Reviewing as a total music novice family. We needed to rent a violin for my 5th grader for…read moreorchestra. We could not have been more helpful, patient and kind helping us set up a rental. Similarly, when we made the return at the end of the school year, the process was seamless! Highly recommend!

I have tried coming to the store twice now looking for help with clarinets. First time was about…read morerenting one and the second was inspecting one we had donated. Both times we had very bad experiences. The first experience made me feel dumb like as if I should know more the process of renting an instrument. The second experience, the gentleman helping me and explaining to me about fixing the instrument, answered the phone mid explaining, seemed to put the person on hold and then literally mid sentence stopped talking and answered the phine again and walked away. Even my child said he was rude. The second person who took over again made me feel dumb as if I should know everything about this instrument. I will not be going back to this store again

Haven't written a 5-star review in quite a while, but Quicksilver absolutely deserves it…read more My high school alma mater from back in the day was having an alumni concert in dedication and homage to the band director there who plans to retire at the close of the school year in a few weeks. Given that I played under him back in high school and enjoyed my time in band, I knew I had to be there. So I took out my trusty ol' tenor saxophone that hadn't been played in ages. It didn't take too long for muscle memory to kick in and for me to remember how to read music and play the instrument itself. BUT I still had a problem. Whenever I'd blow into it, I'd hardly get any sound unless I blowed very hard. I figured that, after all these years, the pads inside were worn out. Back in high school, for any work needed on my sax, I'd go to World of Music in Cupertino and West Valley Music in Los Altos. WoM ended up closing, but WVM was still nearby. However, I found Quicksilver from a simple Yelp search and read almost all great reviews, so off I went. Facts: * They're located in a small building on Imperial Ave in Cupertino. The only available parking is street parking, but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a place to park. * It's a bit dirty and cluttered inside, but don't let that dissuade you. The guy who runs the business knows what's he's doing. * They , from what I could tell, don't accept appointments. I believe they're pretty much walk-in only. * The owner, Robert, is really nice and will look at your instrument on the spot. In my case, he looked at my saxophone and determined right then and there what was needed, how much it would cost, and how long it would take to be ready to be picked up. He did warn me that he, admittedly, isn't the best at calling customers when their instruments are fixed so to call him instead. I left my sax there for roughly one week. After the week had passed, I called and Robert said it was ready to go. All in all, I paid $196.15 for replacing worn out pads and a few other things that needed, but it was well worth it. The sax sounded so much better, and I was able to partake in the concert. Overall, if you need your woodwind or brass instrument to be repaired, this is the place. Robert is a G. SUPPORT LOCAL AND/OR SMALL BUSINESSES. 5 stars all the way

Finding a good musical instrument repair shop is an art…read more Quicksilver Music came recommended and I was delighted at the outcome. Bob Zacher is an experienced technician. He quickly diagnosed the reason my clarinet wasn't sounding. Not only did he repair the problem- the same day! - but he replaced or reseated some of the pads and gave the instrument a thorough "tune-up"; such that the clarinet plays and feels like a new instrument. In fact I don't believe it's ever played like this up to this point. This all at what I would consider a very reasonable price. In fact it was slightly under the estimate given when I dropped it off. Bravo Bob!

I went to Starving Musician (Santa Clara) in search of an electric drum amplifier and an Epiphone…read moreSheraton. I was in luck this day as I found both a brand new e-drum amplifier and a used Sheraton at fair prices. Looking the guitar over I noticed the nut for the instrument jack was loose and asked that it be tightened prior to purchasing. On a semi-hollow & hollow body guitars this can be a tedious task, hence why I asked for assistance. The guitar tech, Dimitri, stopped what he was doing and went above and beyond my expectations to remedy the problem. It was not a quick fix and he kept me updated throughout the process. Starving Musician is my first stop when looking for music gear. They have been around as long as I can remember and offer the best trade-in value for your used gear. Always a great experience.

Honestly, pretty disappointing experience at Starving Musician. I rented a drum kit here, and the…read moreguy who initially helped me was super awesome! Super friendly, professional, and actually gave a damn about customer service. I can't remember his name, but he usually works around the drum repair section and has facial hair. Not sure if he's a manager, but dude definitely deserves to be one. Now, returning the kit? Whole different story. I walked in and asked this older white dude with long curly hair, who was just standing behind the counter (he might be the manager) chatting with another employee, if they had a cart I could borrow to unload the drums. His response? He didn't see one. Seriously, bro? You work here and don't know if you have a cart? Smh Like, y'all rent out entire drum kits. You KNOW customers have a ton of heavy equipment to haul in and out. The guy who originally rented it to me understood that and was kind enough to help. Meanwhile, these dudes couldn't even be bothered to hold the damn door. Some random guy outside had to help me instead. Imagine getting better customer service from someone who doesn't even work there lol And here's the kicker: eventually, someone behind the counter brought out a cart. So apparently, they DID have one after all. Go figure. Look, I'm not asking for VIP treatment. Just some basic common sense and decent customer service. It's really not that complicated. My advice? If you're renting anything here, find the guy with facial hair in the drum section. That dude deserves recognition. Now that I think about it I should have given him a tip I feel bad abiut it. As for the older white curly-haired guy behind the counter? I'd avoid dealing with him. Dude acted like helping a paying customer was some kind of personal inconvenience. Great first impression, absolutely trash return experience

