More sad news. I was very saddened to hear of the death of Dwight. I had just visited him the week…read morebefore and was asking what was going to happen with Tapps after Dana's passing. He was unsure ( I'm still not sure if it is still open as I haven't been there in months now ) and was trying to find a buyer for the business and the next thing I know, he passed. So very sad. Still best store for music lessons if it is still open.

Good Karma and good vibes all the way~~~ needed a two week rental and was offered a free loaner in…read moreperfect condition. Dana cares about people and sharing good vibes. Actually inspired a small piece of art from my grand daughter who was touched by the generosity of his spirit. Thanks Dana! you are a good seed! With love and gratitude from the Armendariz and Otis family

I had been a student with the Mel Booker establishment for over a year and a half and was taught by…read moreJeff, who is absolutely amazing and this review does not reflect the wonderful lessons by Jeff. My issue with Mel Booker Music is the lack of customer service. Ever since the front staff had changed from Megan and Debbie, to the new staff today, my experiences with the front desk went downhill. I am a school teacher and my schedule can change frequently due to impromptu/emergency meetings which can interfere with my lessons scheduled. My lesson was on a Monday and they're closed Sunday which kept me from being able to notify 24 hours before. I would call days before at times and be told by the new front staff that I would be called back, but never would receive anything even if I wanted to reschedule a week in advance. I would be told that an opening would open that same week, but again, I would not receive a call back. Megan and Debbie who used to work at the front desk were AMAZING and always willing to work with me on a reschedule and would always surely call me back if they said they would. My final straw here was a reschedule I had requested 3 hours before my lesson began due to an emergency meeting and the new front desk staff said they would not reschedule and my lesson would be wasted and that same day cancellations will not be rescheduled. This was new to me and when this would occur, Megan or Debbie would always find a way to make it work on a later date. With these occurrence, I since have requested to resign from Mel Booker and never received a call back or anything to see how this could be rectified which shows lack of appreciation to loyalty by patrons. The instructors here are excellent, but again my qualms are with the handling of scheduling and services by the front desk staff.

My son has been taking piano lessons at Mel Booker Music for almost a year now with Javier. Javier…read moreis amazing, he is a passionate teacher who has nurtured my sons love of music. If you are looking to take lessons or start your child on a music instrument I highly recommend Mel Booker Music. Everyone here is great!

Great great collection. The best shop in the AV !! The owner is very nice and informative,…read moreespecially if you're a jazz lover like myself !!!

The Best Music Store In The AV…read more Vinyls, CDs, DVDs, Posters, Equipment and More The owner Wayne, is hands down, The Best I will keep coming back to give him business Forever

We absolutely love Mrs.Zsofia. My daughter looks forward to art class all the time and has grown so…read moremuch in both her skills and confidence. The lessons are fun and creative and I love that my child gets to learn different mediums like water color, graphite, and ink. Zsofia is very kind and caring and my daughter loves spending time there- you can tell she genuinely cares about her students and wants them to enjoy the process of creating. Highly recommend for any child who loves to be creative and wants to gain new skills in different types of art styles!

My daughter Emily had a private piano teacher for a couple of years but never really showed much…read moreprogress. After joining this academy, she since then has really grown as a pianist and has also enjoyed it more at a personal level. Highly recommended.

We really wanted to love this music school, as our daughter was so excited to start her first drum…read morelessons 8 months ago. Right from the beginning, the instructor was incredibly encouraging, praising our daughter's natural rhythm, focus, and skill. She kept improving month after month. We were thrilled to see her progress and passion for drumming grow. However, after a traumatic event occurred at home (just at the end of February, only 2 months ago) our daughter understandably struggled to maintain her attention during lessons. We communicated this to the instructor, and made sure we were present in class with our daughter to help her focus. We also took about 3 weeks off when we were working, and couldn't be with her. Despite this, we continued to pay our monthly tuition in full without fail. We spoke with our daughter often, checking in on how she felt about the class, and she was clear that she did not want to quit despite struggling with life at the moment - something we admired greatly. Unfortunately, the experience took a disappointing turn when the owner of the music school approached me right *after* class and said my daughter would be better suited for a different class (in front of her). This was handled very poorly - the instructor who had been working closely with our daughter was not even part of this conversation. We felt blindsided, as the instructor had previously been so complimentary of our daughter's abilities. To make matters worse, the owner then turned and spoke directly to our daughter with leading questions, overstepping appropriate boundaries. I felt they waited until they billed us for the new billing cycle before approaching us with this. We have always been easily accessible via phone and even text with the instructor. We would've been more than happy to discuss this over the phone, or to come in (without our daughter) and discuss it in person at any other time. We were then charged for the final lesson where our daughter was getting excited about continuing her drumming, and while the instructor spoke with her about her next class and being on stage (recitals at some point, and etc). They were aware I would be confronted with this conversation afterwards, and continued with the class anyway - waiting until the class completed to speak with me. When we requested a full refund, we were only offered a partial one (we had to pay for the lesson in which they knew they were doing to build my daughter up - only to tell me in front her that she was no longer a good fit for that class) which left an even more sour taste. As parents, we want the best for our child and were willing to be flexible and supportive. However, the way this situation was managed by the music school left us feeling deeply dissatisfied. We had hoped for a more thoughtful, communicative, and empathetic approach, especially given the personal challenges our family was facing. Sadly, this experience has made us hesitant to recommend this music school to others, and we will be seeking a more supportive environment for our daughter's musical education going forward. ***Update to the reply from Amped***: Thank you for your reply, but that is not an accurate representation of how our conversation went. I was not asked for my feedback on how the lessons were progressing from our perspective. Instead, I was told by you to understand that the instructor "was a professional" - even though it was your business that made the pairing in the first place. Additionally, you had initially told us that my daughter was too young for voice lessons when we first came to you. However, you then asked us to try those lessons instead. You then told us she could continue the lessons, even after making it clear that the instructor no longer wanted to teach her. I'm not sure what other parent would choose to keep their child in a class with an unwilling instructor, but I knew that was not the right decision for my daughter. While I appreciate your reply, it seems more like an attempt to shape the narrative of what occurred, rather than actually addressing the specific issues and concerns I raised. Thank you for your time. I wish your business the best, but I hope you will take this feedback to heart and make improvements to better serve your students and their families.

