I sent my 8 year old to a Glee Camp at Bach to Rock with friends on a day off from school last…read morespring. All the kids came out smiling from ear to ear saying they wanted to take singing lessons. But my own spirited daughter said forget singing...she saw a drum set at Bach to Rock and thought that looked way more fun. She's asking for a new activity every few weeks so I tend to ignore her requests until she asks at least a dozen times...and she kept asking. Finally I agreed to drum lessons if she went to Glencoe Academy of Music since it's so close to my house. I'm all about the least amount of driving possible being a busy working mom of 3 kids. She agreed and I sent an email to Glencoe Music Academy asking for info...and very quickly heard back from Brandon who got us scheduled with Mark. Glencoe Music Academy may be convenient, but the lessons would be well worth it even if we had to drive there. Mark is patient, fun and my daughter comes out with a huge smile every week. To be honest I thought drumming was just making a lot of banging noise, but I've been really surprised (and pleased) with how much coordination is involved w/ playing the drums...and it's been fun to see her make progress. She also has a bunch of friends who take guitar lessons with Carlos and are very pleased as well. The lessons themselves are pretty expensive, but I think that's to be expected when it comes to private music lessons. I haven't agreed to an expensive (and loud!) drum set quite yet, but Mark has offered a few times that he can come with us to the store to help us pick one out when/if the time comes. In the meantime, I'm happy with her playing on her little amazon pad to keep the noise down a bit in my house.

If you are interested in picking up a new hobby or just getting back to playing something you used…read moreto years ago, Glencoe School of Music is the place to be. It brings downtown and area musicians to the North Shore. Carlos and his staff are amazing, talented and fun people who know how to motivate the young and the old! Situated in the middle of downtown Glencoe, next to Foodstuffs, the studio is easy to get to and has plenty of parking with a public lot right behind the building. If you are thinking of taking up an instrument or want to work on your karaoke skills (seriously Kay Rutherford is an amazing vocal instructor), GAM is the place to go. All the instructors are performers in their own right and have the skills, patience and knowledge to make you a better performer!

I've ordered two guitars from them and they are great. fast shipping and the guitars are…read moreexceptional.

Very disappointed with my experience at Makin Music. I brought a guitar in and paid approximately…read more$375 for work that was supposed to include a setup, fretwork, and electrical work. After getting the guitar back, it still had serious playability problems, including dead notes/frets higher up the neck. I took the guitar to another professional guitar technician for a second opinion. After inspecting it, he told me that, in his opinion, the setup and fretwork I had paid for did not appear to have been performed properly. I also had him document the condition of the guitar on video. I then brought the guitar back to Makin Music, showed them the problems, and asked them to make it right. I was told they were not going to do anything further with the guitar and were "done with that guitar." I requested documentation of what I had paid for and received a copy of my receipt. I gave the shop an opportunity to address the problem before posting this review. Unfortunately, they declined. For $375, I expected the work I paid for to be completed properly and, at minimum, for the shop to stand behind its work when a legitimate problem was brought to their attention. I'm now having the guitar independently evaluated and documented and will be pursuing the appropriate options regarding the charges.

While there are almost too many choices of classes and fun activities for toddlers and big kids,…read morethere's not much going on for babies in the North Shore. I think it's because most people move to the burbs when they have their 2nd baby (like I did). Who has time to do classes with baby #2? Not I, but once my toddler was in school for a few hours I figured maybe it was time to start stimulating the baby. When we lived in the city I was a big fan of Bubbles Academy,* which may have been even more fun for the adults than the kids. There is a Bubbles in Lake Forest, but a bit far from where I live in the city....and driving more than 15 minutes for a kids class isn't worth it in my opinion. While I never tried Old Town School of Folk Music in the city, I had heard rave reviews of their Wiggleworms classes. I was psyched when I heard they had a Glencoe branch and signed my baby up as soon as he was old enough (6 months). After a few years attending classes at the oh so cute Bubbles Academy it took some getting used to Wiggleworms. Bubbles had an entire facility of props to choose from, but Wiggleworms just takes place in a classroom like setting. For 45 minutes the instructor sings some songs, gives the kids some instruments to drool on, does a bit of parachute time and the grand finale involves some banging on a drum. Wiggleworms first took place in a room located above Olly Olly. Carrying my extremely heavy baby (+ the car seat) up a long flight of stairs was not the highlight of my week. But when Olly Olly closed their doors they moved the class to a lovely classroom at the Takiff Center, which is much more enjoyable. As time went on I've learned to love Wiggleworms almost as much as I loved Bubbles. My son (now 14 months old) loves it so much that my nanny now takes him twice a week. He absolutely loves the instructor Miss Linda, who has been teaching his class for 8 months. He's also made lots of "friends" in class, as have I & my nanny. We've also taken John Francisco's classes when taking make-ups on the weekends and he's pretty fantastic. He taught a great sibling class during the weekend, which wasn't a convenient time for us, but I'd love to see more of those during the week. Now that my "baby" has pretty much entered the toddler stage there's more activities for him in the North Shore, but Wiggleworms remains his favorite. * http://www.yelp.com/biz/bubbles-academy-chicago

I really wanted to like Wiggleworms as my child loves music but I just cant give this program a…read morehigh rating. We have taken other music classes in the area (Bubbles and Musikgarten) that we loved but were urged by a friend to check out Wiggleworms as she had heard good things so we signed up. Total waste of money. The classes are 45 minutes long and basically the kids just sit in a circle signing the exact same songs every single week for 45 long minutes. I understand some repetition for the kids to learn the songs but seriously- same exact songs in the same order every single week?! My child and I were both losing our minds in there lol. There is very little movement/dancing (unusual compared to other classes we have taken) and my child (and most of the others) couldn't sit still that long. Which just leads to kids being antsy and bored. Maybe if you have really young babies this might hold their attention but any child over probably a year or so is not going to enjoy this. And even so you might go crazy yourself listening to the same songs over and over and over again. Seriously, it was nuts. I've never taken a music class for kids where there was no theme each week or different songs.

