazon or your local bookstore. PALAKA Music and Arts Studio offers a lending library for families who would like to purchase or borrow used copies of the books we will be using in class.

That's wonderful! We encourage this and would be happy to teach age-appropriate and level-appropriate songs. Talk to your teacher and we'll determine the best way to reach these goals.

For the Parent+Me classes, parents are required to attend and participate with their child in order for be successful in learning during the class. For the Preschool Piano Prep Group Music Classes, parents must be present, but are not required to participate. For the Group Music Classes (5+) and Private/Semi-Private Lessons, parents are encouraged to be present, but are not required to attend. We do, however, ask that you pick up your child promptly after the class or lesson ends for the safety of your child.

If you are enrolled in group piano classes or private/semi-private lessons, you will need to practice at home between classes and lessons in order to progress. However, we also understand that owning an instrument can be a large financial investment for families. RECOMMENDED KEYBOARDS BASED ON BUDGET: Lower end ($30-$99): Any Keyboard with at least 32 full-sized keys https://a.co/d/iXjHdpZ https://a.co/d/4F35PBj https://a.co/d/7baMjZ6 https://a.co/d/bYmGkOO Mid-range ($100-200): Keyboard with 61-88 keys, full-sized keys (not just the tops) e.g. Alessis, Casio, Yamaha PSR series or Piaggero NP-12 $200 https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-yamaha-keyboards https://a.co/d/aid4uvL https://a.co/d/ef1hTpG https://a.co/d/0BAXQ0m https://a.co/d/2VySKIq https://a.co/d/bE6iaab Higher end ($200+): Piano or Keyboard with 88 touch sensitive, weighted keys, keyboard stand, adjustable chair, foot stool e.g. Yamaha P-series, Casio Privia, Korg SP series, Alessis Recital Pro, Roland, Kawai, etc https://www.pianodreamers.com/best-digital-pianos-under-700/ https://www.pianodreamers.com/best-digital-pianos-and-keyboards/ https://www.digitalpianoreviewguide.com/ranking-the-best-cheap-digital-pianos-with-weighted-keys/ I wouldn't recommend getting an expensive instrument right off the bat (unless you already have one, or can obtain one). See if your child likes the classes/lessons after a month and then decide after. You can use cheaper alternatives in the meantime. I also encourage you to use your local Buy Nothing group to borrow one from a neighbor or Facebook Marketplace to buy a discounted, used one. PALAKA Studios can assist in helping you identify a good one to purchase - ask your teacher or message us on the website.

Showcases and performances are highly encouraged, but not mandatory. We want to support our students to challenge themselves, but never want to pressure them into doing anything they aren't comfortable with.

While you are paying monthly tuition, your scheduled lesson slot is held for you for the month (and quarter if you pay quarterly, and year if you pay annually). We are unfortunately not able to hold your slot if you decide to take a break from lessons for whatever reason (summer breaks, vacation, etc), but we encourage you to inquire about availabilities when you are ready to return. If your spot has not already been filled, you are welcome to keep the same time! If not, we hope other spots will work for your schedule.

Formal make-up policies are still being formalized, but we will try our best to give you opportunities to make-up sessions as needed, within reason. Please check finalized studio policies in November for details.