Like most of you reading these guitar lesson reviews, I had an acoustic guitar in my apartment,…read morecollecting dust and figured I'd learn how to play SOME day. Once I decided to try a lesson, I didn't want to sign up for a class that treats adults like, "Why did you wait THIS long?" and "Enjoy your lessons to play 'Mary had a Little Lamb" and "Old McDonald." Something I read on the Williamsburg School of Music (WSM) webpage (and Timeout Magazine's recommendation) made me give WSM a shot. I've been extremely happy with the classes. Just to jump forward a bit, I'm eleven months invested and I'm learning to play "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "And She Was" ... am I great? Phfft, no! But, I'm learning these songs on my own and I'm getting there. I enrolled in the Beginning and Intermediate Guitar classes. I was fortunate to have Craig, Dodi, and Shane as my teachers. Each one was VERY different and the differences kinda freaked me out at first, but, I learned so much. One of the teachers ran the beginning class with a lot of structure. The song we'd learn for the day was printed out and the chord progressions made sense. You'd start with the C chord, then the G chord, then the A minor, then... and so on. The pace wasn't too fast; it made sense. Oh, I should mention here, the song selections were from Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones, and some fun others (I don't want to give away everything); but, we avoided the dreaded "Mary had a Little Lamb" songs... which I REALLY appreciated. My next teacher (for Intermediate) kinda took what you knew and threw some challenges in there. No music was printed... what do you want to play? Well, let's start there... and let's try these barre chord things. My last teacher wasn't a huge fan of playing covers. He preferred to create, so, we tried all types of randomness. He also, which I really appreciated, allowed me to practice on an electric guitar and I just geeked out. He also played drums while I played... which was awesome! In summary, if anyone is still reading this review (I know it's long), for any adult learner that wants to learn how to play and wants to learn how to play fun songs, you should really give WSM a chance. Lastly, if I can give one piece of advice, if you're a student, you should practice... it really does help to move the class along.

I am about as musically inclined as a can of tuna fish. I sought out the WIlliamsburg School of…read moreMusic to help fix that. I was getting married in a few months, and my now-wife, who is a former singer and musical theater performer, had the idea to put together a small concert of our friends the night before the wedding. We needed a place to practice, and spoke to Craig at the Williamsburg School of Music to see if he could help. He did a lot more than help. First off, we were able to arrange to use his space for rehearsals. The place was spotless, and all of the equipment was new and (as far as I could tell) very top notch. The soundproofing is solid and I couldn't hear a thing from other rooms (I know this because while the talented people practiced, I walked around and/or ordered pizza.) I would have been completely satisfied with all of the above, except for the fact that we didn't have a drummer for the performance itself. Craig actually offered to join us! He learned 9 songs over the course of a few weeks, and literally ended up performing at our wedding concert. He was the consummate professional and our friends loved working with him. I couldn't have had a better overall experience. It doesn't hurt that it's in a really fun neighborhood with lots of food/drink options. When the missus and I start having baby Yelpers, I will definitely send them to WSM for lessons.

Bought my wife Vicky some lessons with Josh, I was skeptical at first buying lessons as a gift for…read morea b day. My wife really enjoyed the sessions and signed up for more lessons after the ones I bought her were used up. He even helped her with her song writing which was a plus, she felt comfortable working with him which is key. Not a bad gift after all :)

If you thinking about talking guitar lessons use Josh he is amazing I would super recommend himread more

Matteo is an incredibly talented musician but also a very insightful teacher. Those things don't…read morenecessarily go hand in hand. I've been taking lessons with him for several weeks, working on both the acoustic guitar and the classical guitar since I have a little experience in both. I already understand each instrument better and am able to play things that always seemed impossible to me. With Matteo, it's not just technique. As I've improved with certain skills, he brings my attention back to the musicality of the song, which is something that a lot of teachers rarely do. I was pretty impressed by the way he intuited my skill level right away. He's great that way; his talent is such that he can come up with exercises for us to on the spot and it feels like a very fun jam session. He obviously loves what he does. I also have a little stage fright/nervousness when it comes to playing in front of other people. Matteo is sympathetic to that and helps me get out of my head when playing. I can't say enough good things. I'm amazed with what I can do now that I couldn't do just a few weeks ago and I highly recommend him. It's an amazing thing that I could find such a great teacher right away.

I highly recommend Matteo. Of the four guitar teachers i have worked with in 15 years of playing…read moreguitar, Matteo is by far the best. In a short time, i went from an individual who merely messed around with his guitar in his free time, to someone capable of producing a pleasant sound others might actually be interested in listening to. Though i may only work with Matteo for the time I have the opportunity, his lessons will no doubt last a lifetime. If Matteo charged double what he charges now, it would still be well worth it. Nice guy too!

My son has been taking guitar lessons from Marty since he was 3 years old (he is now 6), and we…read morehave been very happy with CHMS. Marty has a way to keep kids engaged and excited by the material, and we've seen our son's playing abilities really progress. He is exposed to a great range of music, from jazz, folk, classical, and rock music. He's also begun fingerpicking. Young kids can often encounter challenges in learning an instrument, but Marty has a great attitude and is able to find ways for kids to not get discouraged. Our son really loves playing guitar now, and will voluntarily play songs for guests. He also practices everyday willingly. We've also started him on violin with Jen. She is also terrific with kids. No-nonsense and keeps them focused. She's very good at providing a great balance of fun and technique for each individual student at his or her level, and instilling them with a love for music. Our younger son (now 3) has begun taking violin with her too and loves it. Every semester there is a recital where all students (kids and adults) perform a piece or two of music, and that is a lot of fun. There's a nice sense of community and support.

