Though I loved the old Guitar Shop on Connecticut, this new location is just as convenient for me…read more I have owned a bass for five years.... FINALLY started taking lessons a few months ago with John, and I'm loving it! It's so much fun, and John is an excellent teacher. He teaches to my learning style, he's patient and thorough, and consistent with his reminders of how I should be playing (finger placement, posture, and all). Though his style may seem scattered at first, he really does a great job of building off of what we learned from the previous week while keeping it interesting. If you're like me and thinking that you'll eventually get around to taking lessons, DO IT NOW! (Before they realize that they're not charging enough!)

From the owner: Lessons offered on guitar (blues/jazz/rock/classical), bass (electric or string bass,) banjo and…read moremandolin to all levels of students from beginner to advanced, using a patient approach designed for relaxed, comprehensive, fun lessons tailored to each student. Formally at The Guitar Shop in DC for 6+ years, teaching theory, improvisation and repertoire building, supplying aspiring musicians with the necessary tools and materials to be successful. We specialize in showing students how to learn from and play their favorite recordings.

Alright. This has been a journey. My most recent teacher, Francisco, is great. He is an incredible…read moremusician and a patient teacher - he helped me figure out a version of learning that would work for my busy schedule and I have made a ton of modifications to my form that have helped make me a better player. My previous frustrated review had to do with seeing multiple less-talented teachers in a row. I had given up on the place, despite the convenient location, and it took me awhile to come back. I'm glad I gave it one more shot. Ask to work with a few teachers before you choose one. I got one who was a good player and an awful teacher and one who was a mediocre player and an okay teacher. Took another try to find someone who could do both. Landing on 4 stars because this journey was frustrating, but I'm happy I found someone good!

I have vocal lessons with Allen weekly. Very professional and helpful. Though I was nervous at…read morefirst, the environment created made it easy to relax and grow musically.

Marianne is a wonderful piano teacher! She meets you where you are at in terms of music theory and…read morepiano skills and helps you create manageable goals for practicing and improving.

I found Marianne through Yelp and am so pleased to now have my (slightly) neglected piano now in…read moreher care. With regular tunings by Marianne, my lucky piano will no longer suffer from neglect. Marianne worked assiduously for two hours on my piano, and tuned it twice, in fact. (It had been so long since the last tuning that, alas, that was necessary.) I trust Marianne to know what's best for a piano so readily agreed to another visit in three (instead of the customary six or 12) months because she knows these instruments well. In addition to being punctual, diligent, and very reasonable, she is a friendly soul with whom you can discuss music, dogs, and probably a lot more.

Katie was so helpful and accommodating!…read more This place was so perfect for my client to have a jam session with a group of his fans! The rooms are equipped with everything a musician needs to jam. Extremely friendly staff, pricing is very reasonable and this place really exudes great vibes.

omg it was so cool. my friends and me played there. we played some charley streett. (highly…read morerecommend listening to him). and some fountains d.c, and some arctic monkeys

Piotr is an exceptional musician and instructor. I received an undergraduate in music with a focus…read moreon guitar and have since studied many years with many world-renowned guitarists. I can confidently recommend Piotr and Georgetown Guitar Academy for personal or professional instruction. Proud to call Piotr my friend and teacher!

My almost 12-year-old son has been taking lessons with Piotr for more than three years, and I…read morecredit my son's love of (and talent with) guitar mostly TO Piotr. He is fun, patient, inventive, supportive and more gifted, as both a teacher and a musician, than I will ever be able to appreciate. To my son, in turn, Piotr is incredibly cool and simply awesome. He knows that Piotr is a classical guitarist who grew up playing blistering rock and roll, and to hear the two of them rock out on whatever song suits my son's fancy at the moment -- or whatever song Piotr thinks is a good challenge -- delights this mom to no end. And then to hear my son noodling around on guitar in his spare time -- a hobby that brings him great joy -- well, let's just say that it's nice to never have to pester him to practice. I'm endlessly grateful to have such a huge talent working one-on-one with my son, and I look forward to seeing my son continue to evolve as a musician and expand his musical horizons -- no doubt eventually beyond rock. Thanks, Piotr!

There are not enough good words in the English language to describe Rachel and her approach to…read moreconceptualizing, preparing for, and creating sound, including music. Rachel does more than teach you notes to a song or how to get on pitch. She gets behind the philosophy and psychology of music, encouraging you to explore your connection to creating sound, and develops self motivation to keep you going through the messy parts to get to the good stuff. Her pet family is pretty great too! Rachel's flexible lessons are shaped to each individual and around your and her schedules. In person, online - she makes it work.

