Conservatory of Vocal/Instrumental Arts School

This school is THE worst school I've ever encountered. From the short tempered staff who will either ignore you completely or make you wish they had to the students who are disrespectful if not in front of the "right" person ;) I am disappointed in the absence of communication, the pedestal of self righteousness that the director is placed on and the refusal of administration(admin of 1) to hire teachers who are educators not bad babysitters with short tempers and no true motivation to teach.The staff speak to the students in the nastiest manner. The 'vision' that gets so much attention is TRULY warped and evolving into a nightmare. Don't dare give constructive criticism to an 'educator' or expect a staff member to voluntarily speak to you without looking pained in the process. Seems like they gathered all of the disposed 'talent' throughout the East Bay, threw a title and 'vision' on it and chose to rule with an iron fist when it comes to children -_- and their education -_- combined. Don't be fooled by the wording of programs available, the family atmosphere etc. Financial status is of major importance and try and be Black at the same time. You'll win their hearts :)
—Submitted by a parent

BEWARE! I really encourage any prospective parents to really strongly consider if this school will be right for your child. If your interest is because of the musical program you may want to consider other schools or outside sources. This school is more like a mini-boot camp and there is absolutely no room for individuality. They are looking for cookie cutter students and they favor those who fit that mode and antagonize those who do not. You will definately have to be very involvbed and very watchful and you and your chld will have to be very strong. It is very far from a warm and inviting environment. Yelling, embarrasment and stern faces is how the teaching staff operates with litle to no positive reinforcement. I have never witnessed such a school. Even the office staff is angry. Ask about the teacher/student turnover ratio. I understand and I am all for structure and discipline, but it has to build a child up not break them down.. This school is one scary place. (and I'm an adult)
—Submitted by a parent

We were prospective parents of a Kindergarten student for 13/14 school year. We are so turned off by the rudeness and unprofessionalism of the staff that we have decided to not send our child there. For some reason our daughter's name was not included in the lottery, although we applied and send in our intent to participate in the lottery. That is fine because mistkes do happen. What was bad was that when my husband asked more questions, Ms. Lottie (sp?) said, "I have explained this 3 times already". We said that he did not hear the explanation because he and I were discussing on the side, she said "Since your wife heard, she can explain it to you." WTH!! We were to receive a call on Friday and when I called, she was out sick. We called on Monday and left a message. We called today (Tues.) and she was in a meeting. I'm getting a little skeptical now. This is crazy! No apology for the error and no urgency to get back to parents. We're not even in the school and there is drama. We are entirely to busy for this. Beware!

I see parents are still fooled. Cherry picking high performing students and teaching to the test works wonders on the numbers produces results/ you should examine high teacher turnover and student turnover in the last 2-3 years.
—Submitted by a parent

Agreeing with other positive reviewers, I want to restate a key point - this school is not for every kid. Or every parent for that matter! If you have a kid that is musically inclined, and if you are parents who understand that it is going to take all around discipline and constant hard work to turn around a bunch of 'raw' kindergarten kids and transform them into amazing concert performers just 3 months into the school year (and it only gets better from there on), then you and your kid will love this school. And thrive - like my 1st grader who has been there 2 years now. So, do your home work. If you want to give your kids a solid foundation in music education (in addition to regular academics, of course), there is no better public school experience available in the Oakland area, IMO. The passion and commitment the faculty brings is amazing and the results become apparent when you see your little stars perform. In fact, go attend one of the Winter or Summer concerts to experience it first hand!
—Submitted by a parent

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

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.

The State has a $42.5 BILLION deficit in 2010. The Governor has proposed to cut and $2.1 BILLION from education for the coming fiscal year. I'm not sure to what the parent was referring when s/he was complaining about "parents needed to donate $150+ per family so that the school could afford to pay the teachers." Clearly, the school administration is not responsible for California budget woes. The new principal probably wasn't working at COVA for no pay and the administration probably won't find someone in the near future who will. Now is not the time to attack the administration and faculty as they work heroically during this crisis. Our students need us all to pull together and support one another. It takes years to start a new school, build a new culture, and spur momentum in achievement. That parent hasn't started a new business from scratch let alone a school.
—Submitted by a parent

COVA is able to focus on both strong academics and music (which also lends itself to strong academics). The greatest challenge of this school is that it is new. Parent support is key. The principal wears many hats and is one of the most dedicated I have ever seen.
—Submitted by a parent

COVA is a very unique charter school which provides a rich musical education along with academics. The children greatly benefit from having music in their lives each day.
—Submitted by a parent

An outstanding charter school nestled in the hills of the Redwood Heights District in Oakland CA. COVA takes a holistic approach to educating the children that attend by providing an outstanding educational and arts program which continues to expand. The staff and parents are extremely dedicated to the success of each and every child, making learning a fun experience.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at COVA and we (child and parents) have been very pleased. Expectations in all areas are high - academics, performing arts, and student conduct which contribute to a great learning environment. They take the time to assess each child and make sure they meet their academic needs.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter started Kindergarten two months ago at COVA... she loves it and is so happy there. We are proud COVA parents.
—Submitted by a parent