We have these guys play for our conference last year and I can't believe I haven't written in a…read morereview for them yet. The music was a lot of fun and they got everybody dancing. They had a great spirit. We're gonna try to hire them again this year.

VERY DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE with Jose Hernandez, per the contract their 'band leader', on a event…read moreheld of just last night. Booked them last December for a 70th BD party to be held May 2. Paid the deposit at the same time. Communicating with Jose the week prior I requested the trio set up an hour before the event started so no last minute sound checks etc. and the evening could start on time and go smooth. Needed a live mike so BD speeches could be made prior to their start time. He said not a problem. The BD started at 5 PM, still no trio. Dinner started at 6:15 PM, still no trio. Booked to play from 7 to 9 PM. Were they even going to show up ? No communication with either myself or the venue. Band showed up at 6:45ish to set up after the evening was in full swing. No apology yet (from Jose who I had negotiated the event with) and was told by Luis, the evenings lead, was all they knew they were hired to play from 7 to 9. TOTAL lack of professionalism in running your business and communicating with your client. Will NEVER recommend your business to any potential future clients. I would NEVER want my friends to go thru the same stress and anxiety we experienced last night.

I have been taking adult piano lessons with this organization for a year now, and it has been an…read moreincredible experience. Starting from scratch as an adult can be intimidating, but my primary teacher, Ms. Candice, made the process feel incredibly easy and approachable from day one. Her patience is unmatched, and I truly appreciate how she respects the specific musical genres I am interested in while building a solid technical foundation. I also had the pleasure of working with Ms. Bhakti within the group for a short period, and I was impressed to find they shared the exact same vision and values. It's clear that as an organization, they truly understand my personal goals for my musical journey and respect them. Every lesson is a perfect mix of technique, music history, and an 'eye-opening' exploration of different genres and musicians I never would have discovered on my own. If you are an adult looking to start your musical journey in a supportive, professional, and well-aligned environment, I cannot recommend them highly enough!

My daughter started with Musicians in the Making since she was 3 years old. Back then, she enrolled…read morein their music program with the elderly that was held in a senior center. My daughter had so much fun learning about music and that motivated her to try learning piano. She started with Ms. Nathasya and when she left, we were lucky to have Ms. Candice as her teacher. My daughter loves Ms. Candice. She loves going to her class. Her teaching approach is student-centered learning. She lets my daughter choose between songs or choose songs that are going to be learned based on her interest or something that would spark her interest. She also prepares teacher-made materials for activities and games to help my daughter understand concepts in music / piano better. Also, Ms. Candice is proficient in terms of managing my daughter's mood or behavior during class. She knows what to say and how to encourage my daughter in playing the piano or in focusing on the task at hand. Our children's extra curricular activities can be an additional cost to our monthly expenses, but what makes our money worth more here is the additional activities prepared monthly by MITM. Whether it's a zoom class with an expert or musician, performance class, picnic, field trip, or recital, all of these activities further my daughter's learning, appreciation, and love for music. So yes, we totally recommend MITM. Inquire for a trial class. :)

The absolute BEST! Our friends and family still talk about how incredible our band was... it was…read morethe highlight of our wedding! The dance floor was packed the entire night. If you're thinking about hiring Smash City, just do it. You won't regret it!

WOW. Paul and his crew are total rockstars!!! My husband and I actually found Paul during a…read morestressful time: our original wedding band canceled on us 2 weeks before our wedding. Paul was the first person I called and just talking to him made me feel better. He is a kind and genuine person, and he accommodated us every step of the way. Even though he only had two weeks to prepare, Paul and his team absolutely killed it at our wedding! I've lost count of the number of guests who came up to us and told us that Smash City Band was the best live band they have ever seen. One of our groomsmen is a professional musician, and he could not stop raving about how phenomenal each member of Smash City was. He said this multiple times during the wedding night and then called us the next day to reiterate that point. Paul and his band not only saved our wedding, but they were also the reason why our wedding was so much fun and the best night ever for us and all of our guests. They were easily the highlight of our wedding, and they made us thankful that our original band canceled on us! I cannot recommend and praise Paul and Smash City enough!!!! Please hire them so I can crash your event and enjoy their performance again (haha jk about crashing your event! But I'm serious about you hiring them...)