This place is top notch! The people who work there are great. The instructors are great. The value…read morefor the money is great. My son took guitar lessons there and was able to participate in his school talent show after just a couple of months. Alejandro was beyond accomodating and flexible. Super friendly. I highly recommend this business.

Excellent place for lessons! Very nice instructors. Great place for all your music education needs.read more

My daughter has been going to violin lessons for the last few years and loves it. Her teacher has…read morebeen patient, kind, and extremely helpful with feedback.

My daughter has taken piano, voice and music theory lessons with Audie for seven years. He has…read morehelped shape her love for music and the way she approaches each song. We love the many opportunities that Christopher Laughlin provides for their students to practice performing in front of an audience, building up confidence and comfort as well as plenty of fun. Great experience, highly recommend this school.

If you are looking for a Taylor or Martin guitar, you will not need to shop anywhere else! The…read moreprices are comparable to other shops, and the guitar selection is optimal! What stands out is the customer service. You will not find better assistance than what the Tobias gentlemen will give you here! You are never pressured to buy anything. It's quite the opposite, they help you find out which guitar is a fit for you! I stopped here to help a friend choose a guitar, and I ended up going home with a Tobias exclusive Taylor American Dream! There is a nice selection of Martin's here as well, but the Taylor room feels like you are in Valhalla! If you like Taylor guitars, you will not be able to resist trying out a guitar in this room! If you are just shopping and are new to guitars, stop in. Mr Tobias will be more than happy to answer anything you throw at him! The assistant, Taylor, is very friendly and can help as well! I highly recommend stopping in on your guitar journey!

This place is definitely worth the hype! Their customer service and repair is super fast and…read moreaffordable! The shop has an amazing selection of guitars and rare collections. Lastly their vast knowledge really helps you feel comfortable about your decision if you choose to buy.

What a great experience. Joe and his team did a fantastic job. Not only taking it apart but moving…read moreit from Chicago to St. Louis. Professional and pleasant. Even after moving it up three stories. These guy rock. I highly recommend using American Music World for your piano needs.

I had to have my grandmother`s baby grand piano moved from Wheeling to my apartment in northern…read moreChicago. It was very last minute, but they worked with my schedule to get the job done. When we got to my apartment, it turned out the piano wouldn`t fit through the first floor stairwell! The back stairwell looked impossible to say the least, but these guys didn`t give up. It took more time and people, but they got the piano through the back to my disbelief! I think a lot of other places would have told me the job couldn`t be done, but they made sure I got my piano at the end of the day, and I really appreciate all of the extra efforts their team took.

Rick is an incredible guitar teacher, and I've had several. What makes him so good? Let me tell…read moreya... First off, his flexible teaching method. Some teachers are sticklers about theory, some are the "just play" kind. But Rick is a total chameleon, where he can adjust to how you like to learn and what your goals are. I change my mind sometimes, where sometimes I just start asking about theory, and he goes right there with me. Sometimes I just want to jam as fast as possible, and he's gone me doing songs by Guns n' Roses, John Mayer, and The Beatles very quickly (to be fair, I had a few years of guitar experience before about a 5 year lay off, so it's not like I was starting from zero, but man he's good at getting you back up to speed quickly!!). I've always said the mark of great teacher is that they can go with the flow to teach how YOU want to be taught and what works for your brain. He can do that, absolutely. Secondly, he's very smart tactically, showing you how to break down previously-complicated songs into smaller bite sized, manageable pieces. Doing that has made some songs I previously thought were impossible suddenly possible. I've made great progress on a dream song of mine, Extreme's More Than Words, after years of trying on my own and quitting out of frustration. Lastly, he's just a cool dude to hang out with. I never feel like I'm being taught by a nun. More like an old buddy who happened to score more dates 'cause he spent his youth learning guitar instead of playing video games, and now he's teaching you. This is also a neat trick because I'm a 42 year old dad of three and decidedly uncool. With Rick, I change out of my pleated khakis and crocs-with-socks... at least mentally... ;) I've got a ways til I'm Tom Morello, but I'm having a blast getting there.

My 5 year old grandson takes lessons from Ricky. He is awesome! My grandson is very happy to see…read moreRicky. He knows when he shows up he will have a good time. He's extremely patient with a 5 year old. I'm excited to see where this takes him. Music should be fun and fun to learn and Ricky makes it happen!

Excellent Customer Service and top quality musical instruments. I spoke to Matt a couple of times…read more He was always knowledgeable and helpful.

I purchased from Matt two different times. First a new Pono tenor. Later a vintage Panama pineapple…read moresoprano. Both were shipped quickly and packed with great care. I love the great selection he has and the way the kids are pictured, often with a video so you can hear how they sound. Also, very personalized descriptions of the ukes. Made it easy for me to decide. I hope to buy from his site again in the future. The vintage uke was a Kamaka.