I was in a ...DESPERATE need of repairing my Kamaka 'ukulele. The bridge that holds the..."A"…read morestring was damaged; therefore, the string couldn't stay on. When I mentioned this to my manager at work, he suggested I visit...WESTSIDE MUSIC. I was contemplating on going to Kamaka, but I was too lazy to make the drive to town. Also, I was thinking that this repair could be costly. Therefore, I decided to take my manager's advice and visit WM. I couldn't wait any longer so I called WM to see if they could assist me with my situation. Uncle Ron (owner) answered the phone and he told me to bring my 'ukulele in. So, I headed down to Waipahu the next day. Uncle Ron was nice enough to look at the damage and figure out a way to repair it. Well, it took him less than 5 minutes to repair it! Wow, he is a ...GENIUS! The buggah knows his stuff...I tell you! He also helped me tune the new "A" string that he replaced as well as the other strings by using a tuner. Then, he helped me figure out the 'ukulele chords to a song that I've been wanting to play. I let him listen to the song , and then he figured it out by ear. You da' man...You da' 'Ukulele Man...Uncle Ron! You are so talented...so helpful...so kind to help me. You are truly...Mr. Aloha! Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much) Uncle Ron! So, if you are looking to repair your 'ukulele, come check out WESTSIDE MUSIC in Waipahu next to Time's Supermarket. You'll thank me for that!

I needed new strings for my ukulele and didn't know what type I should buy since I haven't played…read morein a long time. I brought in my ukulele and the store owner was able to help. So glad I found this place - close to Rocky's. Prices are reasonable and am love to support a small business.

Music heals even the most painful wounds. Chuck James studios have been a huge part in my…read morechildren's lives. My son is very shy but playing the guitar is an escape from the social anxiety he experiences. Ms Sonia treats him like family and it means so much to us. My daughter took piano lessons for a year then stopped. She's back at chuck james in voice lessons and she is so happy. It's amazing to bring her to her voice lesson as an angsty teen and have her come out of her lesson bubbly and smiling. Thank you so much for enriching our lives!! Worth every dollar spent!!

The lady at the front desk at the Kaimuki location is very rude and her communication is horrible…read more They put my kid on the schedule without even asking me and they expect us to show up. The school also did credit card withdrawals on our credit card without our approval.

I was looking for a piano teacher close to our home without having to drive to town and luckily we…read morefound Lori! My teen daughter has been taking piano lessons for a few years now and loves Lori. She is an excellent instructor who is very patient, friendly and caring. She is also very responsive to any questions you may have. You can tell she loves music and loves teaching and sharing that passion with her students.

We have been sending our 4 1/2 year old piano lessons for about a month now, and he LOVES it. She…read moreworks at his pace, and he loves to practice every night and to show me what he learned. Whenever anyone asks about music lessons I always reccomend Lori's piano studio!

Husband has taken up a new hobby and I was glad it wasn't acoustic drums this time…read more We came here to shop as he had received a gift card for his birthday and the staff was super attentive and he found what he needed. I was stunned at the size of this place, they have all kinds of stuff - I am not a musician so i was duly impressed; they even had the bongos I wanted a long, long time ago (long story). Drumsticks of all shapes, sizes and weight; guitars on the walls, sound systems, a room you can practice in (nice to listen to other players trying it out), accessories, albums, gifts, and more. A place well stocked like this makes me want to take up playing some kind of instrument. My husband will probably not like it.

Awesome customer service at this location. They are very knowledgeable and helped restring my…read moreguitar

Exceptional quality instruments, great people, and unbeatable prices for what you're getting…read more Sonny is a true master craftsman and can handle everything from custom builds to repairs and restorations, not just for ukuleles but other stringed instruments as well. If you're ever in the area and looking for a Hawaiian made ukulele or need expert service on your instrument, this is absolutely the place to go.

Just picked up a Sonny D ukulele on the second hand market. It's beautiful and sounds amazing…read more Build quality is outstanding and the tone and resonance are absolutely beautiful. Highly recommended if you can get your hands on one.

I was with Kapolei Chorale when I found out about Marilyn Kim and her group, Melemai Chorale. I…read morestarted taking voice lessons from her in 2014. I also joined the choir and we have been touring Maui, spring and Christmas concert in Waipahu every year. She is the best voice teacher I have ever taken lessons from. She helped me learned to use different muscles by explaining to me with various of approaches. I appreciated her great teaching and you will too if you give yourself a chance to learn how to sing correctly. You and your family will be amazed as myself and my family.

