Keys to Life Music School

★★★★★Laura Kirkish

My boys have been in music classes at KTL for six years now, and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve had lessons in piano, drums, Seeds of Harmony classes, and participated in the camps, and all have been simply wonderful. Sara is amazing, and consistently finds excellent instructors who love music and love sharing their expertise with the kids. Recently, Juan has elevated my ten year old’s piano playing to a level that is exceptional. And my twelve year old loves his lessons with Dylan, whose positive energy and enthusiasm for drums are infectious. Can’t say enough good things about everyone at KTL!

★★★★★Jed Rosenzweig

Our kids have been taking piano lessons at KTL for several years now. Their teacher, Bronwyn, makes lessons (and even practice) great fun. The kids (our whole family, actually -- including grandma and grandpa) look forward to the twice-yearly recitals, and have loved the karaoke concerts. It's amazing to see the progress our kids made, and I can't emphasize enough how much they enjoy playing the piano. KTL also offers GREAT week-long camps during the summer and at other times. Thank you Sara, Bronwyn and entire KTL crew!

★★★★★Riel Manriquez

My daughter attended two sessions of Keys to Life summer camp in 2018 when she was 6 years old. She had been to Trackers, Oregon Zoo camp, and Catlin Gable engineering camp. She said it was her favorite camp and it showed. She was very excited to go each morning. Because of how fun this camp was for her and her great connection with the teacher, she asked us and the music teacher to allow her to start taking music classes. It's now a year later and she is still taking weekly classes and can play songs and she enjoys playing piano. Her skills are far beyond mine. In 2019, she took the summer camp again twice. The camp is really fun for her. I attend her performance on the last day of camp where all the students of difference ages come together to perform original songs and theater. It's fun to watch. My daughter has also performed in three recitals. The music school has one for the East side and one for the West side. It is a family affair. Everything is high-class and professional, but welcoming to the kids as young as 6 years old who participate. The head music teacher invited families into her home recently for a Halloween performance. The whole community is welcoming and shares their talents. Everyone is supportive of each other despite all the different ages and the diversity of families. The instructors love their craft. They always participate in the performances themselves. The head instructor has a young child who participates in events and I believe her child helps other students to feel comfortable and included. Also the instructors have a keen understanding of what's important in music education at this age. The camp is clearly infused with promotion of self-expression, confidence and teamwork. The students I have noticed are self-motivated and smiling when they perform even though they get a little nervous. My wife and I often wonder why my daughter has a passion for this music school. Our daughter says it's because it's fun. Our guess is that she gets high-quality personal attention filled with genuine love and playfulness from the instructors. I forgot--every day of camp our daughter came home with a hand-written note about what she worked on that day, what the group worked on that day and a fun fact about her day. The camp might be a little more expensive than other camps, but when considering this level of personal attention, it seems like a great deal to me.

★★★★★Ramon Cancel

So happy to see what Keys to Life Music School has become today. Being a lifetime musician myself, I particularly appreciate how Sara and her team’s approach is centered around each student’s individual interests, skill level and talents. This approach ensures students develop their musicianship while ensuring they do not become intimidated or bored with their instrument. Both our were taught by Sara and several of the teachers over the years, starting in their pre-teen years. Also, as part of the school's approach, kids will have the chance to experience what it is like to play alongside professional musicians in public settings that will provide long lasting benefits to their confidence and ability to work as part of a team. We are starting to see the same type of explosive creative growth in our daughter (now 13) that we experienced with our son (now 19) and this program deserves a lot of credit for that. I certainly wish there were more music programs like this one out there!

★★★★★Samantha Wong

I started piano when I was about 6 or 7 years old, during the summer in which I would later become a 1st grader. I started out with a teacher named Tara, who I liked pretty well. I learned a lot from her, but eventually she couldn't teach me and I got a new teacher named Sara. Sara was an amazing piano teacher and was incredibly passionate about the piano, in a way that got me motivated to actually want to play the piano, instead of just feeling passive about it. However, at one point, she could no longer teach me and that crushed me because I had begun to think of her not just as a teacher but also a friend. I got a teacher named Tanya, who I didn't like a lot, but she was eventually fired. Then, I got Sara once again and she's been my teacher ever since. Without piano, I don't know where I would be, and without Sara, I wouldn't care about piano as much as I do right now. KTL is an amazing music program that teaches kids everything they need to know about their instrument and more. All the instructors really know their stuff and really care about what they're teaching, and that inspires the kids to be passionate about what they're playing for others. I highly recommend KTL whenever I talk about music teachers with my other friends and I think I've grown both as a person and a musician because of doing this. It's been nine years and that still feels short to me. I want to play my entire life and that's all thanks to this incredible music school. Thank you so much KTL for the wonderful experiences! Here's to more!