ClassMonkeys

What is it about October that brings out the festive spirit? Perhaps it’s the beginning of autumn—the warm weather fading away means we all want one last hurrah in the outdoors before shutting ourselves up for the winter. That’s the only reason I can think of for why there are so many awesome festivals coming up in the next few weeks!

On the weekend of October 13th and 14th, it’s San Francisco’s first Craft Spirits Carnival! Held at Fort Mason, the soon-to-be-annual event features dozens of spirits for the tasting: vodka, bourbon, tequila, absinthe and more! (Not an event for the whole family, obviously.) On top of that, you’ll get to witness some live circus performers in a vaudeville-style carnival.

If you’re inspired by the any of the spirits you sample, think about taking a bartending class! Or if the sideshow’s more your style, we suggest a circus performance course-- how fun would that be?

This same weekend—Oct 13-14—is the annual Treasure Island Music Festival, held on that foggy isle that bisects the Bay Bridge. This is one of the best outdoor music festivals in the Bay Area, attracting big names every year. This year, Best Coast, Joanna Newsom, Public Enemy, and Girl Talk are among the top acts to see.

Feeling inspired by these awesome artists? Get in touch with your inner indie rock star by taking guitar, drum, or bass lessons!

If you’re looking for something to do in the city on Sunday, October 21st, check out the Excelsior Art and Music Festival, with fun, family-friendly performances that include zydeco, Korean martial arts, singing and more.

No shortage of fun events in these coming weekends. Make sure you take advantage of the lovely early-fall weather while it lasts!

For our second Class Story, ClassMonkeys Co-Founder and CEO Kiernan tells how, despite his initial doubts, yoga class has come with all kinds of benefits, including some he didn't expect.

For years, I’d been swearing I would start practicing yoga to help alleviate the aches and pains that came from heavy bouts of the various outdoor activities I enjoy (trail running, surfing and cycling). I rarely seemed to find the time for a class, which was time away from the activities I really wanted to be doing. Also, not being a naturally flexible person, I won’t lie that there was an embarrassment watching people twice my age bend themselves into pretzel when I couldn’t even sit cross-legged comfortably. I then convinced myself I’d do it at home using DVDs. While I made honest attempts, it never really stuck.  But I got just enough exposure to the potential benefits that I knew it was something worth pursuing.

This spring, I finally committed to taking classes at least once a week at Yoga Works. And I have to say that after a few months of being pretty consistent, I’ve noticed a difference. The flexibility didn’t improve over night-- but one day at class, I realized how far I’d come when I could straighten my legs in one particular pose which had been unimaginable four months ago.

I started taking more advanced classes which combined my new flexibility and enabled me to start building strength and endurance as well.  This meant I could give up a day of strength-training in the gym (another thing I do merely to keep myself fit for the sports I enjoy), which will help make sure yoga stays a consistent part of my fitness program.

So, that could be the end of the story—the flexibility I was looking for is coming along. But there were other benefits that I didn’t expect (even though I should have because yoga folks talk about them all the time). First, there was a real improvement in balance. I found myself being more aware of using my core in particular when mountain biking or surfing.

And while I didn’t take yoga to tap its potential for increased mindfulness, that came too. While many of the sports we participate in are “in the moment,” good instructors create opportunities during even challenging sessions to reflect on the bigger picture—a spirituality about life, the universe, etc.  In our super-busy, overloaded lives, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on who we are and who we want to be—to make sure we are living with intention and not just racing along.

The real moral of the story here is that sometimes the process of learning new things brings unexpected benefits. So if you’re like me and have been putting off that class you’ve been meaning to try… well, stop looking at this screen and go do it! Who knows where it will lead you?

Have a Class Story to share? Email us at [email protected]! And check out our other Class Stories for more inspiration!

Sailing enthusiasts rejoice-- the second round of the AC World Series is back in San Francisco from Oct 2 - Oct 7, 2012. Seasoned sailing fans know this isn't the actual America's Cup determiner-- that happens in summer 2013-- but these warmup rounds are still a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Bay Area residents, take advantage of the fact that these world-class events are happening in our backyard-- the only other location you can catch 2013 America's Cup events is Italy!

For those interested in sailing who might not know an AC45 from an AC72, there are some great sailing instruction options right here in the San Francisco Bay. Spinnaker Sailing has locations in both San Francisco and Redwood City. Cal Sailing Club and OSCS Sailing offer expert sailing instruction in Berkeley; and for North Bay Areaites, Club Nautique is an award-winning sailing school with a location in beautiful Sausalito.

Check out ClassMonkeys for even more sailing options in the Bay Area. We've got you covered!

Should I take an online class? Should I take a local class? We help you decide.

