Levine Music School (at its Virginia - Westover and West Falls -locations) has been an incredible experience for our three children over the past 8+ years. The staff have always been very helpful and patient. Our piano teacher, Ms. Darya Gabay has been the most phenomenal teacher we could have wished for our kids: very knowledgeable and experienced, kind and patient, passionate and genuinely invested in both their music development and personal well-being. To have all these traits in one teacher is nearly impossible. She has not only imbued our children with a deep knowledge of music and love for it, but also taught them (through piano) the value of work-ethic, discipline and high aspirations, showing them what it means to enjoy the fruits of their investment. All of this has informed their success in all that they do and will continue to do in the future. We could not be more grateful for her instruction and for Levine. read more

A music academy for rich people's kids only and whose parents do not care about fees and charges, not even knowing much about music and instruments. Yeah this sounds insane but it is the truth. Don't expect your kids making much progress or become a semi professional pianist or violinist by attending this school. It is just one of those expensive summer camp affiliated with Ivy Schools but really, making extra money for institution is their only purpose. You ever heard about any good student winning international completion out of this school? None. read more

We have had a very positive experience with the Levine school. My daughter took vocal lessons at another school for several years, and we switched to Levine (Strathmore location) about 6 months ago looking to further her skills. Her instructor is excellent, and everyone we have dealt with has been professional and communicative. We are very happy to have found the Levine school. Jamie W. read more

I think Levine's main business is lessons for kids, and perhaps it can be good at that. For adults in its ensemble settings, it is at best a mixed bag. Everything depends on the individual teachers, many of whom are more consumed by their other (presumably better paying) gigs. There is little uniformity of instruction and absolutely no attempt to get feedback from students about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of classes, both basic tenets of teaching. Levine charges plenty for its instruction, and is not so clearly worth it. One of these reviews mentions a performance by Jeffrey Chappell, an extraordinary teacher and performer. But while he has been gone from the area for years and does little if anything with Levine, he is still listed among the faculty. Good advertising, perhaps, but poor admin. read more

My son has been taking music composition classes at the Levine School for a year and a half. The Levine School has an excellent staff comprised of very serious music teaches. I think some of the people who have given Levine a low rating are used to music schools that prioritize making kids and their parents comfortable, rather than fostering serious learning. If you want your child to work hard and strive for excellence as a musician, this is the school for you. But if you want your child to bang around on an instrument and emerge from class with a dizzy smile, go elsewhere. read more

I took piano lessons from a teacher affiliated with the Levine School of Music. I took music theory courses. This school has high standards and is not easy. They do not offer degrees. I don't think there are many places like the Levine School of Music in Washington DC. It's very classy. They have a gigantic campus. (Why is this the second Yelp review? HAHA) read more

Professionalism is lacking. Need to make sure have a camera at the ready for the lies.

This school is for serious musicians. Yes, the school is expensive, but the instructors are world class and the standards are very high. My son has been studying piano here since we moved to DC two years ago and the improvement we have seen is incredible. If you only want to try out a class or instrument to see if it's a fit, then this is probably not the school for you. But, if you are a dedicated musician that wants to advance your skills and education, then I cannot recommend a better school. read more

I've not been to the actual Levine School of Music, but they have implemented a program to showcase up and coming artists. I had the pleasure of attending a piano performance by Jeffrey Chappell, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! His performance is part of series they have entitled "A Little Night Music." The series is intended to be a means to increase funding to the Levine School of Music. I had no prior knowledge about this, but it's a great idea serving a great cause. It also helped that the venue for this performance was at Busboys and Poets... one of my favorite spots in D.C. Great idea Levine School of Music! read more

Having a great experience with other music school this one real disappointed. Teacher my son got is very unprofessional, I can question her diploma as a teacher. read more

The teachers are amazing and the school is so accessible. There are locations in many areas of the DMA and there is scholarship money available so no child is left behind because of financial need. read more

Mixed feelings. Expensive classes for Rich people. Sterile? I dunno. Not my cup of tea. Asked for information once and I found the experience off-putting. read more

It is very disappointing that a school that markets itself as a program for young children has a teacher that singles out young children (2 years old) to be excluded or tries to make them feel unwelcome. Now my kids don't want to go even though they love music. Save your money. This school is unprofessional and downright cruel. It is unbelievable. read more

