COMMA
Here's what they are saying.
COMMA is amazing. A jewel in the east bay. A place where kids can explore art and music. A place where their expression and ideas are nurtured.
We need more of this for our children.
I have two busy, hyper boys, and on the first drive there, they said,
"Mom, this feels like we are going to school on Saturday." When I picked them up, they were dirty in paint and not wanting to leave.
Love it!!
If your kid is artsy, musical - even if it is rap they love, they will love this.
Dolores M. MD
Family Medicine
Educating students in the arts doesn't just improve their academic
performance. The creative satisfaction that flows from making music or art or literature boosts self-esteem while opening up the space for self-reflection and consequent growth. Exposure to a wide range of the arts also
provides students windows to different perspectives of the world.
As a parent as well as in my work [as a writer and college essay advisor], I have personally experienced and witnessed the
transformative power of the arts to broaden minds and create new opportunities.
As technology replaces human work, and the so-called "soft skills" become increasingly valuable, the ability to discern what people feel and want and how they can best express themselves will be of utmost importance and urgency. Nothing compares to the arts when it comes to providing such insight into the human experience. The Bay Area offers many options to students interested in STEM activities and sports, but has far
fewer venues where students can learn about the arts. COMMA is an invaluable resource for students who seek to engage deeply in the arts - and thus
distinguish themselves from the crowd for
success in college and beyond.
Niranjana I.
Editor/Writer
"Great faculty and great, informative courses in a good learning environment. Definitely worth it if you're looking for an extracurricular music/arts program in the
Bay Area."
Finn C.
COMMA Student/Composer
"The program is amazing! It is the best music/art program that I have seen. The faculty is tremendous and the students have a wonderful time experiencing music and arts in ways that you rarely see offered."
Nina B.
Donor
"As an attendee of the season-end showcase, I was impressed with both the stellar faculty and talented students. COMMA is an excellent collaboration of vision, passion, and holistic creative development."
art galleries, and more.
Christi N.
Supporter
COMMA is an amazing place for young folks to explore the arts and grow in their personal creativity. The program has an incredible heart-vision which has built an encouraging and nurturing community where kindness, open-mindedness and the freedom to fully engage in the creative process form the foundation.
Saturday mornings
at COMMA became our teenager's absolute favorite time of the week.
He left COMMA chatty, enthusiastic and filled with optimism...which is saying a lot for a typical teenager! And this enthusiasm spilled over into the following week - he was sort of 'renewed' on Saturday mornings!
He initially applied because of the awesome opportunity to learn music theory and composition from highly esteemed instructors.
COMMA introduced him to composing and so much more.
Through wonderful seminars in writing, singing and fine arts, he was able to really let go and enjoy the freedom to explore creativity through these other venues.
He has played the violin since he was 5 and is a serious music student. His semester at
COMMA ignited a new spark within him that he felt energized by.
He can not wait to apply for the next semester.
Micah and Danielle Naler (directors) are 100% caring, creative, incredible folks, and they, along with their contributing instructors, are developing a dynamic opportunity, through COMMA, for young people to learn about themselves as people, grow artistically and 'spark joy' creatively.
Erika C.
Mother of COMMA Student
"Great organization, wonderful faculty, and awesome collection of kids. My kids, 14 & 11, had great fun and really learned to appreciate various art forms."
Father of COMMA students
"With music and arts budgets getting slashed in public schools, there are few opportunities left for young students to engage in, learn about, and appreciate the broader music and arts unless you enroll in private lessons or specialized classes.
COMMA is a fantastic opportunity for young students to learn, understand, appreciate and participate in music and the arts.
COMMA is a hands-on experience. Students are actively participating, dissecting the composition, writing their own music, dissecting poetry and writing their own poems, singing, painting, drawing......
A small class size means one-on-one attention. It means no student is left confused or missing out on an opportunity to interact.
I personally watched as students engaged. I watched them "get it" and have their "lightbulb moment" when dissecting the structure of a major scale with Alex Stein in music theory. And watched the students learn about music from the dark ages to modern music;
learning about how the instrumentation has changed and advanced with technology.
I witnessed the students encourage each other in art class as they painted and drew and traced and sketched.
The Nalers are fantastic people who truly, genuinely care for their students. You will meet nobody who is more genuine, kind or trustworthy than the Nalers. They run a fantastic school and
I expect great things from COMMA.
I look forward to seeing future sessions and hearing how much the students learn."