Parkland Elementary

Good school good teachers highly recommend it

Love the teaching strategies and the way they involve the parents. Great school highly recommend it.

Taking lessons with Ahmad has certainly been one of my best decisions! I've always wanted to play the guitar, but I couldn't afford to start until I was 30. I tried learning on my own unsuccessfully using the internet. I had almost given up when I contacted Ahmad on a whim, as a last ditch attempt. I have been taking lessons for a year and a few months now. Ahmad's superpower is providing me with the right material at the right time. He is the rare combination of someone who is a great teacher in addition to being a great player (other reviewers have gone over his excellent credentials). He has spent decades focused on developing exercises and tips to teach people of all skill levels, and has handouts prepared for every scenario. Each class, he provides me with handouts carefully designed to be challenging enough to sustain my interest, without becoming overwhelmingly difficult. Each lesson builds on the lessons before it, so that I can make good progress while making the most efficient use of my practice time. Since the first lesson, Ahmad has emphasized strong fundamentals and playing in time, and this makes practice engaging and fun! We began with how to play simple sequences of notes, and moved on to power chords, open and barre chords, simple rhythms and rhythmic notation, and pentatonic scales. After a few months there, we moved on to the major scale, more complex chords, and pop, rock and funk rhythms. Along the way, I also learned techniques like hammer-on, pull-off and bends, and example riffs from songs. Ahmad is also familiar with the rhythmic tradition and scales from many styles and cultures, so at times we were able to apply several rhythmic and melodic concepts in both a Western context and an Indian (Carnatic/Hindustani) context, and have a lot of fun exploring bridges between cultures. Throughout, Ahmad has remained very positive and encouraging. A little more than a year ago I thought it impossible that I could progress this much, starting from scratch as an adult, given my usual commitments. But thanks to Ahmad, I have progressed far beyond my expectations. While I still have a very long way to go, I have now found a friend for life in the instrument, and I look forward to continuing my journey.

All the Los Altos schools are good. I took my daughter there.

?☺??I like it very much because they have good teachers.