Meet Our Instructors

Chaparral Ranch is set in the beautiful east foothills of Milpitas. At Chaparral you will find the old west in the middle of Silicon Valley. We welcome first-time as well as experienced riders. Come join us for a trail ride or lesson. We also offer summer camps, basic horsemanship classes, scout troops, parties, and more. We have beautiful well-trained horses and experienced guides and teachers to fill all your needs. Come join us for a great fun-filled day.

Since 2002, Communication Academy's mission is to encourage and inspire confidence in all areas of communication, whether oral or written. We know that communication skills are essential to success in school, career, and life. You'll find experienced and highly educated instructors combined with a high-quality curriculum to ensure that your child will have great results! Communication Academy offers our courses in modules, allowing your child to perfect their public speaking, debate skills, writing, and reading comprehension skills throughout the year.

SAT prep instructor (since September '05) and LEGO(R) FUNgineering instructor (since February '07)

• High school valedictorian
• Accepted into MIT and Stanford for undergrad study (enrolled at MIT)
• Earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Boston University
• "Guest Competitor" in MIT's world-famous 2.70 design competition class (won in 1st 2 rounds, lost in 3rd round)
• 3 semesters at the University of Michigan towards Ph.D. in mechanical engineering

Established in 1978, the Economic Driving School serves community centers and public and private schools throughout the Bay Area. Classroom instructors are credentialed public and private school teachers and are licensed by the Calif. DMV. Class does not include behind-the-wheel instruction. For more information call 408-972-1168 or visit the Economic Driving School website.

Freshi is a world created for youth ages 8 to 18 to encourage communication and collaboration through digital media creation. Freshi's mission is to help any young person who has ever shared a story, to tell their story better using digital media. In Freshi's world, kids aren't allowed to sit back and watch adults make films or games; they do it themselves, from story to final edit!

The Freshi goal is to introduce digital filmmaking, stop-motion animation, and video game design and development in a language kids can understand - visual media. The ultimate goal is to see young creators connected worldwide and empowered with the skills to communicate visually using readily available and affordable internet, hardware, and software. For more information visit their Facebook page or the Freshi Media website.

Groove Academy of Drumming established in 2007, was opened to give students a foundation of drumming from fundamentals to live performances. David Sankus, Executive Director, says "Groove Academy of Drumming is one of the country's most unique drum schools." It offers the most complete selection of ensembles, for ages 3 to 17, and is staffed only by experienced professionals. That, combined with the school's underlying teaching philosophy, is what separates Groove Academy of Drumming from any other Drum School in the nation. The Groove Academy of Drumming philosophy is simple - teaching students lifelong lessons that they will be able to take with them wherever they go. Some of these lessons are self-confidence, setting goals, working toward those goals, and ultimately accomplishing those goals. These goals not only pertain to the ensembles but also to the students themselves. The ensemble setting enables students to interact with other students their age allowing them to grow within themselves at all levels. Helping students learn that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to, makes Groove Academy of Drumming more than just a percussion school.

The primary purpose of Groove Academy of Drumming is to give students a foundation of percussion music from fundamentals to live performances. Groove Academy of Drumming is one of the country's most unique percussion schools. It offers the most complete selection of ensembles and is staffed only by experienced professionals. That, combined with the school's underlying teaching philosophy, is what separates Groove Academy of Drumming from any other Percussion School in the nation. For more information please visit the Groove Academy of Drumming website.

Jensen School for the Performing Arts has been providing quality dance and tumbling instruction in the Milpitas community for over 30 years. Their instructors are among the best in the Bay Area. All instructors are certified to teach through Dance Masters of America and most are college graduates with teaching credentials and degrees in dance and creative arts. Jensen's provides a safe and caring family-oriented learning environment where children Love To Dance.

Mad Science® is the world's leading science enrichment provider. We deliver unique, hands-on science experiences for children that are as entertaining as they are educational. Mad Science is proud to introduce millions of children to a world of discovery while sparking their imagination. Mad Science encourages scientific literacy in children at an age when science is as vital as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Please visit the Mad Science website.

Melody Academy of Music (MAM) was the first music institution in Bay Area licensed by the MYC and using its method to teach music to young children. Now MAM also combines several unique music programs Musikgarten and Piano Method for Young Beginners. MAM builds a solid foundation of understanding and enjoyment of music: singing together, listening to others, keyboard playing, creative movement, music reading and theory, composing, ear-training, and music vocabulary.

Irene Saxe, Director of Harmony Makers, is a Certified Level 1 Music Together® teacher since 2001 and the director of Harmony Makers since 2005. She is a trained Montessori preschool teacher and has specialized training in the Montessori Music curriculum for preschoolers through elementary grades. She has played viola and violin with several bay area community orchestras.

My First Art Class has been providing high-quality art experiences for young children since 1982. Our program is offered in 17 cities throughout the bay area and the south bay. Renee Ramsey creator of My First Art Class and co-author of a book of art experiences for Toddlers and Twos, called First Art, has taught process-oriented art to toddlers and their parents for over 25 years. Renee Ramsey is an award-winning artist herself and was a ceramist for 30 years. She's brought her artistic knowledge to her program and her philosophy that everyone is creative, they just need a place to express it.

Established in 1984, is dedicated to enriching the lives of children through parent-funded, after-school learning programs. Noteworthy teachers have various musical backgrounds but all share the love of teaching music to children. Ruth Ng has studied piano, music appreciation, music analysis, and sight singing for four years in Malaysia as well as studying in Hartnell Community College in Monterey County. Ruth has taught with Noteworthy Music School for two years.

Swati Shah has over ten years of experience teaching Indian Dance and Art to children of ages 3 to 9. She holds graduate degrees in Indian Classical Dance from renowned Indian classic dancer Mallika Sarabhai and Computer Application from St. Xavier's College, India. While Indian dance and art instruction are at the forefront of her current teaching engagements, her multidisciplinary training in both the sciences and the arts allows her to bring unique teaching approaches to the classroom.

Swati also holds Early Childhood Development credentials from Mission College in Bay Area and has worked as a lead preschool teacher at Bright Horizons, Kidztime, and Bishop Elementary School in Sunnyvale. In addition to her work, she is an active PTA member of John Sinnott Elementary School.

At Silicon Valley Golf Performance our goal is to help you develop a passion for the game of golf and have fun doing it. Whether you are playing golf for the first time or an avid player simply looking to shave off a few strokes, we have a variety of programs designed to help you enjoy the game. Our Year-Round Junior Academy is designed to take junior golfers from the range to the course in a timely, safe, and fun environment.

Young Rembrandts teaches drawing to young children. Drawing is the fundamental skill of the visual arts that can - and should - be learned by all children. Young Rembrandts teaches the drawing skills children need while developing learning skills that give children an academic advantage in the classroom. The Young Rembrandts unique and proven method was developed by an artist and educator. For over 20 years we have delivered a top-quality classroom experience that is fun, engaging, educational, and affordable.