Mansfield Music

I have been taking piano lessons with Ernie for a few years now and I'd highly recommend him as a teacher, especially if you are beginning to learn an instrument in adulthood as I have. He's very knowledgable, insightful, and most importantly, a very supportive and friendly instructor. He's also full of stories from a life lived in music and has a helpful anecdote for every occasion. Ernie is always reliable and punctual about lesson dates and times but always understanding if I need to reschedule, given the proper notice in accordance with his posted policies. I look forward to continuing my lessons with Ernie and I'm grateful for his instruction.

Ernie Mansfield is a Wonderful Instructor. My child took alto sax lessons starting in 5th grade, moved to Tenor sax and now just auditioned and got into Berkeley High Jazz band. My child is way ahead of his peers in sight reading music mainly attributed to Ernie's Methodical teaching Style and patience. I highly recommend Ernie for Sax lessons.

Our son started with Mr. Mansfield when he was 3 and has grown into an enthusiastic, confident pianist. Mr. Mansfield was patient and flexible, allowing the lessons to go at a pace and in a direction that best suited our son's interest.

I've been taking guitar lessons with Ernie for about two years and could not be more happy with what I've learned from him and the progress that I've made. I've been playing the guitar for about six years in all. Ernie is far more knowledgable, patient, and organized than any of the other instructors that I've had. He is a great teacher and a genuinely nice person.

As a career musician, he has a lot of experience to draw on and interesting stories to tell. His schedule is very convenient for adult students with day jobs. If you're thinking about taking music lessons, you should take them from him.

We had our older son with Ernie Mansfield for a couple of years learning piano. We had such a positive experience that we now have our younger son with Ernie. Both boys have had only positive reports on their experience learning piano with Ernie. He makes it engaging and centers his lessons on what the kids want to learn. The recitals are really nicely done and the kids find it to be fun and accessible.

The result is a learning environment that is fun and challenging, where it's ok to make mistakes, as Ernie is very supportive and right there with the kids every step of the way. He also knows when to gently step back and let the kids "take it away." I highly recommend Ernie and think he is a consummate music teacher that your kids will learn a-lot from and enjoy.

I went to Ernie for a guitar lesson to try it out and was extremely pleased by the ease and comfort I felt with him as a teacher. He was very laid back and supportive. I liked that he gave a good mix of theory with playing, which is something I had never thought of before. I am excited to start lessons with him and would highly recommend him to anyone else looking for a music teacher.

I have known Ernie Mansfield for at least 20 years. He recorded a wonderful album at my studio called "Color Drops". He is an outstanding musician and composer. Since that time he has found his life's calling as a music teacher and has opened a studio teaching several different instruments. I know how passionate he is about teaching from a wonderful interview I did with him on my podcast show, "Priscilla's Podcast". I highly recommend him as a dedicated teacher who makes learning music fun!

A colleague in my office decided to learn the piano and was, unwisely, "self-medicating" (ie: teaching herself). As a former musician, I became her favorite target and was inundated with questions on a daily basis. I soon realized that while she was very talented at work, I had mistakenly confused her enthusiasm for natural ability. An intervention was required.

I strongly suggested that she call Ernie Mansfield, of Mansfield Music, and get some professional help. I had heard from a number of friends that Ernie had the 'touch'. It apparently was a great match because the questions went away and she actually started to make some music. Seriously, my colleague was very happy with Ernie and his ability to adapt to her needs rather than force feeding a regimented learning system.and I got kudos for the referral.

I have been taking clarinet and sax lessons from Ernie for two years now. It's been an amazing experience for me. I have learned the clarinet in elementary school - my training was mostly classical. It took me about 30 years to get back to music, and I always wanted to switch to jazz. Ernie facilitated this transition wonderfully well. Ernie is an excellent multi-instrumentalist (all woodwinds, clarinet, soprano, alto, tenor sax, flute, guitar, and of course piano).

But what has been most important to me is, that he is an amazing teacher. He has a knack for figuring out what you need, and helping you move along your development path while having an excellent experience. He is very observant - he can zoom in to technical issues, intonation, expression, rhythm, as well as music theory, harmony, improvisation, and composition. And, of course, he has all that real-life experience that one can only pick up as a performing musician. I always look forward to our jam sessions with excitement. I would highly recommend Ernie - at whatever stage you are, you won't be disappointed.

Ernie is an excellent teacher of children (that's my only experience with him). He loves what he does and always treats the kids with respect and patience, and he has a way of interacting with my eccentric son that makes me feel very comfortable. My son is not the easiest person to teach anything to, and Ernie works wonders with him during piano lessons, handling his attentional issues very gently and well.

I am extremely impressed with the progress he's made in only one year. I highly recommend Ernie as a teacher of children, even those who may not be thrilled about lessons. FYI: if you want to know how your child is doing, you will need to ask him - he doesn't offer feedback unsolicited.

I'm twenty-six and started practicing guitar on my own when I realized I needed a teacher. Ernie did a great job of helping me understanding better technique, and how to spare my fingers from wasted movements and barre chords! He's able to answer questions very well, and plays in a way that's effective, so you can quickly learn how to do so, too!

Besides being a great teacher of many instruments (piano, guitar, flute, sax, clarinet), Ernie Mansfield is also a great performer. I hired him to play at a large Business Mixer and it was a great success. Ernie Mansfield (of Mansfield Music) works with both children and adults, and he's versatile and can operate with many different types of musical tastes: classical, jazz, folk, and pop. I've recommended Ernie over the years as a personal teacher as well as referred him to perform at events and parties all over the Bay Area.

His rates are very competitive - i.e. GOOD! - and the ease he puts his students to is commendable. I've seen much progress occur in more than one youth that Ernie's worked with that helped build confidence in general for the rest of their lives.

Ernie Mansfield is a real gem! Not only is he an incredible musician, performing on a number of instruments (extremely well, I might add), but he is a patient and crystal clear instructor. I've been playing guitar for quite a few years but have always needed to use grids or tablature to read music. sitting down and painstakingly figuring out where to put my fingers, etc. and then working and working to get the song up to speed. Ernie made reading music extremely easy and comprehensive.

He has incredible patience and is a great teacher for kids as well. If you want to learn an instrument, Ernie is the guy to see. Not only that, he's really close to BART and other public transit!

Ernie Mansfield is one of those rare folks who is both a superb musician and a wonderful music teacher. The scope of his skills is tremendous, as he plays and teaches sax, flute, clarinet, piano and more. In the more than 11 years that I've known Erie, I've had the pleasure of hearing him play many times ( he played at my daughter's wedding ), as well as being a student. I recommend him whole heartedly!

I have known Ernie for about 5 years. His passion is music and he is very talented! When I hear Ernie play, I get goose bumps. He knows how to hit the notes that create emotion. I like his music a lot. Ernie shares his talent with people of all ages. He teaches piano, guitar, flute and clarinet. He also helps people learn composition and arranging. It is never to late to learn a musical instrument! And with Ernie as a teacher, you will have a lot of fun too!

Ernie is a brilliant music teacher who knows how to make "learning music" fun. My son, who is very discerning, truly enjoyed the experience with Ernie and still talks about him. Ernie is intelligent, patient and loves sharing his knowledge with his students. Children or adults, Ernie loves to teach them all.