Rachel is an amazing teacher of piano and voice. I have learned quite a bit from her which will…read morecontinue to motivate me in my learning. She sought out resources and music to benefit me at my level and provide enjoyment in my lessons. I am still utilizing those tools and music pieces and appreciate her recommendations. Thanks Rachel!

Taking classes at Speak Spanish in DC has been one of the best experiences of my academic life. I…read morehad taken Spanish in high school and studied abroad for a summer in college, but it wasn't until (many years later) I took classes with Speak Spanish in DC that all the pieces of the Spanish language puzzle started coming together for me. I found that after many years, I still had a lot of vocabulary hanging around in my brain, but I had never been able to string sentences together to have an actual conversation - until recently. I have absolutely loved learning Spanish from native speakers whose lessons emphasize practical Spanish usage and are also layered in a unique and rich cultural context. Unlike in traditional classrooms where, for example, you would have to conjugate regular verbs over and over for weeks at a time, Belen and Maria utilize interactive games and activities that focus on high-frequency irregular verbs and/or phrases that you can apply in everyday conversations. They have an excellent grasp of the technical aspects of Spanish which they expertly weave into their lessons in a way that still allows students to do the majority of the speaking. The material is challenging but appropriate. Belen and Maria are patient, funny, warm, and professional. I have looked forward to every single private lesson and group class at Speak Spanish in DC. Many Latinos like me know the shame of not being fluent in Spanish, but in just a few months, I have gained the confidence to initiate conversations with Spanish speakers in my family and in my community. I am sincerely grateful for my experience at Speak Spanish in DC. I highly recommend this company to people who want to finally make their dream of learning Spanish a reality.

So I'll start with describing where I was at with my Spanish. My Spanish is basic but comfortable…read more I spent three months studying Spanish daily in Guatemala about a year ago and got to a point where I could carry a simple and polite conversation if I stuck to present and future tense, maybe some past. And now to the actual review of Belén and Speak Spanish: When I came back to the States, I wanted an activity that would maintain my Spanish, and I started taking classes with Belén. Just once a week, for about 1.5 h per class. I dare to say that my Spanish actually improved quite significantly, which is more than I expected considering that I'm comparing this to my 3-months long immersive learning experience in Guatemala the year prior. I'm more comfortable with past tenses, have a way better understanding of past conditional. So I'm happy!! The small group of 5-6 students makes sure you get plenty of talking time during class, which is crucial to my learning. Belén also organizes other Spanish-speaking cultural events, like happy hours and such. Great fun, and phenomenal practice. I would highly recommend her classes to anyone who wants to improve!

Emma tutored me for the GRE and exceeded all expectations. She helped me greatly improve my score,…read moreand made me feel really confident during the test. Before she tutored me, I tried using Kaplan services. They were ok, but they did not have a personalized tutoring approach like Emma did. Emma's study tips, organization, and understanding of concepts is what separated her from the Kaplan tutors. Through my time with Kaplan, my verbal score only improved by 5 points, but with Emma, my score further improved by an additional 6 points! I was already confident in my quant skills, but even there Emma helped me increase my score by the few crucial points that separate top tier schools. Because of Emma's help, I feel confident about getting into my reach schools AND I have a whole new arsenal of study tips/habits to use not only for testing but for the rest of my academic career! My only regret is not choosing Emma first! Thank you!!!

Emma is an excellent tutor. The only reason I am not giving her 5 stars is because my GRE scores…read moredid not improve after our work together; however, I believe this is mostly because the GRE is a difficult test and I struggle with standardized testing. While I was searching for a tutor many people I spoke with said my target score was unrealistic, which was discouraging. Emma was always extremely positive and encouraging. In particular, I struggled with the quant section of the GRE and Emma helped me immensely. I am confident that I gained a great amount of knowledge from working with Emma, even though it was not reflected in my final score. Emma is extremely organized and and did an excellent job catering our sessions to my specific needs. If I did not understand a concept, Emma would explain it in a different way until I was able to grasp it. She is very patient and kind. I also loved that Emma was realistic about studying vs personal life. I work a full-time job and was not able to study for 30+ hours a week as other test takers may have, and she was very understanding about this. Emma will meet you where are you at and will not pressure you as some other tutors do. She knows there is already enough pressure when applying to grad schools! Although I am disappointed with my score, I still feel confident that Emma is an quality tutor.