What a find..... A unique, cozy guitar shop located in the quaint town of Saratoga…read more A bevy of beautiful (generally high end) instruments. I found the perfect Taylor acoustic for my daughter's Christmas/wedding/college graduation gift. Tyler is most helpful and a genuinely nice person. What he offers is basically a guarantee that will allow you to upgrade from your original purchase to something else and he will credit your original price towards your upgrade. Of course, your original purchase must be in the condition you bought it. A novel and intriguing offer. This shop gets 5 stars from me! And while you're in Saratoga, following your visit to Diamond Music, stop by a local coffee shop or diner to complete the afternoon.

I fell in love with a tobacco sunburst guitar mounted on the wall so I'm going back too play it…read moretomorrow when the store opens!

My kiddo has been going to Mrs. Julie's weekly group piano class for about a year and a half, and…read moreit has been such a positive experience. The class starts at a slower, steady pace, with a strong focus on fundamentals instead of rushing through songs. This approach has really helped my child feel confident and comfortable as they learn. Even though it's a group class, Mrs. Julie truly pays attention to each student. She makes sure everyone understands, helps correct technique, and never moves on until the kids are ready. I also love that every class begins with listening to different chords, which helps build musical awareness early on. The class always ends with a sweet goodbye song that includes the line "we say goodbye to our friends," and it's such a thoughtful way to wrap things up. One thing I especially appreciate is that Mrs. Julie encourages students to look beyond just the class material. She shows them how what they learn in class can help them explore and understand other pieces they like, which makes learning feel more meaningful and empowering. Mrs. Julie truly wants music to be fun for the kids, and her teaching philosophy is centered around the idea that music is a journey--not just one song, one test, or one recital. She acknowledges that there are ups and downs along the way and encourages students to be confident and learn how to figure things out on their own. Throughout the year, the school hosts winter and summer recitals, giving the kids something fun to work toward. Students get to choose songs they're excited about, and Mrs. Julie reviews them to make sure they're appropriate for each child's skill level. It keeps kids motivated without pressure. The overall vibe is warm, supportive, and encouraging, and learning piano feels fun rather than stressful. This class has been a wonderful introduction to piano and music in general. Highly recommend for families looking for a caring, well-structured group class for beginners.

Very concerning experience at Canon Music with our 4-year-old in a group piano class. About 10…read moreminutes before class, several young children arrived early and were waiting in the classroom with their parents. There was no reminder about noise, no guidance on where families should wait, and no staff present to supervise the pre-class environment. A male teacher from a neighboring classroom suddenly rushed in, visibly upset, and loudly scolded the waiting children and parents, saying they were disturbing his class. The children and parents had no prior awareness that they were causing any issue, and the situation could have been easily handled through calm communication. Instead, the teacher's reaction immediately frightened the children--one child began crying on the spot, and my daughter froze in fear. The situation then escalated further when the teacher became involved in a heated confrontation with a parent that nearly turned physical, all in front of several 4-5-year-old children. After returning home, my child showed clear stress reactions and repeatedly expressed that she no longer felt safe returning to this location. For a children's learning environment--especially for preschool-aged kids--this lack of emotional safety was deeply troubling. Parents of younger or more sensitive children may want to consider this carefully. Update: Following this incident, Canon Music reached out, apologized, and refunded the unused portion of our tuition, which I appreciate. I also want to share that Ms. Julie, our group piano teacher, was very caring and dedicated, and our child really liked her. It's unfortunate that we won't be able to continue learning with her. My original review reflects the experience that led to our decision to withdraw.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write Heaney Violins a review! I've been going to Heaney…read moresince 2010 and most of all my students rent violins or purchase violins from them. Patrick and his team are super knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. The store is lovely and they have a beautiful salon for you to try out instruments and/bows. Ben has handled a lot of my student requests - he's amazing! Thanks Heaney Violins!

One of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had. I don't typically leave poor reviews…read morefor small businesses. But the staff at Heaney's were rude, unknowledgeable, and unhelpful from start to finish. Do not go here.

We came here beginning of Summer as my kid wanted a Viola from here. Judy got the correct size and…read moreshared when would be a good time to come back before Fall to pick up a rental. Judy was so patient, funny, informative and kind I wouldn't go anywhere else for instruments again (and we live faaaaaar away). Fast forward to today: we came to the shop and Edmond helped us. He was just as kind, patient and informative as we went through the process of picking between two instruments. I highly recommend this place for instruments!!!

Came in with my partner to look for 7/8 cellos which are relatively hard to find so we were not…read moreexpecting to find anything. They had multiple options and were very helpful with testing and providing options for bows, cases, etc. very friendly staff and very fair pricing. Jason in particular really had a knack for finding the cello/bow we would like on the first try :) everyone seemed to really know their stuff and they never tried to pressure us into the more expensive options. Fully recommend anyone looking for a new instrument.

