Stephen is very attentive to where the student is musically, and adjusts accordingly. He encourages…read moregood practice habits and parental presence. Overall this has cause my 11 year old to feel that he can do it and that he is not alone. I'm impressed that my son could learn to play so easily. This has to do with the instructor (who never has a bad day), and the curriculum he uses. The course is designed to move at your pace. It's a real pleasure to see my sons progress. It's a skill he can now carry with him the rest of his life! Our family thanks you Stephen!!!

Stephen is an awesome teacher, and always encourages my daughter to do her best. She's learned many…read morepieces in a short amount of time. I really recommend him.

I've been going to Bill for over two years and I highly recommend him. Bill is very well versed in…read moremany different styles and breaks down songs that are easy to learn. I had friends and family use Bill and they have all been very happy with his professionalism. If you want to start Guitar or get better Bill is the best in Sonoma county.

I get humbled and pumped up every guitar lesson I have with Bill…read more I have some benchmark gear, but Bill is up on stage as a professional. His gear and guitar skills are light years away.

Widely known as one of if not THE best place to get QUALITY stringed instruments in sonoma. Dont…read morecheap out on a cheap instrument online or somewhere else, when you can come here and do a plan/buy lasting product.

The entire staff at Loveland Violin Shop are great. Over a number of years I've purchased bows and…read moreinstruments, had my violin repaired, had a nice viola bow rehaired, and purchased a lot of good quality bow rosin. All were good transactions! I've also learned a lot about violins and bows from Mick Loveland himself.

Lindy has taught my teenage son electric guitar for the last year. We love her! She is a…read moreresponsive, encouraging, understanding, and upbeat instructor. My son has enjoyed the diversity of her teaching, as she mixes learning new songs with practicing fundamentals. She did a great job adapting her teaching style to Zoom due to sheltering-in-place, and my son didn't miss a beat (no pun intended!). She is always on time to commence the lesson, is an excellent communicator, and well prepared. If you have been thinking about lessons for yourself or your child, now is the perfect time to do so from the comfort of your own home. I highly recommend Lindy!

Lindy is a bright and talented musician who had the patience and skill to take time with new…read morelearners. She was very knowledgeable about guitar and gave me great advice about finger positioning and even tips like cutting my nails shorter to get some better pressure on the strings. I'm looking forward to more lessons with her!

My child received lessons at Speed of Sound for a year or two. The owner is a great guy, very…read morefriendly and keenly interested in teaching music to the community (also plays at some of the local schools...). The piano teacher we were paired up with was great, my child loved the weekly lessons and the relationship established throughout the course of our patronage of Speed of Sound. We were, unfortunately, quite disappointed with the logistical side of the business. We repeatedly had lessons canceled or changed with as little as an hour or two notice. There were even a number of occasions where we arrived for a lesson to find that our teacher was not available, no replacement had been organized, and as a result the front desk attendant (a student at high school) would sit in on the "lesson" for which we still had to pay full price. We also received a number of emails from the owner notifying us that we were behind on our bills, when in fact the owner hadn't sent us a bill for multiple months (I have never been late on a bill in my life and have an 840 credit score). Towards the end of our time at Speed of Sound, the school transitioned to a timeslot-based system where students would receive a weekly timeslot rather than dedicated teacher. While this system may be helpful with logistical challenges for Speed of Sound, it resulted in a real lack of continuity for my child and many of the lessons were spent familiarizing with new, random teachers and revisiting material that had already been taught. The school also instituted a policy whereby clients were not able to cancel or change lessons due to scheduling conflicts; I can understand this for group lessons, but when you're paying $70 an hour for a private lesson the lack of flexibility and randomized teacher assignment proved too much for us... We ultimately decided to enlist a private teacher outside of Speed of Sound. and have been very happy with the choice.

Excellent experience with the owner. I think the negative reviews are because he is super busy, but…read moreseems to be hiring staff to help.

i've been bringing my stringed instruments to Dave for many years. Always dependable, and…read morereasonably priced for all repairs and adjustments. He works on woodwinds and brass instruments too.

Charlie Bird has been an excellent piano teacher for my son and I. Full disclosure, I'm in my 30s…read moreand my son is 6. I wanted to re-learn piano and I wanted my son to start so I reached out to Charlie last fall. We have been gong an hour a week since then, splitting the hour between my son and I. I really liked Charlie right away. Her studio is behind her home and has a very homey vibe. It's quirky in the best way. My son will sit on a beanbag chair and read books while I have my lesson and vice versa. Charlie has structured lessons for both of us, meeting us where we're at. I've been able to get through two whole books and my son is about to be finished with his first one. We also do flash cards and theory. I appreciate that Charlie really wants us to learn the notes/scales etc and be able to actually read music. Charlie is also always accommodating to our schedule and I've appreciated her flexibility when we've had other things come up or one of us was sick. If you're looking for a local piano teacher I can't recommend Charlie enough.

Charlie Bird tailors her teaching style to meet each person where they are. Her students learn…read moremusic fundamentals and how to play and love music. Those who want to write music are encouraged on that path. If a student wants to learn improvisation, she knows how to work with them. I've seen her work with very young pupils, with high school and college students, and with adults who are returning to musical roots, or trying out the piano or guitar for the first time. Charlie really loves her students, and that makes all the difference.

I don't know how it would be possible to find a better guitar teacher than Steve Smyth. He knows…read morehow to play EVERYTHING and is a master at teaching it to others. He has toured the world with huge bands and built a reputation as a guitar wizard and you are lucky if you get the chance to study from him. I took a lesson from Steve and came out of it with very valuable information about my technique, identifying notes on the neck instantaneously and how to practice without hurting myself. Then he followed up by sending me a package of what we covered, and a lot more a few weeks later. Though I have known Steve since he was a teenager just starting out on guitar, I am intimidated by his knowledge and playing ability, but his professional demeanor and calm approach made me feel comfortable exposing my deficiencies right away. I highly recommend taking lessons from Steve if you are able, regardless of your playing ability.

I've been taking guitar lessons from Steve Smyth for several years now, and he's definitely one of…read morethe most knowledgeable and talented guitar players I've ever met (and I've met some great ones). When it comes to any kind of rock or metal guitar, he can show you how to play anything you want to learn, from the most basic Black Sabbath riffs to the most insane Testament solos and everything in between. He's also very patient, and will go over in detail every part of song or measure with you to make sure you can get it down. Excellent teacher, I highly recommend!