Been taking some private lessons with Marty to learn guitar and I couldn't be happier. Marty came…read morehighly recommended to me by my good friend Danny and he was so wise to send me to Marty. I played violin when I was younger but I was recently inspired to pick up the guitar and it's been great for my soul and Marty has been like a doctor diagnosing my bad violin habits and correcting them for guitar. I would recommend anyone to try out this gem of a music school in Brooklyn. It's never too late to pick up an instrument and play. Prices are reasonable and the studio is conveniently located and I always feel welcome.

I cannot say enough good things about Chris as a guitar teacher!…read more I have been taking lessons with Chris for around 9ish months so far, with no previous guitar experience. Though I do have experience in music from taking years of voice lessons, I have never been able to stick with an instrument, nor have I been able to read music or understand music theory. This is due to my frustration I get because - let's face it - music can be incredibly overwhelming if you're just starting out. When I started taking lessons with Chris, he understood my interests and what direction I wanted to go in with my guitar journey. From the very beginning I always felt very relaxed and never embarrassed playing with Chris, and he was able to explain musicality to me in a way that I was able to understand. Every lesson, I left feeling more confident than the last, and I never leave without feeling extremely accomplished. Chris has a way of instilling his joy of guitar and love of music with his students, therefor making me excited to go home and practice (and practice...and practice...and practice). Chris teaches everything as well - parts of the guitar, music theory, songs, music history...he even taught me how to re-string my guitar today! He always has such a positive attitude in every lesson, and I never feel overwhelmed. He is patient and understands where each individual student is coming from - the variance of students that he teaches attests to that. I now have a repertoire of songs that I have learned to play, and will even be performing in public. I have always had a lifelong vision of becoming a musician because I have always loved music, and Chris has made that vision a reality. And the best part is; not only do you learn A LOT in his lessons, but they are always SO fun. I always look forward to going to my lessons. A+, top notch, the top in my book.

I really recommend Chris as a guitar teacher. I've played for a long time but wanted some…read moreaccountability and rigor to progress my skill level after it had languished for a few years. Chris helped me wrap my head around some of the more theory-based concepts that I wasn't picking up on my own and framed the lessons around engaging and popular tunes. A really great experience with a warm, friendly and knowledgeable instructor.

I've been taking drum set lessons with Colin for about two years. I came in with some prior…read moredrumming experience, but Colin has really taken my playing to the next level. He's an outstanding instructor with a deep knowledge of both the technical and historical aspects of music. While his expertise is in jazz and Brazilian music, he's helped me grow across a wide range of genres including rock and hip-hop. Colin is also incredibly patient and encouraging, which makes lessons both productive and fun. I think he's especially skilled at tailoring exercises to target the specific issues I notice in my playing. On top of that, he's super flexible with scheduling, something I especially appreciate since I travel frequently for work. I can't recommend him highly enough!

Colin is an extremely passionate and thorough yet easygoing drum teacher. I've been learning mainly…read morejazz drumming with him for nearly 2 years, starting drums from scratch as an adult (though with previous piano experience) and he's brought me up to speed very fast, and he's well-versed in a wide variety of genres. He knows well how to adjust his curriculum to the needs/interests/current skills of each student instead of following a fixed program. He honors the uniqueness of each person's style and preferences and does not try to force his students into a mold, yet still has lots of advice that he explains the rationale behind. He always suggests records to listen to for inspiration and general culture, and is enthusiastic about discussing them. He performs frequently at various venues, and I got to see a few of his performances and was very impressed. The fact he also teaches piano makes him particularly well-rounded. His approach to drumming is more "melodic" and "compositional" than "lick"-based, encouraging creativity, which I appreciate. On top of all that, he's a very friendly person. Cannot recommend enough!

The instructors were truly amazing, versatile, and talented. I really appreciated the personal…read morefeedback following each lesson. The performances were well done, despite challenges in finding the right venue to accommodate kids and families. Unfortunately I have chosen to withdraw my child because ultimately it wasn't a good fit. The program is really unable to accommodate multiple children on the same instrument. As a brand new student, 3rd choice of 3 is understandable, but 6 months later being placed in choice 6 of 6 is just unacceptable. When your kid makes the best out of his last choice for 6 months "exposing himself to new genres" then gets last choice again. The child went in wanting to play AC/DC but being forced to play Miley Cyrus. There is evidence of heavy preferential treatment on behalf of families with multiple children. I wouldn't complain but these are things I wish I knew before paying for "membership" so I am hoping to pass this information along.

Harworking, highly experienced and dedicated musicians bringing the fun and technique to rock on…read morewith the best!

Best drum class I've ever been to. I've been to a rip-off class before where they only let you play…read morealong with songs to feel cool but actually learning nothing. Daryl, my instructor in my class, is extremely professional and patient. I played in a band before but still surprised by how much fundamentals I didn't know. He really taught me the skills I need to go a long way on drumming. Highly recommend his class

My son Miles absolutely loves his classes at Bang! Miles is ten and his instructor Daryl is really…read morepatient and kind. He teaches Miles music that he is super excited to learn. Miles had no prior drumming experience when he started and Daryl has truly taught him everything he knows. Miles looks forward to his lesson every week and is very enthusiastic when he learns new tips & tricks. This an awesome place for kids to learn to drum. I highly recommend to other parents who's kids are interested. It's simply the best!