I've studied with Marilyn for a few years and I am just amazed with all of the work she has done!…read moreShe is an amazing voice teacher and I would definitely recommend her to anyone that is willing to learn!! She has a God given gift to take someone like me who couldn't match pitch in the beginning to where I was within a year and a half with her. I learned to match pitch and continued on to try and learn that control of my voice! So if anyone is up to the challenge of learning from such an amazing voice teacher please go to Marilyn! Your life will be forever changed I know mines was and it was for the better!

We looked for an instructor for my son to continue lessons and glad we found Ian. My son has shown…read moregrowth and surprisingly continued interest. We believe it's because of Ian. He doesn't mind teaching music my son is interested in. We also receive weekly piano pieces/videos to watch and listen to. Like other reviews have said, Ian can be very accommodating and it's a bonus the studio is just minutes away near Waikele shopping center.

Ian is simply the BEST! My 3 children have been taking lessons from Ian for the past 4 years. I…read morelove that he encourages his students to create music of their own right from the start. My kids love making up their own songs and having Mr. Ian add his own harmonies to it. I also love that he records their duets and sends them to me. He also sends out a weekly email with a piano piece that he teaches you about, then you can listen to it on youtube. My kids all have ADHD, and Ian has been so patient with them. We are very grateful to have such a great musician willing to teach our kids this valuable skill.

Music Center of Hawaii is very small but the amount of instruments and service far exceeds their…read moreshop size. They are one of the only shops that repairs saxophones, violins, and standup bass's. They have a huge selection of violins, flutes, saxophones just to name a few. The staff is absolutely top notch any thing you need for your bowed instrument is there.

Best experience I've ever had in a music store. My son was freaking out because his saxophone…read moreneeded some repairs, and the employees did an amazing job helping me a getting his saxophone up to par. they were extremely knowledgeable and knew exactly what they were talking about and helped me find exactly what I needed. We will definitely be back and be doing all of our music store needs right here.

Unacceptable Service & Zero Priority I am beyond frustrated…read morewith the service I received today, and I ended up walking out. My wife, my two kids, and I walked into this establishment around 4:35 PM on March 25th. We were greeted at the front by Ted, who told us he'd be over to help us "real soon" and instructed us to head back to the electronic drums. Couple other staff asked if we needed help which we did, and was told they couldn't really help us because they weren't the 'drum guy' and to wait for Ted. We waited. For 25 to 30 minutes. When Ted finally decided to show up, he gave us maybe five minutes of his time. Instead of actually helping us make a decision, he left us with more questions than answers. He told us he'd be "right back," and then disappeared for another 10 minutes. From where I was standing, I could see him at the front of the store helping people who walked in long after we did. The breaking point was when he finally came back to our area...but not to help us. He started assisting another person who had just arrived. At that point, I was losing my cool. He knew we had been waiting patiently for a long time, yet he continued to treat us like we weren't a priority. Once he finally finished with the latecomers, I had to confront him with the facts. I told him exactly how long we'd been sitting there while he ignored us for newer customers. Instead of offering a solution or taking accountability, he just hit me with excuses. Then, he actually had the nerve to ask if I had "more questions." I told him flat out: I was ready to check out 30 minutes ago, but he left us hanging high and dry. I was literally about to tell him which set we were buying, but after that experience, I decided right then and there that we wouldn't be supporting this business. We walked out. Bottom line: You need to get your priorities straight. UPDATE: I'm updating my previous 1-star review to 5 stars because of one person... Senior Manager Anju (I hope I spelled that correctly). After that initial visit yesterday which left us feeling disregarded and unimportant... Anju reached out to me personally to make it right during our phone call. It takes a true leader to own up to a mistake and honestly she did so with such grace. Took full accountability for her store and them some. When we returned today, we weren't just 'customers' we were felt like actual guests. Anju provided the kind of high-touch and personalized support that made the store feel more like a community. She was patient, informative, answered all my questions and incredibly kind to our 5-year-old. She made sure we walked out happy and we left with the perfect Roland TD-07DMK Electronic Drum Kit and a matching V-Drum Amp. I felt Anju made it her mission to make sure every detail was handled perfectly so we could focus on the excitement of our daughter's musical journey instead of the issues we faced previously. It's easy to be a good store when things go right, but how you handle things when they go wrong is the true test... Anju passed with flying colors. From here on out we'll be supporting this business under her leadership. Mahalo for turning this around for our family!

They have such an extensive variety of musical instruments! I went on a Black Friday sale day but…read moreI still received top notch customer service. I was never forgotten and was constantly being asked if I "needed anything" while I tried out a new guitar that I purchased that morning. Prices seem comparable to other local music stores. I almost forgot to mention that their website provided me with much more information about the guitar that I was looking at than I could find on my own via Google! I should've started my research there first!