Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music
Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music, 1223 S Park Victoria Dr, Milpitas, CA 95035
About
Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music offers a Music Discovery workshop with piano lessons for ages 4–5, as well as a Piano Workshop, Guitar Workshop, Vocal Lessons, and a Music For Little Mozarts program. The program includes private lessons along with group piano classes and group guitar classes.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Class options Monday–Friday in the late afternoon and evening, and on Saturdays during the day
Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music has over 30 years of proven experience, and Darrell has owned the music school since 1989. The school’s specialty is making lessons fun, and teachers use games, humor, and laughter. Students meet new friends and the class becomes a social event, and the school offers private lessons for more intensive training. The mission of the school is to offer music education that is both quality and fun, with the goal of helping each child become a lifelong musician, and Darrell’s mission is to make music affordable, fun, and educational to as many young musicians as possible. The instructors are described as highly trained and dedicated, with a mission to preserve the art of music for generations to come.
Director and owner Darrell Leffler earned a BA in Music Education at San Francisco State University and an MA in Piano Pedagogy at San Jose State University. Vocal Director Minh Thai earned his Music Degree from San Jose State University, is fluent in both English and Vietnamese, and is the Choir Director and Performing Arts Department Chair at Oak Grove High School. Jose B. Sanchez holds a Bachelor’s of Music Degree with a concentration in Trumpet Performance from San José State University, teaches full time at Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music, and is the music director for Mariachi Oroazul de SJSU; Jose’s students have auditioned and won seats in several youth ensembles such as San Jose Youth Symphony, California Youth Orchestra, and Mission Peak Youth Symphony, and have also been placed first chairs in their school band or orchestra. Instructor Paden Schmidt graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from San Jose State, and Aaron Bjorge graduated in 2013 from San Jose State University with a Bachelor’s of Music in music composition. Jordan Leffler is a graduate of The Haas School of Business at Berkeley, and Matthew Leffler is a graduate of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of San Diego and is completing a Master’s Degree at San Jose State University. Caylee Correia is listed as Lead Vocalist. Darrell Leffler has won CreaTV’s best director award for his television show Maestro Darrell’s Music Workshop.
In community involvement, Matthew became President of the Baseball Buddies Foundation, a nonprofit that donates used baseball equipment to children in need around the world, and Jordan recently ended his tenure as CEO of Baseball Buddies Foundation. Jose Sanchez’s role with Mariachi Oroazul de SJSU and Minh Thai’s work at Oak Grove High School are also part of the program’s community connections.
Parent reviews mention that children have learned a lot and developed an interest in music, and describe instructors as kind, patient, knowledgeable, and making classes enjoyable. One parent notes that both of their children have attended for a long time and highly recommends the place, another says a daughter is enjoying music, and another says a daughter is enthusiastic about attending class each week.
Last updated June 21, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Class options Monday–Friday in the late afternoon and evening, and on Saturdays during the day
Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music has over 30 years of proven experience, and Darrell has owned the music school since 1989. The school’s specialty is making lessons fun, and teachers use games, humor, and laughter. Students meet new friends and the class becomes a social event, and the school offers private lessons for more intensive training. The mission of the school is to offer music education that is both quality and fun, with the goal of helping each child become a lifelong musician, and Darrell’s mission is to make music affordable, fun, and educational to as many young musicians as possible. The instructors are described as highly trained and dedicated, with a mission to preserve the art of music for generations to come.
Director and owner Darrell Leffler earned a BA in Music Education at San Francisco State University and an MA in Piano Pedagogy at San Jose State University. Vocal Director Minh Thai earned his Music Degree from San Jose State University, is fluent in both English and Vietnamese, and is the Choir Director and Performing Arts Department Chair at Oak Grove High School. Jose B. Sanchez holds a Bachelor’s of Music Degree with a concentration in Trumpet Performance from San José State University, teaches full time at Darrell Leffler’s Academy of Music, and is the music director for Mariachi Oroazul de SJSU; Jose’s students have auditioned and won seats in several youth ensembles such as San Jose Youth Symphony, California Youth Orchestra, and Mission Peak Youth Symphony, and have also been placed first chairs in their school band or orchestra. Instructor Paden Schmidt graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from San Jose State, and Aaron Bjorge graduated in 2013 from San Jose State University with a Bachelor’s of Music in music composition. Jordan Leffler is a graduate of The Haas School of Business at Berkeley, and Matthew Leffler is a graduate of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of San Diego and is completing a Master’s Degree at San Jose State University. Caylee Correia is listed as Lead Vocalist. Darrell Leffler has won CreaTV’s best director award for his television show Maestro Darrell’s Music Workshop.
In community involvement, Matthew became President of the Baseball Buddies Foundation, a nonprofit that donates used baseball equipment to children in need around the world, and Jordan recently ended his tenure as CEO of Baseball Buddies Foundation. Jose Sanchez’s role with Mariachi Oroazul de SJSU and Minh Thai’s work at Oak Grove High School are also part of the program’s community connections.
Parent reviews mention that children have learned a lot and developed an interest in music, and describe instructors as kind, patient, knowledgeable, and making classes enjoyable. One parent notes that both of their children have attended for a long time and highly recommends the place, another says a daughter is enjoying music, and another says a daughter is enthusiastic about attending class each week.
Last updated June 21, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.