We’re hearing a lot lately about the online education revolution. College students are increasingly being offered online classes—and even some high school students can attend class virtually. As a tutor to such high school students, this really struck home when my 11th-grade tutee showed up to our session with a laptop, a PowerPoint, a virtual library full of Google docs, and a cell phone with snapshots of relevant textbook pages. Whatever happened to a good old pen and paper?

Online learning isn’t limited to the academic sphere, however. Plenty of instructors now offer casual learning classes, from guitar and singing lessons to foreign language learning to cooking-- all over the computer. These can be achieved through how-to videos, online assignments, Skype sessions, or some strategic combination thereof.

While online learning can definitely be a great option, there’s also a lot to be said about good old face-to-face education. As you make your decision, consider what it is you want to learn (French? souffle making? needlepoint? salsa?) and what resources are available for learning it. Then consider whether that skill can be taught online well, or at all. And lastly, consider what kind of learner you are; do you benefit from the immediacy of face-to-face instruction or the camaraderie of having classmates, or are you a solitary learner who possesses the discipline to go it alone?

To help you as you decide, I've compiled a list of advantages to both kinds of learning. And check out ClassMonkeys for awesome local classes, as well as some great online resources.

THREE ARGUMENTS FOR ONLINE CLASSES

1)      You can save money. Often, online classes are cheaper because they simply don’t require class providers to spend as much. The web is your classroom: the student provides their own computer, the teacher doesn’t have to travel, the building doesn’t need to be rented. You can take the opportunity to benefit from the provider’s own cost-saving measures.

2)      You get to set your own schedule. This is probably online learning’s greatest claim to fame. Who isn’t enticed by the idea of having access to expert instruction while sitting at home in their pajamas, scratching their belly, and getting to press pause in the middle to go make some toast?

But seriously: we’re all busy. Committing to a regular time—even just a few hours after work each week—can add strain to an already hectic schedule. Instead of bending over backwards to schedule a convenient time with a private instructor, or flipping through pages of class catalogs to discover a single course that complements your workday, opting for online instruction skips the drama and allows you the freedom to “attend” class whenever you, you know, actually have free time.

3)      The world is at your fingertips. Okay, it’s a bit of a cliché. But it’s true nonetheless. With online learning, locality is no longer an issue. As long as you have a wi-fi connection, you can find teachers who live on the other side of the country; indeed, the globe. You are only confined by what and who are available on the web, and everything else is fair game.

All that being said, there remain some significant advantages in learning locally. Don’t forget: just because the technology is available, doesn’t mean it will make your life easier. FIVE ARGUMENTS FOR LOCAL CLASSES

1)      You don’t have to build a workshop in your spare room. The simple fact of the matter is, you don’t have everything. You want to learn to make the perfect crepe but you’re missing that special-sized saucepan your long-distance teacher is using in her video. You’re trying to get into woodworking but, lo and behold, you lack a table saw! Local classes offer you the very distinct advantage of having all that you need on location: well-equipped workshops, studios, and kitchens, sometimes with the added advantage of being able to use them during non-class hours.

2)      Online classes aren’t for everybody. Though studies suggest that for many people, online classes are almost as effective as in-person learning, it remains that not everyone will thrive in an online-only environment. “Online courses require a tremendous amount of self-discipline and no small amount of academic ability and technical competence,” writes Rob Jenkins, associate professor at Georgia Perimeter College, for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Some people simply prefer, and benefit from, the in-person experience.

3)      In-person interaction and community building are part of the reason people enjoy learning. Let’s face it—you’re not always taking an Italian class just to learn Italian. There’s so much more to it: getting out of the house, meeting new people, forming the bonds that only come about when strangers are together thrown into the scary world of a brand new language. Additionally, many researchers attach importance to the concept of “social presence”—defined as “the degree to which a person is perceived as ‘real’ in mediated communication” in this study in the Journal of Interactive Online Learning. Online classes can achieve this effect, but it is much more easily achieved by in-person interactions.

4)      I’m sick of my computer. Can you count how many hours you’re already in front of your computer each week? Too many? Us too. We’re often in front of a computer all day at work; then we come home and spend our personal time in front of one as well. (Gotta check Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, news sites, personal emails, catch up with TV shows…) With that in mind, any activity that pulls us away from those accursed machines for a few hours is a welcome one.

5)      Some skills just need to be learned in person. As in-depth as an online video or Skyped discussion can get, the barrier of space and tangibility (and, occasionally, the unreliability of the technology) can really get in the way of your learning. If you drop a stitch while knitting, or if you can’t quite get your fingering position on the violin right... these aren’t things that can easily be corrected through Skype or by watching a video.

