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Are you looking for a professional piano school that feels like home? A school with high quality piano lessons tailored to meet you or your child's specific personality and interest? You have found such a place! Our school has been chosen as the Best of Berkeley in music lessons for the last 10 years. We focus on creativity and believe that love is the Golden Key in the learning process. Our highly trained piano teachers teach based on Anna Artobolevskaya's teaching philosophy which is the creme de la creme of Russian methods.
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Private lessons are for ages 5 to 95! Adults are very welcome. The musical education we provide in our lessons is a joy for any age or level and imparts the fundamentals for those who would choose music as their career. We offer 45 minute private lessons for young beginners (younger than 5 years old) only and for maximum 4 months.
Our piano teachers are willing to share their joy and appreciation of the great musical works with students. Katrin Arefy is the artistic director and head teacher at Golden Key Piano School in Berkeley, California. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow.
As the name implies, a piano master class is a class led by a person who possesses mastery of the piano. Franz Liszt is credited with holding the first master classes because he recognized the value a class with a master of piano would be to students. We at the Golden Key Piano School continue that tradition by offering annual master classes for our advanced students. The chance to observe and learn from a virtuoso performer in a master class allows advanced students to reach the highest level of their capability.
Conveniently located on University Ave., the Golden Key Piano School is within walking distance from the downtown Berkeley BART station. There is also plenty of street parking on University or Grant. We have pleasant studios with nice baby grand pianos in each room. Our students have the advantage of using a free practice room, based on availability.
Reviews (9)
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Mahsa Naji
Mar 29, 2022
Katrin is a passionate and caring teacher. I am very happy with the progress my son has made in the past six months. I highly recommend Golden Key Piano School.
Cake C.
Mar 22, 2022
My son and daughter both taking piano lessons in Golden Key Piano School. They both enjoy it very much. I believe finding a good teacher is really important for kids. I trust Katrin.
Yasaman Nouri Massih Mph
Mar 14, 2022
All three of my kids went through Golden Key Piano school with the youngest still there! I highly recommend Golden Key Piano School as the staff and teachers are all so easy to work with, kind, and talented. They really make the kids enjoy the learning process and playing which is what it is all about!
Lisa Wong Jackson
Mar 12, 2022
We have been very happy with Golden Key Piano School for our now 9-year old Theo. He started at 8 with no previous experience. He has had a few different teachers, all of whom are amazing, challenging in great ways, and have found ways to connect with Theo. He has been playing for two years now and it continually amazes me how much he knows and loves to play.

There are times when he feels like quitting or doesn't want to practice, but we remind him how it makes him feel to play piano, how much we all enjoy just watching him (mistakes and all), and how far he has come.
Sara Rahimian
Mar 12, 2022
Both of my children were at Golden Key for 8+ years and they loved the community, the variety of teachers over time and the opportunity to play with other musicians. As they grew and changed the school always had the ability to adjust to their new stages of development both as musicians and as people.
Lisa Tsuchiya
Mar 09, 2022
My son has really seen some improvement and he has a lot of fun in his lessons. We were looking for something structured but also something with some good jazz foundations and we found both here.
Eugene Lai
Apr 03, 2021
I can't say enough good things about Golden Key Piano School. The teachers here are all accomplished musicians that are very passionate about not just instructing children on how to play piano but teaching kids musical expression, appreciation and performance. We are very pleased with 7.5 years of experience at Golden Key, this is a great place for learning music.
Christina Meyer
Mar 01, 2021
For the last 5 years, our family has been very happy with Golden Key and the musical education that our children are receiving. Golden Key is a wonderful and serious piano school with dedicated teachers. The fact that there are a number of teachers guarantees that each child will find a good fit for their particular personality. The excellent beginning curriculum has been created by the school's founder. As your child advances, they are given many choices withinthe rich classical tradition.
Jennifer Wolf
Dec 13, 2020
My daughter has been taking classes at Golden Key Piano School since she was 5 years old. The curriculum is well thought out and expansive and I'm happy with her musical abilities. The teachers are all friendly and responsive to student needs. During the pandemic, the school has moved to remote learning without hiccups. Overall, we're grateful for the school and its instructors.