Dr. Batista Music Studio 6780 Indiana Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506

"Dr. Batista is a very wonderful teacher. She takes the time to show her students the nuances of piano playing that improve skill, speed, and expression. If you are looking to improve, she is an excellent person to help guide you. Thank you, Dr. Batista for sharing your knowledge and talent!"

"Dr. Batista is a distinguished professional who is currently with the music world. She makes learning fun and engaging and instills the most important foundation skills and techniques to her students which sets them up for excellency! She also provides opportunities to perform and engage with other studio members. Highly recommended!"

"We signed up for singing lessons with Dr. Batista's studio. Right off the bat, we noticed that Dr. Batista herself was the one replying to our questions which at first, we thought was pretty awesome since you're speaking directly to the owner. After speaking to her more on the phone and via text, we noticed that she came off a little rude, but hey we chalked it up to just being new to us and gave her the benefit of the doubt. Fast forward, lessons have started and her teacher (Karina) was a blast to work with. We did find it rather interesting that towards the end of the lesson, Batista would always barge in the room to bark at Karina that time was almost up. Again, maybe it was a fluke we thought. Time and time again, we had these rude occurrences with Batista. After about two months of lessons, we let Batista and Karina know that we'd be leaving for vacation for a week and that we would not be doing the lesson that week. We returned to an irate Batista demanding payment for the next month's lesson and that we would have to incur a late fee in addition to missing a class. It was almost as if she never knew we were gone after we clearly had told her. What's worse is that Batista said that we had not returned her emails...well, of course, we didn't, we were on vacation! Plus we thought we had left everything in order prior to leaving. After returning from our trip, we had just had it with Batista's lack of respect, and simply lack of tact when speaking with her clients, so we canceled our lessons with her studio. We gave her honest feedback and let her know that the teachers that she employs our GREAT, but unfortunately the customer service is TERRIBLE. We suggested that she get help with the "front desk" and let someone else talk to the customers because it's clear that wasn't one of her strong points. Anyhow, there's plenty of music schools out there where you can go.... we all deal with enough rude people in this world and the last thing we need is to deal with one more around something that's supposed to be a pleasurable hobby/education. I feel bad for Karina and the others working there. They deserve a much better business owner! Unfortunately, she lets her pride get in the way of what her business is capable of. She's educated and will let you know it. (Don't believe me? It's the first thing she mentions in her Yelp business bio... ). Being educated doesn't mean you have the right to be rude to your customers. If you're considering this place for your child/significant other/friend, spare the abuse and look elsewhere!"

"I took lessons with Dr. Alma Batista from the fall of 2016 until the Summer of 2019. That time transformed me as a musician, and helped me grow as an individual. Dr. Batista is amazing to work with, incredibly invested in her students, and a dedicated teacher. I came to her in 2016 with 8 years of experience, lots of bad habits, and many gaps in my education. She was patient with me as I developed new habits and understanding as I struggled to master some of them. One of my favorite things about working with Dr. Batista is that she does not accept excuses. She called me out on areas that I needed to grow in, but was always kind and ready to move forward. As an ambitious person I often picked the hardest songs and signed up for all the competitions I could. This was hard for her to watch at times, and she would warn me that I was taking on more than I could handle. At the end of the day though she let me try what I wanted, and guided me all the way through. From late night emails trying to get me into competitions, to dealing with me being a chaotic mess at lessons, I’m so thankful I had her as my teacher through it all. I could go on for hours about all the lessons I’ve learned from her both in music and life, but that would take too much time. I highly recommend Dr. Batista to anyone looking to learn piano, and especially those looking for a dedicated coach to help them reach a high level of piano performance."

"I had taken piano lessons from Dr. Batista for all four years of my high school career and I have left for college with a new perspective on music and growth as a musician. Dr. Batista is a skilled professional pianist that devotes her time to helping her students develop their own skills, techniques, and discover their own style of expression. She focuses on each student's personal weakness and helps the student to overcome. Dr. Batista also encourages you to do your best and provides you with opportunities to step outside your comfort zone and perform. Opportunities such as the Junior Bach Festival, Inland Empire Piano Festival, Certificate of Merit, and the Winter and Spring recitals that occur every year. Not only does she specialize in Classical music, but she would also be willing to help you in a variety of genres including Christian, Pop, Jazz, and World. I absolutely love her studio and I truly recommend Dr. Batista because she is the best teacher and musical mentor I've ever had!"