Don't let the name fool you, Tom also gives lessons on ukulele and banjo too. His lessons are fun,…read morehe believes that a student should enjoy their lessons not look at it as a drugery - something they "have" to do. Whatever style you are looking for Tom can accomodate you. I've been taking ukulele lessons for several months and enjoy every minute (ok the Em chord is awful). I wanted to learn Beatles songs and that is what we work on, with a little Janis Joplin and Louis Armstrong thrown in for good measure. I don't believe you can go wrong taking lessons with Tom. Check him out. His motto is "learn the music you like" from a beginner with no music background to an advanced player he can help everyone.

I hired Atheer to teach my kids how to play the piano and he is a great teacher. He was very…read morepassionate about his profession and did a remarkable job. I also ended up hiring Atheer to play at the cigar lounge that I managed and the feedback from the customers was exceptional. He did a wonderful job throughout the entire evening . I would definitely hire him again for another event and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a great teacher and piano player.

Atheer has been teaching my 7 year old for nearly a year. He's been great in disciplining her with…read moreboth form and notes. I especially love that he's also taught her an Assyrian song by the great Ashur Bet Sargis. It's always a joy listening her play the piano but it's extra special to be able to listen to her play a song from our own culture. Thank you Atheer!

Excellent teacher. Very personable. I learned a great deal. Michael is very knowledgable and…read morepatient. Especially for a new beginner. Highly recommend. Plus he travels to you!!!

Mike is a great teacher! I have anxieties when it comes to playing and he has a calming nature that…read moreseems to combat those anxieties. Looking forward to the next jam!

I highly recommend Mr. Atheer for piano lessons! He travels to our home to give lessons to my…read moredaughter. Her ability to play and read notes has substantially increased since she has began taking lessons with Mr. Atheer. His passion and respect for music is apparent, and you can just see that he loves what he does. He is patient, polite, and I like how he teaches music theory while teaching to play, as well. Additionally, he asks repeatedly if you understand the music and what he is saying, and if you would like him to repeat, or replay a piece of music. He also asks parents to record him playing the homework piece for the following week so that kids have something to refer back to. Furthermore, he reminds the kids that they can have their parents contact him if there are any questions. I like that he does not "time" his sessions.. so he isn't in and out in exactly 30 minutes. He provides the lesson until he is satisfied with what was accomplished for that lesson. With our crazy lives, we've had to change lesson days/times quite a bit, and Mr. Atheer has always been accommodating. He is always attentive to any questions that we have, always responds to texts/emails. Also, he is technology savvy, we just quikpay him so no need to write checks!

What a great music store! Jim was the best, but the new owners are really fixing up the building…read moreproperly. If you have not been there in over a year, you won't believe your eyes. They have amazing piano drum and guitar instructors and Nick is an amazing guitar technician.

This is such a unique music store, and I love the vintage Chinese dragon drums and gongs. What's…read morebest is their outstanding service: I had a garage-tossed beginner drum set of decent quality with numerous missing smaller parts. At Offbeat, Jim searched his place for matching used parts, reset the entangled foot pedals, and got the whole set back in working order for minimal cost.

Rick is an incredible guitar teacher, and I've had several. What makes him so good? Let me tell…read moreya... First off, his flexible teaching method. Some teachers are sticklers about theory, some are the "just play" kind. But Rick is a total chameleon, where he can adjust to how you like to learn and what your goals are. I change my mind sometimes, where sometimes I just start asking about theory, and he goes right there with me. Sometimes I just want to jam as fast as possible, and he's gone me doing songs by Guns n' Roses, John Mayer, and The Beatles very quickly (to be fair, I had a few years of guitar experience before about a 5 year lay off, so it's not like I was starting from zero, but man he's good at getting you back up to speed quickly!!). I've always said the mark of great teacher is that they can go with the flow to teach how YOU want to be taught and what works for your brain. He can do that, absolutely. Secondly, he's very smart tactically, showing you how to break down previously-complicated songs into smaller bite sized, manageable pieces. Doing that has made some songs I previously thought were impossible suddenly possible. I've made great progress on a dream song of mine, Extreme's More Than Words, after years of trying on my own and quitting out of frustration. Lastly, he's just a cool dude to hang out with. I never feel like I'm being taught by a nun. More like an old buddy who happened to score more dates 'cause he spent his youth learning guitar instead of playing video games, and now he's teaching you. This is also a neat trick because I'm a 42 year old dad of three and decidedly uncool. With Rick, I change out of my pleated khakis and crocs-with-socks... at least mentally... ;) I've got a ways til I'm Tom Morello, but I'm having a blast getting there.

My 5 year old grandson takes lessons from Ricky. He is awesome! My grandson is very happy to see…read moreRicky. He knows when he shows up he will have a good time. He's extremely patient with a 5 year old. I'm excited to see where this takes him. Music should be fun and fun to learn and Ricky makes it happen!

My son had a couple of piano teachers before we found Ms. Margaret Bajon; however, none of them…read morewere up to her level. Every week for 5 years, I drove my son 20 miles so he could attend piano lessons. During this time, he learned how to read music, play classical music and learned about music history and culture. Ms. Bajon is a professional pianist who takes her job very seriously. She encourages my son to always do better and teaches him the beauty of classical music. I've sat in on numerous of my son's lessons, and Ms. Bajon is patient and a wonderful teacher. Just by talking to her, you can tell how much she loves classical music and how she wants to transfer her knowledge to her students. I'm not sure why someone would write that she is a bully because that is definitely not the case. It makes me sad someone would write that because my son and I know that's a lie. Twice a year, Ms. Bajon organizes recitals for all of her students. This is a great experience for the kids because they can show off their progress and talent. Even little kids, as small as 4 years old, get to perform alongside Ms. Bajon. She tries her best at making the kids feel at ease. My son always looks forward to performing for everyone. If you want your child to love music and how to play it, I highly recommend taking your child to Bajon Studios.

Ms Margaret Bajon is skilled at Piano, but does is inflexible. You cannot move a scheduled class or…read morecannot skip a class even if your child is sick. You still have to pay the sum (which is not change for Piano classes in general). It is sad that she takes such an attitude with this as she is teaching an art and there should be some consideration and flexibility. She is rude at times and acts up as a bully.

It's hard to quantify how many times I've driven past this place. The parking lot is annoying, but…read moreit's in a weird location, so there isn't much they can do. After a disappointing experience at the Guitar Center, I figured I'd support a local business instead. No amount of tuning was saving my guitar from sounding weird, so I figured it needed at least a restringing. It also needed, as it turned out, some work on the neck. At no point did it feel like they were upselling me or taking advantage of my comparative inexperience. They estimated $50-60 for restringing and neck repairs, but after only a few days, they called me to tell me it was ready, and it was about $40 for everything. I respect their honest work and would be glad to return here again.

I've been going to The Music Gallery since they were at their original location about where Buffo's…read moreis now along the main drag there in Highwood, way back in '76. I now reside all the way over in Palatine. In all my transactions I've always gone away from the place feeling pleasantly satisfied that I got value from either their service or merchandise. Yesterday I picked up a used acoustic guitar I'd purchased elsewhere and had the crew there sort out the neck requiring a new nut and bridge. Rings like a bell and all for a very reasonable price!