About Us

The word on Bird

Bird is a music school, a creative space, a recording studio and record label, a performance venue and more. We’ve been teaching San Francisco’s kids (and more than a few adults) to rock since 2005.

Here, music and technology come together in a positive and safe environment. Students of all ages (7 to infinity) and skill levels are encouraged to use what’s current to enhance their creative musical ideas. We emphasize technique and exposure to all genres of music, enabling musicians to build on familiar ideas to produce something unique. In addition to music and performance skills, playing in a band teaches our students cooperation, teamwork, self-confidence and goal-setting.  We like to think of our work as the intersection of music, community and technology.

Founder and instructor Lane Murchison is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer with deep roots in the San Francisco music scene.

Check out our Alumni page for an archive of our amazing student bands over the years and profiles of our alumni.

You rock! And we want to help you do it, whether you’re an elementary-age kid who wants to learn an instrument, a teen who wants to form a band, an adult who wants to pick up that guitar or drumkit you abandoned, or pro who wants to record an album. We also offer music and movement classes for babies and preschoolers.

Our Community Band and Second Line Saturdays take music to the streets and into nursing homes, schools, and other locations. Bird partners with local schools to promote music and the arts.

Our students and campers record and edit songs and videos, learning about computer-based music recording equipment  and software.

Bird School of Music operates in a fully functioning professional recording studio, whether you are looking to record a video greeting around the holidays or that podcast or album you have been wanting to put together.