Quick summary: extremely knowledgable, flexible, tailored to my specific needs, reasonable and…read moreaffordable pricing... a music teacher who really cares I feel super fortunate to have found Devin as my piano teacher. I was classically trained growing up but in recent years have been craving to learn jazz piano, especially wanting to improvise. It felt like a far-off dream, but through my few lessons with Devin I have been pleasantly surprised at my own ability, which he has helped me unlock. He truly is so knowledgable and delivers that knowledge skillfully -- as in, he doesn't overload you with irrelevant information, and only relays what is relevant to the current subject we are working on. Devine is encouraging but does not give empty praise -- he is very transparent with his feedback and this feels very effective. He keeps me super engaged -- there is a great balance of theory and explanation / allowing me to apply the theory through playing and answering questions on the spot. There have been moments, especially at the beginning, when I felt intimidated and nervous to improvise on the spot (as this is something I'd never really done before). Devin was understanding of these emotions and created a safe space for me to go out of my comfort zone. These moments of being challenged are super invaluable to me and his method of doing so really suits me. The lessons are paced well for me and feel very tailored to my needs. Devin always prioritizes my questions for each lesson, and based on those, creates a lesson plan on the spot to address them all. I really enjoy the fact that I can ask super specific questions and we can go on tangents about music theory and history. Speaking of music history, I also appreciate that Devin is so acknowledging of the fact that we are playing in the realm of Western music, which is only a small fraction of all the musical cultures that exist. As a person of color, this foundation of thinking is really important to me. I searched for a long time to find an in-person teacher because that was what I was used to, and I believed it would work best for me. However, I realized that the online lessons work perfectly well and I can't see any downsides of them. I think this is partially because I have enough background in technique, so I don't need him to be adjusting my hands / seeing my fingering and all the other physical stuff associated with piano. This being said, perhaps if you are a complete beginner, try to start with in-person lessons with Devin to make sure you have all the basic techniques locked in as this will affect your playing later on. I am used to more structure and rigidity -- my classical lessons always centered around learning a piece and playing it during lessons, with very clear homework. So it took some time to get used to the more flexible and free-form nature of learning jazz piano (and perhaps it is also his particular teaching style). I think it has been an excellent practice for me in self-discipline. However, if you benefit a lot from extreme structure, you can always ask Devin to provide that. I am personally enjoying the challenge of improvisation as my homework! Devin has offered me many tools and frameworks for thinking about piano and improvisation, all of which have made piano feel way more approachable and inviting than it used to. I also marvel at his ability to be so enthusiastic, engaged and creative for each and every lesson. I've had many music teachers in my life and he is one of the best!

Devin is an amazing music teacher. He's easy to work with, very knowledgeable and professional. It…read morehas been a great pleasure to study piano with him since September 2020. I've had many musical breakthroughs since then. Devin is a patient musical guide. His technicality and training helped me to achieve my dream of singing popular songs with full piano accompaniment. I have a deep appreciation for music and my prior music teachers were rigid in their approach, which didn't enable me to grow musically. Devin's flexible, caring approach helped me to immediately tap into my abilities at the keyboard. It has helped immensely that Devin offers remote lessons via Zoom, which make it highly convenient for students living further away. I look forward to more musical breakthroughs with Devin as my guide. Highly recommended!

My Mom wanted a mariachi band to play at her funeral, both in the church and in the dining hall…read more I had no clue where to look for a band. Everyone I knew didn't know, except way outside of the Bay Area. On-line, Mariachi Tapatio's pricing was very competitive. With our budget, we chose them. OMG, they made the service have life, brought in happiness and laughter into the dining hall. (I needed that). I received so many compliments on the music. All of my Mom's family side (Mexican) were so impressed with Mariachi Tapatio's music selections. Would I hire them again? Will I recommend them to my family and friends? ABSOLUTELY YES on both!

We had a great experience! We had the pleasure of having mariachi Tapatio at my brothers surprise…read more60th birthday and it was the highlight of the night. Thank you so much! We will definitely use them again and highly recommend.

Mrs Shana is a caring, talented, and trustworthy teacher. She taught my daughter, nieces, and…read morenephew how to sign, dance, and play the ukulele. They had so much fun! Their laughter echoed the room. She has a tender heart and will teach your child as if she/he were her own.

