I've been at Big Star/PNWPA for almost 4 years now and I have relished every second. The other kids are so welcoming and attentive in class. We have put on many performances and all have been pretty good if I do say so myself. The teachers are supportive, fun to work with, and excellent at their craft. I've grown so much over these years and made everlasting memories with many lifelong friends. Thank you Big Star for making my life so awesome. read more

Another reviewer got it completely right when saying that Big star is grossly overpriced with bratty students. Even 5 years later, this was still our experience. My daughter went to big star for a few years and did not have a good experience. From my knowledge, the owners children were constantly rude and entitled, and interacting with them I could tell that this was the case. I've seen my daughter cry over some of the things said in the studio by these students. You can tell walking into the studio that there is a very entitled and rude energy. There are good teachers that have good intentions, but the owner is absolutely rude and entitled just like her kids. Do not send your children here. All you'll be doing is spending thousands to put your kids into unneeded drama and a negative environment. For the amount that they preach being kind to one another, those students are incredibly rude. read more

My personal experience with Big Star has been amazing. My son takes drum lessons there and we experience a high level of personal attention and professional instruction. I have spent many hours in musical instruction and I recognize fantastic teachers and a great ambiance - can't wait to experience the new space! read more

Big Star Studios was a surprise find for us. My son was celebrating his 5th birthday, and we were looking for an alternative to the typical bouncy houses. The kids were initially asking, "where's the playground", and I got a little worried - but, within 5 minutes, the wonderful instructors had a group of 10 five-year-olds (plus a 3 year old) totally engaged and squealing with excitement. It was well-directed and the staff was incredibly helpful in orchestrating the kids and helping the parents as well. I had parents write to me afterward saying how much their children (shy children in some instances) loved it. Very fun, and definitely recommended! read more

We have sent our daughter to a couple of camps over the past couple of summers and they've been great. This year she is taking an intro to Musical Theater and is loving it too. This last weekend we held her 6th birthday party at Big Star and it was amazing all the kids laughed and played and the instructors Chris and Ellie were so great with the kids! read more

We have a teenage son who loves to play the guitar, and heard of Big Star Studio. We decided to pay the fees and enroll our son into the program after a tryout (to determine his skill level) with Davey French (instructor). After 4 practices, I emailed the office to ask Davey French how my son was doing and to see what kind of role he was playing in this "band". Please keep in mind that I was just inquiring for information and not complaining. With my busy work schedule, I do not take my son to these classes and have never seen him in practice. My wife does all of that. The time that my wife stayed to watch the "band" played, she noticed that all the songs they were working on (so far) had put our son in the background while the other members were taking turns to have their "lead solos" and "lead vocals". Our son was just strumming on his guitar playing chords. Within an hour, I received a call from one of the owners, Corey Mosley, who twisted all of this around as if I had the problem, lecturing me about how bands work and the role each person plays. She then told me that if I wanted my kid to be a "star" that I was in the wrong place. Curious why the company's name is "Big Star Studio"??? Go figure, but anyway that was the furthest thing from my mind, and only wanted my son to have a fair shot in playing in this "band". It was very hard to put a word in but I tried to explain to her that this was not a real professional "band" with multi million dollar contracts. This is just a class where kids are placed together and learn how to play music as a "band". So If I was paying for it, I expected my son to have a fair shot at learning something. I ended the phone call because nothing was getting through her head of what I was saying. Funny, I felt like I was back in high school trying to have a conversation with a teenage teeny bopper. The next day, David French (instructor) called and gave me the same kind of lecture about being in the "band" (BTW, been there done that). Again, I stress that this is not a band but a class to learn how to play as a group. Unlike Mrs. Mosley, he actually saw my point and listened. I stressed to him that, initially, all I wanted was some info on my son and did not know anything about what is going on in classs to raise any concern. Based on what Mr. French was telling me, my son did play a very small role in this "band" but assured me that there are other practices and he will let him play more. It turns out that my wife was right. So now everything is blown out of proportion just because I wanted some info on my son. With this childish unprofessional attitude towards me, how can I now trust these people with my children being there? I requested for a full refund because of my disappointment and this "band" program turned out to be a big joke. I received an email from the office manager, Kristin Pastoriza, letting me know that their policy is a no refund policy after the 3rd pratice, but was willing to give a partial refund to give our family a "positive experience with the studio". So now it became a "money" issue. Immediately, I replied back and told them they can keep the money. I have received too many "positive experience" already and don't need any more of it, lesson learned!!! At any rate, this has been a very interesting experience and I would strongly recommend against sending your precious ones to this Big Star Studio. By the way, you will not get the full "band experience" in this place. For one, you have to wear head phones when in practice. I guess the neighboring businesses are not too happy with the noise. So if you are a true rocker, this is not the place for you. Thanks for hearing me out and rock on!!! read more

We've been at Big Star since the beginning! Its been a rewarding and enriching experience for our daughter. Her self confidence is through the roof! The teachers at Big Star do an excellent job at identifying your childs natural performance strengths and fine tuning areas in which to grow. The teachers care for each child as an individual but are not afraid to push your child to see their full potential. You are not just a number at this studio, its like a family. It's also nice they have end of session performances to see how the kids are progressing instead of just an annual recital. We love the performance team which provides the opportunity to represent the studio, be part of a team and do fun events in the Valley. Recently when our daughter had to do a presentation at school, she got an A and the teacher commented that her speech and delivery was incredible for someone her age. Without a doubt this is due to Big Star! Not only is this studio teaching performance skills but practical life skills as well. From drama/theatre, private voice, drums, piano, guitar, the rock star program, this studio has it all! And we're grateful it's in our neighborhood!!! read more

I would give them zero stars if I could. The kids Dad enrolled here for a bit. It is grossly overpriced! It's more like a social hour than instruction. Some teachers are good but owner is rude. The owners kids are bratty, surly and entitled. Their behavior is appalling. You would think the owner would have a conversation with her children about how they might want to treat clientele in order to keep families. The consistent threats of "I can have my Mom kick you out of this studio at anytime" left a feeling of an unwelcoming environment. I felt there was a great deal of favoritism to the owners kids. She tries to alter reality with lots of smoke and mirrors. What you see isn't always what you get. This is a very convenient location with what appears to be a good attempt at theater performance. However the attitude created by the owners kids make it undesirable. They are also paying talentless 13 year old kids to be teacher assistants. We moved across the street for musical theater instead. read more