We've been with AMPED for a while. My older child has worked hard and learned music theory in order…read moreto write a few songs with help. When my younger one was going, she was working on numerous different instruments including voice, drums, and piano. She loved it too but her time was limited for at home practice due to other constraints. I highly recommend the teachers and owners of AMPED. Even during the COVID-19 epidemic, AMPED provided lessons to my student through zoom and it was still a private lesson between my daughter and her teacher.

Ric is absolutely amazing and patient! My son took lessons with him in 2015 and he was diligent…read moreabout making sure he understood each and every step. He started with the guitar but ended up playing the drums and loving it! Unfortunately life happened and I could no longer take him to lessons but I would highly recommend any and everyone to Ric!

Ric couples the know-how with unmatched enthusiasm, keeping the learning process fun no matter how…read moreexperienced you are. I'm 50, and have played in several bands, performed in several venues...but Ric found ways to improve what I already had, caused me to reach, and turned me into a better guitarist and vocalist. I really can't overstate how important enthusiasm is in the learning process...he was highly recommended to me, and now I highly recommend him to everyone else!

Nine months ago I started private lessons with David.  All I had was a couple of guitars to make…read morecome alive and a desire to learn.  I knew absolutely nothing.  I wanted quality private instruction so that I could avoid learning bad habits or techniques that I knew I would pick up watching videos or online courses.  I choose David and couldn't be happier with that choice.  David is patient and teaches in a way that makes it easy to understand not just what proper technique is, but why it is important.  He introduces the application of music theory behind things in just the right times to make it all come together.  David is such an amazing and talented player and teacher.  His passion for playing shows through and is fun to learn from.  I look forward to every lesson.  He pushes and encourages me to do my best and really apply myself.  In less than 10 months I am playing real music - not just simplified beginner versions either.  If you are looking for an ethical high quality guitar teacher who can teach you from the beginning or take you to the next level of playing I couldn't recommend him any higher.  He is truly one of the best.

David Paul has been my guitar teacher for over 3 years. In that time he has taught me everything…read morei've wanted to learn and more. I'm very satisfied with my progress and can't wait to go further on my journey with him. David has been there for me emotinally on top of the lessons and is always a friend without breaking the teacher student barrier. David is able to adapt to any type of lesson and is the perfect teacher for anyone looking to pick up the guitar. You will see massive progress. I started in person wirh David and eventually went online. He is just as effective online because of his amazing guitar and teaching skills. If you wanna become a guitar master like this man you found the right place. You will not regret these lessons

I just bought my first electric guitar in 8 years from here, and the experience was top-tier. I've…read morebeen looking for the right fit for a while, and the team at Nick Rail Music really knows their stuff. They were super knowledgeable and didn't pressure me at all. One of the best parts was that they actually let me try the guitar out in their studio space so I could really hear the tone and get a feel for it before committing. It's rare to find a shop that still offers that kind of hands on, expert service. If you're in the SCV and looking for quality gear and people who actually understand instruments, this is the spot. Super happy with my new setup!

I went to Nick Rail today in need of my daughter's flute repair. The lady clerk at the shop was…read morevery courteous and helpful. Repair tech inspected and fixed the dent on the flute right away (it took less than 30min!). Repair cost was very reasonable as well! I am super impressed with their service and highly recommend this business. I'll definitely visit again!