::::UPDATE 2/04/08::::::…read more -LOCATION MAY BE CHANGING. THE BUILDING IT IS LOCATED IN MAY BE PURCHASED AND DEMOLISHED. STAY TUNED. **************************************************************************** Nice inventory, outstanding staff. I was in a hurry to get a basic book. The staff was eager to help, and practically ran to get the item for me. The prices were very good, and the store had some really interesting instrument cases in stock. I intend to go back and shop for one. I was asked a few questions about my instrument and skill level. One of the staff offered to help me learn more along the way via hand-selected sheet music. If you are in the area, in a hurry, (or just browsing) for sheet music, books, instruments, or whatnot, stop in. The actual store is very hard, if not impossible to find from the street, so be sure to remember they are next to the chineese buffet.

Terrible. I am a Music teacher in a grade school and I buy violins cheap and fix them up so my…read morestudents can learn how to play them. I brought a violin that had the sound post had fallen. Rather than giving it to the luthier and having him put the sound post back, she yammered on and on about how if they did put the sound post back in, it might just fall down again. I also had pegs that were not drilled and asked her if they could drill them. Rather than agreeing to drill them, she went on and on about who knows what. She wrapped up her presentation up by saying "You people buy things on Amazon and expect us..." I have bought things there before like shoulder rests, viola bows and other things. I really expected a better reception than I got. I took the violin to Park Violins down the street. He did both of the repairs and refused to take any money for it. I know that lady has a $35,000 violin because she tells me that every time I was in that store, but that is no reason to be condescending to a customer.

This music school is absolutely a dream: from the very involved teachers to the convenient location…read more( I never had to worry about parking). My son starter taking individual violin classes since he was almost 5 years old and his progress is amazing. Alin, the owner is very reliable and approcheable, the teacher is really devoted and puts her heart and soul to make the best of the 30 min that she spends with my son. The comunication between the teachers and the parents is always on point and the overall atmosphere is fantastic. I highly recommend it to all the music lovers out there !

My son has been taking piano lessons as Northside Music Academy for more than a year and we have…read morebeen so pleased with his progress! While my son was hesitant to start, the warm atmosphere and personal attention at NMA have really helped his confidence and ability. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for lessons.

I'm really rating my instructor, not the school as much since I haven't needed to interact with the…read moreschool since starting lessons, but that's a plus too, so... Five stars!!! I contacted the school a while ago to learn more about their piano lessons for adults, and the owner responded quickly that they had opportunities and instructors available for about $30 for 30 minutes lessons. I went in for a test lesson to see where my skills were and if their recommended instructor was a match, and he was! Nate Raskin is my instructor and he is fantastic. He's young, but already has the patience and instinct to guide his student in exactly the right way. He is super talented, but doesn't have an ego about it, and he's extremely aware of strengths and weaknesses, and how to work with them right away. I seem to be the only adult student around during my lesson times right now, but I couldn't be happier with my choice to take piano here and would highly recommend the school. Their online sign up and payment process is a little clunky, but they're aware of it and are very easy to work with. Their pianos are fine and the lesson rooms are a-ok. Love it here and wouldn't go anywhere else!

We loved the Musical Offering during the 4-5 years that our son studied there. Tim, his instructor,…read morewas great in mentoring our son, who learned to play lead guitar, bass guitar, and the drums while also gaining the confidence to sing. Tim would then arrange concerts around town at block parties, bars, and other events-- at a couple of them, the band members actually got paid! The levels of expertise and support were tremendous, and they have an eye towards developing musicians in a really holistic way (in contrast with other music schools that really only seem to train students to play 3-4 songs for a one-and-done kind of performance).

We had a wonderful visit to Seman Violins. We were purchasing our son's first violin. Noah was…read moreextremely helpful and helped us find lots of options in our price range. We had previously rented a violin with Seman Violins, which was also a great experience.

