Mansfield Music

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!

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.

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.

We have not personally taken lessons from Ernie, but most of his students come here to get their lesson books.
From experience, being a piano store, we see plenty of kids who are too shy to play unless they are forced by their parents to play something.
Completely opposite with Ernie’s students. They are jamming as soon as they come through the door! With any beginning or even advanced student it’s important to make sure that playing music is something fun and enjoyable to do. It seems like Ernie’s students really get that playing music is fun.
It puts a smile on our faces when we see someone excited to play a song rather than being forced to take lessons. It’s pretty inspiring!
Way to go Ernie!

I went to Ernie for a guitar lesson to try it out and was extermeley 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.

My 9-​year old son takes piano lessons with Ernie, and he is quite happy. Ernie’s love of music comes through, yet he is very patient in his enthusiasm, allowing the student to pursue the progress that suits… the student. What a concept!

I saw Ernie play at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley last Sunday and he rocked the place. He is also quite the comedian. He plays and teaches many different instruments. I is a great teacher. I highly recommend him.

Ernie is not only a masterful teacher & musician, he is very well know in the Bay Area music world and can pull together a top notch band for any occasion.
Mansfield Music created a wonderful jazz band as part of my mother’s 80^th birthday party. We enjoyed dinner jazz, dance music & beautiful jazz solos performed by world class, local musicians.
Thank you Ernie for adding a very special touch to a beautiful family event and being such an integral part of the Bay Area music community.

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!

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.

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!

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!