We’ll be the first to admit that certain skills are conducive to online learning, but on the flip side of that, certain skills are almost impossible to pick up through just videos and discussions. Ballroom dancing, for example. Sailing. Pottery making. Swimming. Tae kwon do.

It comes down to: Can this skill be learned online at all? And if the answer is yes, then how much of my learning do I want to do online rather than in-person?

The answer will be different for everybody, and will be largely contingent on what, exactly, you hope to learn.

This weekend, the 17th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival will be held at the historic Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, September 8th and 9th from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. There’ll be tons of fun chocolate-related events, including ice cream-eating contests, chef demonstrations, and a bake-off with prizes for best cookie and best cake. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it!

Most events are free, and tickets for chocolate sampling are only $20, with proceeds going to Project Open Hand—a local organization providing meals for the needy.

If you’re still hankering for some sweet delights after the Chocolate Festival, why not learn to make chocolate? You heard us. It’s possible. Here are a few awesome local chocolatiers that offer classes for the chocolate-curious:

Benchic Chocolate is known for its simple, amazing artisan chocolate, crafted from basic ingredients and guaranteed to be organic and pesticide-free. Benchic's San Francisco location at 5th and Mission regularly offers three-hour classes to the public, taught by its expert chocolatiers.

The Xocolate Bar in North Berkeley specializes in exotic artisan chocolates, from rich, delicious sipping chocolate to lovely edible artwork. Chocolate-making classes cover useful skills like utilizing molds, constructing bon bons, and making ganache. Yum!

Coco-luxe Confections in Sausalito boasts award-winning caramels and custom-made truffles. Learn how to make chocolate like a pro in their hands-on kitchen – and just think of the goodies you get to take home afterward!

So go out and enjoy the chocolate sights, smells, and tastes (and sounds, and touches) of the Ghirardelli Festival this weekend— and later, after some cacao-based inspiration, you'll likely find us indulging at one of these sweet spots!

It’s a California tradition: for the past eight years, the governor has proclaimed the month of September California Wine Month, meant to highlight the contributions of growers and vintners throughout the state. And this September is no different!

For us Bay Area-ites, we have one of the world’s great wine regions practically in our backyard, so there’s really no excuse to not celebrate. (Not that we ever need an excuse to go wine tasting!) But Napa and Sonoma aren’t known just for their wines—lest we forget, they are also culinary capitals of the world. So why not take a day trip, or take a weekend jaunt, and take a scrumptious cooking class? Here are some of our favorite Wine Country cooking courses, ideal if you’re spending just a day or two in the area:

1) Cedar Gables Inn, Napa

This stately 1892 mansion doubles as a bed & breakfast and holds small, intimate cooking workshops on weekends, taught by innkeeper Susie. Themed classes include Surf and Turf, Farm Fresh, and, our favorite, Valentines Seduction—a perfect couples class whose past menus have featured delights like caviar, baked Hog Island oysters, and bittersweet chocolate tart.

2) Napa Valley Cooking School, St. Helena

The Napa Valley Cooking School, a division of Napa Valley College housed in a European-style castle overlooking St. Helena, specializes in training fine-dining chefs for culinary careers. However, for those of us who just want to have fun with food, the School has a Food & Wine Enthusiast Program with beautifully varied offerings. Want to learn to make schnitzel? Whip up the perfect European torte? Brandish knives with greater finesse? All possible this September!

3) Depot Hotel Cooking School, Sonoma

The historic Depot Hotel now serves as a restaurant and cooking school, run by North Beach native and French Laundry alum Chef Michael Ghilarducci. Classes aren’t as frequent as some other cooking schools, but we highly recommend checking out Depot’s monthly 2-day workshops. For September: a classic Venetian cooking class, sure to serve up some gourmet Italian favorites.

It’s almost time to go back to school. You’re picking up school supplies, buying new school clothes.  Your kids are probably moaning and groaning. But remind them: The onset of fall isn’t just about reading and writing and arithmetic-- it’s also the ideal time to get into the swing of fun weekend and after-school classes!

Whatever your child’s interest, there are plenty of kid-friendly enrichment and activity options all around the Bay Area. Check out our four favorite options for this coming school year—and don’t forget to include your kids in the planning! Kids love to join in and feel empowered when they “make the decision” about the new class they’ll be taking.

1) Learn an instrument

Fall is the best time to get your child started in music, whether you opt for group classes or private lessons (or both!). Lessons can run year-round, and most music schools hold recitals in the winter and spring where students can showcase what they’ve been working on—so it’s a good idea to start early.

Also, one of our favorite things about music is that it has some awesome proven benefits. Studies show that music exercises certain parts of the brain that don’t get accessed by other activities, and learning music can even boost spatial intelligence and SAT scores!

