Conservatory of Vocal/Instrumental Arts School

This is my firsth year at Cova and I beyond amazed at how the staff and small parent involvement show their strong interest in the childrens education. I love that Cova has a high interest in providing an awesome learning environmnet to the returning and new students. Cova provides discipline and structure. It's a small school, not a perfect school but no school is. Cova is more like a family and my son loves it, most of all I love. Enrolling him into Cova was one of the best things I could have ever done to help him move forward in his education and in his music.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my second year at COVA and I am amazed at how they can do so much with so little. So little parent involvement, so little money, so little staff, so little time, so little control over the physical building. I truly appreciate how dedicated the principal, teachers and staff are to the students. There is a great deal of personal resources and extra time freely given by all of them. The kids are impressive and my child is thriving here. COVA is not perfect, but no school is. It is a rigid and disciplined program and that may not suit everyone. I encourage others to take an objective look at what they want from a school, how their child learns, and their discipline style and search for schools that match that. It's a great fit for us!
--Submitted by a parent

COVA is a gem! I have two children who have been at COVA for two years. They have benefited by the high academics and arts programs. The discipline is high, making the school and classrooms a place of learning rather than many schools where there are disruptions. COVA continues to demonstrate high test scores and the student concerts are exceptional. You would never know that these performers were ages 5 - 13. I am a very happy parent with two happy children who appreciate that we will be able to attend COVA until high school.
--Submitted by a parent

We are now entering our fourth year at COVA and while it has it's problems (as all schools do!), our daughter is happy and doing exceptionally well. We were worried that our once very shy daughter would have a problem performing on stage but she now looks forward to the performances and signs up for non-school performances (dance, theatre, etc.). Think of COVA as the Berklee School of Music of Oakland. You must be serious about the program and do well in classes. At COVA you are preparing your child for the academic world. It takes organication and perserverance but your child will be ready for the next chapter.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at COVA for three years and will be graduating this coming year. She came from a very good school in the hills, but was getting teased a lot so we looked for an alternative school. Since we are a musical family, I thought COVA would be a good fit. In her three years at COVA she has blossomed, and has made many friends. She has also grown musically and has excelled on her instrument. I can see first hand how these children have benefited from having music every day. All you have to do is attend one concert and you will see the amazing work these children have done. COVA is not for everybody. If music is important to your family, then look into this school. I'm very pleased that my daughter has had this experience. The public schools cannot provide the music instruction that these kids are able to get. It's a wonderful gift they have been given.
--Submitted by a parent

My child attended this school for one year and did well but completely stopped singing at home and lost much joy. Of the 20 kids in the classroom, six left after one year. By choice. More left after the next year, and my guess would be that about half of the kids who started together will continue this fall. It is not an emotionally supportive environment, especially for the youngest children. Perhaps there are middle school kids who work well with the tough love approach, but for early elementary it is not OK. At all. When you read the reviews here and the principal's new message, please consider the possibility that the negative feelings around this school are not the fault of kids who forget their flute music or parents who are not supportive. That's not what I saw. The families who left the program tended to worry that teachers, students, and parents were not being treated with basic courtesy and respect, and that communication was negative or non-existent, and that being there was hard on the kids. My experience was that this program is toxic for the sweet, arty kids who are most likely to end up at a music charter.
--Submitted by a parent

COVA is a music conservatoire. Its expectation is academic excellence as well as the demonstration of professional performance standard. It is not a theme park (or a movie set) with wild-eyes smiley faces and theme park style nurturing tones. The principal is the person on campus who takes on the authoritative role. Teachers are asked to focus in their teaching of the entire class. They are asked to send students with particular problems to the principal s office so that the rest of the class is not affected. After 3 years at COVA, I can tell you it is hard work to make sure my kid is at school on-time, completes his homework, brings his music instrument, practices at home and wears proper uniforms everyday. On the other hand, nothing compares to the satisfaction of knowing that my child is exploring his full potential and is developing into a person with high expectation of himself and others.
--Submitted by a parent

Well let me say I did not believe the complaints when I first joined the school. After two years and an avid volunteer I can say there are clear problems. 15 plus families left midyear and many others are currently seeking other education venues for their children for the following year. Neptism, discrimination run high- yelling and teaching via intimidation are common - group punishment -
--Submitted by a parent

We have part of the COVA community for three years. The school holds the highest expectations for all children and the children develop incredible skills in the performing arts as well as behaviorally and academically. Since the school is a performing arts school, there is a higher commitment to participation in performance opportunities which at times happen on weekend or evenings. This would be expected in a school focused on performance arts. The director is strict and I appreciate the discipline expectations. Although some parents complain that the children are "scared" of the director, I have been in the classroom when she has come into the primary classes and the students cheerfully greet her and the youngest ones often get up to give her a hug. COVA is far ahead as the best overall education available in Oakland. However, be prepared for your child to work hard and grow in their performance and academics. The students are serious and respectful, unlike what I have seen in other schools. If you really want to know what is happening at COVA attend one of the concerts. It is the most spectacular thing you will ever see in any school public or private.
--Submitted by a parent

As the director, my goal is to make sure that each and every child has the best start in their education. When a child comes in for the interview and it is difficult to understand what they are saying, I ask if anyone has brought it up before. If a parent indicates they are not aware of it, I suggest that they check with their family doctor and if the problem appears more severe, I will give recommendations for some place to get a professional assessment since I can only observe in the interview setting. Speech and language development is critical to early reading skills, so it is always best to have a professional opinion. This is what I recommended to the parent. I am glad that she followed through and that it was not felt that he any speech challenges. This is great news.