Levine can no longer compete with the many new schools that have established themselves over the past 10 years. Levine is overrated and so are the teachers. The jazz faculty, at least the older ones, are extremely jaded and unpleasant. Levine does not care about its students, only its run-down name. read more

My children have taken music classes at Levine for several years and I have nothing but positive things to say. The instructors are fabulous and this is much more than a sing-a-long music "class" that you typically see in town. The curriculum is age-appropriate, well thought out and based on music theory. I highly recommend Levine! read more

I have been a student at Levine since I was 4, it is now 14 years later. Levine has provided countless opportunities to me, be it performance experience, incredible teachers, masterclasses with world class musicians, and training to prepare you for even a career in music. It is pricey, but if you are looking for a serious music school, Levine has the resources that a small private studio with a handful of teachers won't have access to. It also is able to focus a large amount on each individual student, something that large music retail stores that also run lessons cannot do. Levine and their faculty have provided me with more than I could ever imagine, and I have them to thank for getting me into a good music school. Take it from a longtime student, not someone who tried a few times to talk to a receptionist on the phone, this is a top-tier music school run by people who genuinely love music. read more

I'd been enjoying the adult rock band class for several semesters and they laid off our fantastic teacher who had been on their faculty for 5 years. I guess it's there way of making a higher profit by laying off experienced teachers for cheaper, less experienced ones, but I am boycotting them. Expensive tuition and badly managed. read more

New to DC, I found that this school offered adult music classes and attempted to find out if they were appropriate for my age and skill level. I'll never know due to their policy of requiring a full semester's non-reimbursable tuition ($400+) just to see if a non-accredited, hobby class is a fit (ie. the correct level for my ability as a musician). Apparently they consider it disruptive for an adult prospective student to observe a class, and provide no means to pay for just one class or have an adult's skill level tested. If this is what all of DC is like, I cant wait to go home to SF. read more

Signed up for a Wednesday class in December, and planned our entire activity schedule around it, including turning down the oportunity to take another class. Closer to the start of the class, I expected an email providing instructions, but received nothing. I decided to call on the day of the class to make sure there were no issues, and the person told me we were all set. I had another question about whether we needed to stay on premises so she transferred me to someone else. When I spoke with the supervisor, she looked up our information and said, oops, the class was moved to Thursday but we didn't update the website or inform you. We can't do another class because our schedule is full. I am supposed to get a full refund, so hopefully that will come through, but I am so frustrated because the other class we turned down is now full. This school seems horribly mismanaged and disorganized - it doesn't even matter if their instructors are good if they can't put on a class when they're supposed to. We'll go with the School of Rock instead. read more

Be aware of this Levine school of Music!!! They lie about their fee, and constantly changed their stories about the hidden charges! Their student juries were a joke, all student competitions were fake!! They are only interested in your money, not about your child's well-being or about music! Even some of their faculty lied about their degree(s)! If you want your child to learn anything about real music and ethics, do not send your child there, because they really do not care about you, they want your money. My son just spent a really miserable year there; the lessons were not well organized, the juries were fake, and they constantly ask more and more money from you and lie about the fee!!! I really wish I had known this last fall, so hope this posting can help some parents to avoid the big mistakes we made. If anyone has questions, please post, and I will be happy to provide more details about our experience with this so-called school! I see some reviews here are so far from the truth, and would not be surprised they were written by Levine faculty themselves. From our first hand experience, their recital performance level is so so low; being expensive is not the problem, the problem is they were not honest about the fee, and they do not tune the piano, and apply arbitrary standards for jury level to students in order to string you as long as possible. If you know something about music and piano playing, you would see through their game immediately! They are not world class musicians, far from it!! They are those unfortunate musicians who did not make it, for which I am actually always willing to give my money to help IF they are honorable people! I gave them the benefit of the doubt in fall, but now I do not believe anything about Levine! Don't waste your money and time on Levine. Their conducts will simply destroy the beautiful feeling you child has in music, just as what they did to my child! read more

I attempted to take lessons at the school as was given the run around by the staff. No one could answer my simple questions. Found a better school in the DC area. read more