Inspire Academy of Music and Arts

Meet our new violin teacher, Hannah Robbins - an accomplished violin instructor with over a decade of teaching experience in the East Bay Area. Trained at prestigious institutions including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, and through programs affiliated with the Eastman School of Music, she brings a strong conservatory background to her teaching. Hannah is known for building solid technical foundations while fostering musicality, confidence, and a genuine love of music in her students. Her teaching combines theory, ear training, and expressive development, and her students have gone on to perform with top youth orchestras and gain acceptance into renowned programs such as Interlochen, Music@Menlo, and All-State ensembles.

Celebrating Sharanya’s Outstanding Achievement!

We are thrilled to share some wonderful news about our talented student Sharanya!
On January 30, 2026, Sharanya participated in the San Francisco International Innovative Music Competition and achieved an incredible milestone — First Place in Voice in TWO categories: Romantic and Contemporary! 🎉🏆

🎶 Romantic Category
“Frühlingslied, D.398” by Franz Schubert
🔗 https://youtu.be/iQwKPw3cKrk

🎶 Contemporary Category
“Over the Rainbow” by Harold Arlen
🔗 https://youtu.be/6iicKMdzCUQ

This achievement reflects Sharanya’s dedication, artistry, and hard work. We are especially grateful to her voice teacher, Ms. Patrycja, for her expert guidance and endless encouragement, and to her accompanist, Mr. Joshua, for his patience and support throughout the preparation and recording process.

Bravo, Sharanya! We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!

San Francisco International Music Innovative Competition Name: Sharanya BanerjieAge: 17 yearsCity: Dublin, CaliforniaCountry: USATitle: Over the Rainbow Key: C MajorComposer: Harold Arlen

Inspire Academy of Music & Arts (Pleasanton, CA) is looking for a Violin/Viola Instructor to join our team!
If you love helping students grow in confidence and musical skill, we’d love to hear from you!
Please send your resume and a short introduction to [email protected]

Inspire Academy of Music & Arts (Pleasanton, CA) is looking for a Voice Instructor to join our team!
If you love helping students grow in confidence and musical skill, we’d love to hear from you!
Please send your resume and a short introduction to [email protected]

Watch Future Stars Shine -- A Day Inside Inspire Music Academy!

A Day in the Life of Inspire Academy Inspire Academy of Music and Arts is a vibrant and welcoming studio of learning, music, and community.

Few adults play musical instruments, and even fewer do so in a group, Caroline Mimbs Nyce wrote in 2024. What health benefits might they be giving up? https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

“Kids receive plenty of music education, but as people get older, they fall out of practice. Many stop picking up their instrument,” Nyce wrote. “This is unfortunate, in part because plenty of research shows that adults could benefit from playing music.”

Playing music helps build larger brain networks and new pathways. “Musicians tend to have better attention than nonmusicians,” Nyce continued. “Banging on a drum or tooting a horn can also relieve stress, reduce burnout, and help with anxiety and depression. For older people specifically, research has shown potential cognitive benefits along with a possible decrease in dementia risk.”

Adults may be skipping out in part because music education is associated with childhood and coursework. And after people grow out of music education in their childhood, they tend to think that music is a special talent, Nyce wrote, not something that just anybody can learn.

“Of course, people are busy; they simply may not have the luxury of sitting down to study Bach once a week, much less the money to pay for an instrument or private lessons,” Nyce wrote.

Playing music in groups has additional benefits, such as allowing adults to feel more trusting of and connected to one another, and to the world in general. But while it’s easy to go to a park or gym and pull together a game of pickup basketball, “piecing together people at the same skill level to play a concerto or even just jam in a garage is another matter.”

Nyce herself recently began to play the recorder. “I plan to keep learning,” she writes, “not because it strengthens my neuropathways per se (though I certainly don’t mind that), but because making music, even when it’s silly—perhaps especially when it’s silly—is just a whole lot of fun.” https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

📸: Photo Media / ClassicStock / Getty

**An Inspire Academy Exclusive **
Berlioz's Hungarian March for Four Pianos. Working closely with our musical director, Tamriko Siprashvili, our composer-in-residence, Jung Sun, arranges classics for groups of four pianos at various levels. Her arrangements, available only to Inspire Academy students, include classics that every well-educated musician should be familiar with.

Berlioz: Hungarian March arranged for Four Pianos **An Inspire Academy Exclusive **Our composer-in-residence, Jung Sun, arranged Berlioz's Hungarian March for four pianos. Working closely with our musical d...

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