The business model is not good. While their teachers are fun and great, the business is run like a…read morescam. They stole 300 dollars from my card that was on file after all of our lessons had been completed and they refused to give it back. They are a scam of a business do not trust them ever. There are plenty of freelance piano teachers in the area, hell even contact their teachers directly but the Altadena Academy of Music is willing to steal from their customer base. BEWARE.

3 years ago I decided to look into a music class for my 5 yr old daughter. She loves to sing. In my…read moresearch, I uncovered a gem of a place, Altadena Academy of Music. My daughter was paired with a great teacher, Peter. Since day one he has helped Mia flourish and unleash her potential. He is a great teacher. During the same 30 mins she's singing, I'm practicing piano with Tyson. He's has been a great help in uncovering my passion for the ivories.

Richard, July 24, 2026: Fantastic Musical Instruments in Pasadena, CA is a real "bass shop". Tom…read moreKerr was very gracious to me when I was trying out basses a few years ago, even after I returned a fine bass I had on trial. I ended up buying a Pollmann Bass from another store. However, when I needed a set-up, , cleaning, and sound adjustment, I took my Pollmann to Tom. My bass now sounds better than ever, and he had a solid string recommendation. Also, just this week I bought a Kay Bass, circ, 1940 from Tom, for my bluegrass, gigs. It was reasonably priced and he did some work I requested for a minimal charge, adjustments to the bridge curvature, and a replacement tailpiece cable (I wanted a new Teflon version). I kept the original metal piece since it was part of the original bass. Thanks, Tom, for your expertise and gracious manner with me as a customer who needed some guidance.

What an absolute gem of an instrument shop that I feel so fortunate to have come across. I went in…read morebecause I'm potentially on the market for an upright bass, and I cannot express how glad I am I stopped by here. Not only do they have an incredible selection of beautiful instruments, but owners there are such phenomenal, down-to-earth, compassionate people. Nicky was in the store helping me out, and they spent so much time allowing me to try all the different instruments and talking me through them and answering my questions. The shop also has a rental option as well where 50% of the rent goes towards an instrument of your choice (doesn't have to be the rental). If you're looking for a high quality instrument with amazing service, this is the place to go. Could not recommend them more highly!

Even during my first lesson with Sarabeth, she was able to teach me how to have beautiful sounds…read morecoming from me. Sarabeth is patient, creatvie, amazing, gentle and very knowledgeable. I am not a promising virtuoso. I am a homemaker who wanted to improve my singing voice. I have learned so much in the 6 months working with her. Sarabeth was quick to identify areas of strength and areas that needed focus. Her creativity and knowledge came into play with individualized challenges and exercises to help me grow. It has been a true joy to work with Sarabeth. I looked forward to every lesson. I found it to be fun, therapeutic and relaxing.

Excellent teacher! Everything flowed naturally. She helped me with breathing. I haven't sang in so…read morelong but she helped me find my voice

Came here to buy a black folder for choral music after being referred by the Pasadena Conservatory…read more I called in advance to ask if they had any in stock and staff were prompt and professional in picking up to answer my request. Good variety of inventory from what I could see. Found out later my mom buys all her violin + piano sheet music here. It's tucked inside a strip mall off an out-of -the-way portion of Foothill. Would have loved to have seen this store in Old Town, but the current location is very convenient for quick in-and-out errands - and a short distance from the Conservatory. If I need to use something for music practice, I hate to buy online without knowing if it will work for me or not. Brick and mortar music stores like this are essential, and I'm glad Bertrands is so close by!

Very friendly and quick service. As soon as I stepped in to fix my daughter rented instrument, I…read moregot warm welcoming atmosphere and got the job done quickly Thank you all especially Gerard and Iris

Can't say enough nice things about Dr Santoso! She's been…read moreteaching my 2 kids for the last 2 years and it's amazing how much she has developed them in such a short time. She's patient, professional, prepared and always comforting to my kids. I highly recommend her lessons to anyone.

I took weekly lessons from Hillary for a year remotely. She's great! She was always well organized…read moreand quick to respond to any questions I had outside of lessons. I was always impressed by how she managed to hear any mistakes I made playing a piece over Zoom. She did a great job of balancing adding new material to keep things interesting with focusing on specific pieces as needed. I suspect that starting piano as an adult has unique challenges; Hillary got me off to a great start and helped me to really embrace the instrument.

We've had such a wonderful experience at this music school! Both of my boys really enjoyed their…read morelessons, and we were very happy with their teachers, Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Jessica. Ms. Elizabeth is very patient, attentive, and encouraging. She always made my son feel comfortable and helped him stay engaged and confident during his lessons. Ms. Jessica is warm, kind, and encouraging, and she made learning music fun and enjoyable for my other son. He always looked forward to his lessons with her. We're taking a break for now because of our boys' busy school and extracurricular schedules, but we're truly grateful for the wonderful experience they had here. We would definitely recommend this school and both teachers to other families!

We love PMA! My older son who is 11 has had Sam as his drum teacher for the last few years and…read morereally loves him. Sam strikes a nice balance between being approachable and easygoing, but also knowing how to challenge and motivate my son. My younger 9 year old son just switched to Gabriel for piano because his previous teacher cut back her hours. As a pianist myself, I really appreciate how Gabriel breaks down how to practice a song to make it easier to learn. He also takes into account my son's interest when choosing a song. We strongly recommend PMA!

My son has taken a few classes here. He really enjoys them. The instructors are always very…read moreprofessional and inviting.

A truly dedicated venue (as opposed to casual mom n me classes) for learning and appreciating…read moremusic. The overall experience was a step up from other local programs. For children closer to the 3 and a half year old range, in our experience one teacher was a miss (summer 2026)... While enthusiastic (but almost aggressively so), she had a very low threshold/low frustration tolerance if a child got off track in the slightest way. She would promptly single them out and suggest they sit in the "viewing area" (aka time out), effectively shaming the child and their parent by highlighting their inattentiveness etc. She may be a school teacher suitable for older kids, but also had an outdated style of excessively "managing" behavior which is not her domain, so long as the child is not majorly disrupting or in some way hurting others. I would also say she (not surprisingly) would play music too loudly and then claim some children are just more sensitive to noise without openness to her own contribution to the music volume. In sum, way too brusque to be teaching 3.5 year olds! Our care provider (who was herself a former preschool director) made the very same observations about this teacher that I had as a parent. Thank goodness this teacher left for vacation and her substitute was day/night more suitable for younger kids. So the experience can be rather teacher dependent...

I can't recommend EMC highly enough. It's more than a music school, as it feels like a community…read more Dedicated teachers who connect with their students. As a senior who has returned to piano, I appreciate the individual attention and ability to adjust teaching to the student that makes learning fun.

So happy to have a local music conservatory! They are wonderful to work with, great customer…read moreservice and wonderful instructors