We love one-stop music schools like Amabile School of Music in the Sunset district of San Francisco, which offer all kinds of instruments and styles. But we also love specialty music schools like the Jazzschool in Berkeley, for the budding jazz guitarist/pianist/saxophonist. And there’s more where that came from. Search ClassMonkeys to find guitar lessons, piano lessons, and other music classes near you.

2) Start ballet

For many tuition-based dance schools, classes start in late August or early September. If your son or daughter has the dancing bug, this is a great time to get them started in a program. Ballet remains ever-popular, but there’s also tap, jazz, hip-hop, and even traditional folk dance.

Just think of the physical and mental benefits your kid will enjoy from a good, vigorous dance class—compared to an afternoon in front of the computer. No-brainer! For kiddie fun, try a place like the Tutu School in Larkspur, which emphasizes imagination and creative movement; or if your little one is more serious about a career in dance, you might choose a school with a track to pre-professional like the San Francisco Youth Ballet Academy. Or search for more awesome dance schools in your area.

3) Splatter some paint

Express creativity through paint, paper, thread, or clay at an after-school arts class! This is a great option for kids who have artistic aspirations, or who just love doodling and coloring (and hey, who doesn’t?). Either way, prepare your refrigerator for some new decorations!

We’re big fans of arts and crafts schools like A Work of Heart in San Jose, where kids can take after-school painting or drawing classes, and Randall Museum in San Francisco, which offers fun classes in woodworking and ceramics. Search the ClassMonkeys database for other amazing artsy options in your area!

4) Become bilingual

Afternoon or weekend language school is a time-honored tradition, especially considering the fact that learning languages is easier at a younger age. Whether you want your child to get in touch with his or her heritage, or whether you simply want to give your child an edge in life with a vital skill, there are tons of options in the Bay Area for the ambitious multilinguist!

Check out the New Sprouts Chinese School in Oakland, a place where kids of all backgrounds can learn Mandarin after school or on Saturdays. Or if you’re into Spanish, you might be interested in San Mateo’s Welcome Amigos or San Francisco’s 321 Spanish Leaning Center, both great places for little ones to start the language.

For our first Class Story, our Editorial Coordinator, Elizabeth, shares her inspiring tale of going from French-ambivalent to French-lover, all thanks to Madame Thao's summer French class.

I was never interested in French. I had taken Spanish in high school, and in college branched out to harder languages like Japanese and Arabic; I enjoyed languages. But to me, French always seemed like just another boring high school requirement, not to mention really, really hard to pronounce.

Then, when I was preparing to apply to grad school, I was told by an advisor that having another European language would look fantastic on my applications. For academic purposes, it came down to French or German—and I disliked French a little bit less. So French it was!

I signed up for an intensive French summer program, extremely reasonably priced, at my local community college. Upon entering the class, the teacher immediately greeted me with a “Bonjour!” I couldn’t think of how to respond, so I said: “Hi.” Yes, I was really starting with nothing.

The class was an eclectic mix of community college students, retirees, and advanced high school kids—I struck a mean age. At first I wasn’t too enthused with the idea of spending five days a week, five hours a day in this cramped classroom, with these strange people, doing rote French exercises, and trying to emulate those incredibly difficult French sounds.

But then something funny happened. After maybe two days, I fell in love with the language.

Maybe it started with the pronunciation. Maybe it started with the vocabulary. Maybe it started with my adorable French teacher, Madame Thao, who was from Grenoble and always wore chic skirts. All I know is, the self-evident turning point was when, after only two or three days of class, I opened up a Paris Match magazine and I was already able to grasp a basic understanding of the articles. The power of comprehension—it was intoxicating!

The French language’s quick accessibility was no doubt a part of its appeal—it’s always more fun to learn things when your progress is very visible—but it was more than that. I fell in love with the sounds of French, the words, the culture, the food, the films, the fashion. I not only wanted to learn to speak French—I wanted to go to France. Maybe a little bit, I wanted to be French.

I became a bona fide Francophile.

That was three years ago. I’m still not fluent, though I’ve definitely advanced. When I have time, I sign up for classes at the local Alliance Francaise, which I thoroughly enjoy. I regularly attempt to watch French films without looking at the subtitles. (Amelie is, of course, a favorite. I also recommend the two-part film My Father’s Dream and My Mother’s Castle.) I was even fortunate to spend a few days in Paris earlier this year, a stopover on another trip, where I enjoyed the sights of the City of Light and practiced my language skills on every café server.

It started out as a chore, a necessity; it became a passion for not just a language but a whole culture.

So I’ll say it: J’aime le francais. And I can’t wait till my next French class begins.