Great learning from Shana. The techniques I learn help me improve myself in a better musician.read more

If you are contemplating a Steeldrummer for an event, I highly and enthusiastically recommend Paul…read more He played at my housewarming happy hour event over the summer and his music added the exact ambiance I was seeking to create for my party. He kept in touch with me from the day I contacted him, returned messages promptly, and alerted me when he was stuck in traffic on the way to my house. It actually worked out perfectly because he made up the time by playing into the evening under the lights. His price is reasonable and there is no question you will get the value for his hourly rate!! And he will absolutely earn a tip from those of you who appreciate talent and customer service. If you need a Caribbean vibe, give him a call!

From the owner: Steel Drum Entertainmentread more

We hired this mariachi band for my wife's birthday party, and they absolutely exceeded our…read moreexpectations. From the moment they arrived, they brought incredible energy and created such a fun, lively atmosphere for everyone. Their performance was excellent -- great vocals, beautiful instrumentation, and a fantastic song selection that kept everyone engaged. You can tell they genuinely enjoy what they do, and that energy really made the celebration special. They were also very professional, punctual, and easy to work with throughout the entire process. If you're looking for a mariachi group that will elevate your event and leave your guests impressed, I highly recommend them. We would definitely book them again! -- Contratamos a este mariachi para la fiesta de cumpleaños de mi esposa y superaron completamente nuestras expectativas. Desde el momento en que llegaron, trajeron una energía increíble y crearon un ambiente muy alegre y divertido para todos. Su presentación fue excelente -- muy buenas voces, instrumentos impecables y una selección de canciones que mantuvo a todos entretenidos. Se nota que realmente disfrutan lo que hacen, y esa energía hizo que la celebración fuera aún más especial. Además, fueron muy profesionales, puntuales y fáciles de coordinar durante todo el proceso. Si estás buscando un mariachi que eleve tu evento y deje a tus invitados impresionados, los recomiendo totalmente. ¡Sin duda los volveríamos a contratar!

Hired this Marachi group for a 50th Wedding anniversary. Very professional and pleasant!…read more Performed beautifully, played beautiful songs. Everyone loved it. I Would definitely hire them again and next time for more hours! San jose, California

Hella Fitzgerald was a huge hit at our son's Bar Mitzvah. We wanted live music as opposed to a DJ…read moreand we couldn't have been happier with their performance! Every musician in the band was outstanding. They accommodated all of our requests, including an extra long hora. :) All of our guests loved them and it was so refreshing to have 'real' music at our daytime event. Their price was extremely reasonable to boot! We highly recommend Hella Fitzgerald - they were fantastic!

A musician's dream!…read more Per the recommendation of our wedding planner, we worked with Hella Fitzgerald for our wedding in Big Sur, CA in August 2023. One of the best decisions we made for our wedding. I am a musician myself and had a lot of specifications for what I wanted throughout our ceremony, first dance, and dancing portions of the evening. And I mean a LOT of specifications! Music is something I am very particular about. Lilan worked closely with me on everything from which 2nd singer to hire to match the feel we wanted (the band works with various singers) to learning new songs that we had requested to adjusting songs to specific BPMs!!! She never seemed to lose her patience with me and would text me randomly with ideas or singer leads. One time she even texted me a couple vocal riffs she sang into her phone to see what I would prefer. We wanted a fun, sexy, big band feel and a talented group of musicians who could perform soul, Latin, swing, R&B, and everything in between. That is exactly what we got. We never left the dance floor. Thank you HF!

We hired Mariachi Trío Estrellas de Oro for my friend's wedding, and they were absolutely amazing…read morefrom start to finish! Rigo was my main contact, and he was so friendly, caring, and incredibly easy to communicate with. Our venue had very poor cell service, which made coordinating a surprise performance a bit tricky--but Rigo went above and beyond. He even called ahead of time to make sure he had the exact location and understood where he needed to be so everything would go smoothly. Despite the challenges, they showed up right on time, patiently waited for the perfect moment, and completely made the bride's day. It was such a special surprise, and they executed it flawlessly. On top of that, they played an extra song so the couple could have a first dance moment--which wasn't even planned--and it ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the night. We will absolutely be hiring Rigo and the group again in the future. Highly, highly recommend!

Wow. We are so grateful we hired this fabulous, talented and fun trio for my mom's 90th birthday…read morecelebration. Everyone LOVED them. We sang along to well loved songs and heard new ones. My husband was even able to play guitar with them for a song. They were on time. Communication was great. Great for any celebration calling for an entertaining and engaging band!!