Kathy is a fantastic teacher. She prepared me for many…read moreauditions, and most importantly, the one for entering the Master of Music in Vocal Performance, where I am now finishing my master's. She will guide and teach you to have a healthy technique and a complete connection with your body and emphasize the approach to the text that is so important for a singer. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced singer, she will be great for you.

My association with Kathy is almost a decade long! She first taught my daughter when she was in…read morehigh School and then my son through his high school years. She is thorough and methodical in her approach and able to harness an individual's talent and interest and channel it into something quite extraordinary. Kathy cares about her students and her knowledge and passion for music is apparent from the first time you connect with her. She took the time to understand the goals and aspirations of both my children and always coached and provided thoughtful and actionable feedback to help them improve their vocal range, tone, control and technique. She is an inspiring teacher who genuinely cares about her students and goes the extra mile to support and encourage her students. During the four years under her training for classical vocals and musical theater, my son matured from a young child to a bass-baritone, performing regularly at school and external events. He's now a sophomore in college and is continuing to take voice lessons there and is also a part of the University choir. More recently, my daughter, now 24 years old - who took lessons from her as a high student (and is now graduated from college and an adult) - began taking voice lessons from Kathy again for the past year and it's been a pure joy to know that she is in good hands. My daughter is currently in Berlin, Germany, but Kathy has made the time to help her with her lessons at a time that is convenient and effective for both to have meaningful lessons even though they are separated by thousands of miles and nine hours apart! I am sure when my daughter decides to go back for her Masters, she will continue her vocal journey and be a vibrant participant in the music community of whichever University she joins. The greatest gift she has given to my children is the love for music and performance for which I am most grateful. I highly recommend Kathy Ludowise to anyone who is seeking a vocal coach - no matter what level of previous experience. Her talent, passion and knowledge makes Kathy a wonderful vocal instructor who truly cares about her students and their goals. You'll be in good hands with her.

I really really love this place! I've taken both dance and vocal lessons here…read more As an adult who just wanted to learn for fun, I was a little nervous at first, but all of the teachers are incredibly kind and supportive. They create such a welcoming environment where you never feel pressured. I'm currently taking k-pop dance classes and really enjoy it. The teachers make learning fun and encouraging, even if you're still a beginner. I highly recommend this place!

My daughter has always loved being on stage, but she used to be very sensitive and shy. After…read moretaking vocal lessons here, her skills improved significantly, and thanks to the warm guidance of her teachers and the variety of stage experiences they offered, she gained great confidence and began to take on even bigger stages with courage. We will always be truly grateful for this place.

What a night! And what a tour!…read more I have the pleasure of seeing him three times now with his recent performance at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA being the most memorable... will explain later. Being an August Saturday concert, I asked my friend whether he and his family had an interest in coming, especially since his daughter took ukulele lessons and learned to play. The stars aligned and I found six seats to the right of the stage as you face it. It was warm and balmy when we arrived about an hour before the scheduled start time. Being Bay Area locals, we brought or wore our jackets as we entered the venue. The show started on time as the musicians took pre-concert photos on stage before the show began. Not familiar with the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, I sat back with an open mind and was impressed. I read a little about their background so I only had a hint of what to expect. Here's a sone from earlier on this tour (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfEcz54-8E8). The most familiar song in their set that I enjoyed was this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA_5-PQcSSA) (clip is from several years back). As they played, several couples in the audience found room on their aisles to dig into their swing in dancing the night away. I was especially impressed by their musicianship as I've always had an affinity towards groups with strong horn sections. From the bass player, keyboards/pianist, and drummer, the talent shows and their skills mesh well. The lead vocalist was no slouch while playing the guitar too. After playing about a 50-minute set, there was a short intermission. So I've seen Jake twice earlier several years ago, with both performances at Davies Symphony Hall. Seeing him here was different and I mean this in a good way. Being an outdoor venue, this atmosphere felt a lot more casual and sample of him on this tour just a few nights earlier (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtzsvNhL-Y8). Sadly, the venue was only about 70% full, not sure whether due to Covid concerns or timing. Jake did a good mix of songs with several devoted to his favorite musicians from the past; amazing that he remembers their music given his age. I was impressed by how he thanked many friends and family members who were in the audience; as a tribute to them and to honor his values, he reminded everyone the importance of pursuing your dreams and the importance of education. You would think that this would summarize the performance but the best part was yet to come. At the conclusion of his set, he announced to the audience that he would be at the souvenir stand to greet audience members who were interested. Since it was already 10:30 pm and we had a minor in our group, we were not going to stay, fearing the length of the line. As we reached the parking lot, we noticed the long line of vehicles that were not moving so we returned to the venue and saw that there were only six or seven people ahead of us when we joined the line. The best part is learning how genuine a person he is and that his true self is on display when he's in concert. Take a bow, Jake, and good luck on the rest of your tour. Your worldwide audience are in for a treat!