Wow, this place is a hidden gem. Actually, it's not hidden at all as it's right out front with a…read morebig storefront on very visible Oakton St but passing through this area quite frequently, it is hidden from the mind when not thinking of stringed instruments. We came here to see if we could salvage my daughter's 30 year old violin for a grand-darling who plans to start up next year. We were greeted by Ben Arnett, one of the talented violin makers here. He looked it over and provided a detailed and very reasonable sounding quote to restring it, rehair the bow, and do some other optional work to further improve the quality. Overall, the instrument was in quite fine shape we were told. It was a very nice and fun visit and more than we hoped for. As many of the reviews state, we were treated very courteously and very professionally and Ben had a knowledgeable ear for our needs and any concerns (we were only looking for minimal fix-ups and he nicely provided that along with various options and considerations). So, we went with a minimal scope for now of a restring ($35) and a bow rehair for $76. Other scope of about $280 can be done to the full size violin when it fits the little one in a few years. They have a great culture here and I can believe that they value and respect every customer whether you're a total novice or a professional musician. Ben even gave us a personal tour of the shop when I mentioned what a cool place this was. I had no idea the shop was as large, and that they work on many stringed instruments (cellos, violas, and guitars) and not just violins, and that they also build violins from scratch here. Also interestingly, they have a performance room with a capacity of about 60 and have cozy and intimate concerts maybe once per month (admission fee of about $25) and it's a BYOB event. The concerts sound wonderful and we will try to attend one one day. Many of the staff are graduates of the Chicago School of Violin Making (one of only 3 such schools in the entire country!) just down the street on Oakton St and are like a family. We came in on a Saturday and it was a busy place with musicians and instruments visiting in a steady stream. Another interesting side note for our visit is that Ben actually found my name in their customer records. I did not even know or remember that we were customers but back in 1995, we apparently rented a student violin from them for my daughter. We only lived 1/2 mile from this store for 14 years from 1982 - 1995. Great business with a long history and with great staff and I highly recommend!

This is the absolute best experience. There's nothing better than trying out horns before you buy…read morethem. You can't tell how they are going to feel in the hand--or sound--when buying a specific horn online. PM Woodwind allowed me to test 8 different instruments. And, since I was from a far away state, they shipped them to me. The packaging was exquisite! I've bought over 30 horns in my life and never have I seen something so well packaged. And the staff is very friendly. Therefore, this shop gets an A+++. Thanks!

I came here after renting a clarinet from Quinlan & Fabish because I wanted to get a real…read moremouthpiece and not use the crappy stock mouthpiece that came with the rental. I got here 15 minutes before they closed on a Saturday, but never felt rushed. Bea showed me the new mouthpiece they have but also asked if I was interested in used. (That grosses me out a bit, but I was assured they're sanitzed). I looked through the mouthpiece drawer and actually saw 2 Larry Combs mouthpieces. That's what I played on the entire time I played clarinet as a kid/teen, and what I originally wanted to buy (only to find out they stopped making them years ago, so they're hard to find). I have no idea if I had an LC1 or LC3 back then, but they had both in the shop. I didn't want to try it out that day since I had literally never touched a clarinet in 23 years and didn't want my first time trying it to be where other people could hear me (lol), plus it was closing time. But I came back on Monday and was able to go down to their practice room and try out both mouthpieces, and ended up buying one for $50. Not too shabby. Both the guy (I didn't catch his name) who got me set up in the practice room and Bea (who helped me check out afterward) were super nice. Bea was a gem helping me both times. PM Woodwind also has my old ligature for sale so I may go back to buy one once I decide if I want to actually keep this hobby going long-term. They also have reeds for comparable prices to Amazon, and I'd rather support them than Bezos, so I'll happily come back here once I figure out what strength reed I need these days.

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!

A few years ago, I was a non-musician looking to start playing acoustic guitar. And now, having…read moreexperienced other music stores, I have to say this: 1) I do not in any way regret the choice in guitar that the shop led me to. They seemed to know what they were talking about at the time, and I believe now they really truly did. 2) Everyone was super friendly and, even though I was a complete novice know-nothing, I got more than the time of day. They took the time to explain things to me and treated me like they appreciated my business and wanted it again--not something I've always come in contact with since (at other music stores). Simply put, Libertyville Music listened to what I wanted and paired me with the right guitar--and for a good price, too. The more and more I visit music stores, the more and more I fondly remember Libertyville Music.

I rented a pair of speakers (+ stands), microphone, iPod adapter, and tuner (+ all needed cables)…read morehere for about $55 in December 2008. My then-fiancée and I were planning a very DIY wedding and we didn't want to hire a DJ. Looking online we were starting to think that we were going to have to spend a lot of money to rent an audio setup that would accommodate our needs. One of my wife's coworkers suggested we try Libertyville Music, so we called for an estimate and were shocked to find out how affordable they were. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I picked up the equipment the day before the event, and my family returned it the day after. Couldn't have been easier. Oh, I should mention that the map displayed in the sidebar gives the wrong location for this business. Libertyville Music is located on the southwest corner of Milwaukee Ave and Lincoln Ave.

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!