I've been taking drum lessons with Sam Esecson for well over a year now - and while he works mostly…read morewith younger students, Sam is a great teacher for adults as well. In particular, he helped me move from getting down the basics on my own to being comfortable playing in several different live band and group situations. I'd recommend him not only for kids and novice adult students, but also for more experienced drummers looking to improve their hand technique, their musical feel (especially in jazz and latin), and their dynamics and finesse. His studio is large so it never feels cramped and set up so it's not super-loud during a lesson, which is a bonus!

My daughter has been taking drum from Sam for about 1 year and she says he is "awesome, funny,…read morenice." We parents, also, could not be more pleased with the instruction and professionalism. We highly recommend Sam!

Looked around for a music shop to repair my banjo and everybody was booked up. One place…read morerecommended Alan at Village Music, who said he was able to work on it. Dropped it off at his place and picked it up a week later. Sounds good now and was not expensive. It looks like the music store has moved from its original location, don't know the details but whatever works.

I really want to love this place. I mean, a local music store on Bainbridge? Should be awesome!…read more But the truth is that every time I go there, I am criticized. Either my guitar is mass produced and just not good quality, or my playing style is wrong and I'm going to hurt myself (been playing for 20 years - I'm doing fine....). If you even hint that you purchased something from the web, you will get serious stink-eye. Here's are some hints for the owners: 1. People do actually buy things elsewhere. Compliment them on their purchases. Tell them their guitars or other instruments are just awesome and they sound great. Ask if you can play them. Stroke their egos. Then show them the guitar you have that you think would complement it. 2. Make your customers feel good about coming in! Even if you're bitter about stuff, don't let people see it. Smile. Joke around. Be nice! People will buy stuff for the experience of coming in and feeling great. 3. Never, ever, ever tell someone they are playing wrong or tell them they need to improve their form. It's totally not your place unless you're asked. It sounds snooty and condescending when you have no idea what experiences and training people have.

Tim Bertsch is extremely experienced in both teaching as well as performance offering his students…read morea multi faceted perspective. He is kind, professional, and adaptive in accommodating various skill levels. The sound academy of music locations are clean, easy to find, safe, and comfortable with safe and accessible parking. The lesson plans are skillfully crafted and heartily comprehensive but most importantly Tim customizes classes that are accessible to each individual's unique requirements. As an instructor he remains present, engaged and patient throughout the duration of your lesson so you receive the highest rate of efficacy on your investment of time and currency. I love watching him perform in his band Jaded Mary as well as solo for his Soul Resonance project and have included some action performance photos.

One of the best teachers I have ever known. Tim is very present and patient and very Positive when…read moreit comes to teaching. He is very confident and can show you almost any song you want to learn just right then and there, very skilled and knowledgable. At 40 I'm learning old time music and Tim Bertsch has really helped me gain confidence in my playing skills.

Arturo was our DJ for our wedding at the space needle. We wanted a bilingual DJ who knew both…read moreEnglish and Spanish since most of my family speaks Spanish as a first language. Arturo was eloquent and ran the wedding perfectly. The music set up and lights were very well done. We had a four hour open bar and we did not experience any issues and everyone had a great time. For anyone considering having Arturo at your wedding as a DJ, you should definitely do it. His rates are reasonable and my husband (military) is a fine detail type planner so he kept us to budget - after discussions with all the various services, Arturo was (a) mature, (b) moderately priced, (c) had his own equipment and set up, and (d) was respectful. The number one issue my husband had when talking to DJ's were that they were (a) young and distasteful in approach and (b) nickel and dimed over every detail. If we have another party in the future we will be contacting Arturo again.

this is the follow up letter i sent to Arturo after he dj'd our event…read more Dear Arturo, I would like to follow up in writing about my experience of your DJ services so that you can know what I am posting on review sites. You showed up to our event un prepared: this included not having your lights that we had agree upon, a missing extension cord and not putting together our playlist. You left to retrieve your lights causing you to be almost 30 minutes late to the event, and on the phone on your way back you requested an extension cord from the facility. Not following clear instructions: I had sent you a play list several weeks in advance was not played. You told my husband that you had intended on formulating it upon arrival. The playlist also requested that no songs with profanity be played, and this was also not followed. There was an overabundance of ABBA played, such that our friends are now calling it the "ABBA party." Unprofessional conduct: The bar tender told me that she had to "cut you off" from the alcohol served at the party. I'm not sure what is typical in your profession, but in my profession any drinking on the job is unacceptable. Additionally, when I tried to speak with you at the end of the evening to express my dissatisfaction, instead of apologizing, you were defensive and argumentative, possibly because of the alcohol, but regardless in appropriate. As someone in the customer service industry, I am particularly aware and sensitive to dealing with clients and going above and beyond to make a client happy. Perhaps this is something for you to think about in the future. I hope you take some lessons from this experience, I know I will. Cherie

Nice little music shop that rents, repairs, and sells new and used instruments. I was surprised at…read moretheir variety of items, considering they are rather 'off the beaten track'. Plus, their prices are better than some around town. Good customer service and knowledge about products.

Once again, Mr. Castleman came through for us. I totally forgot (my bad) to come back and write a…read moresecond review in march, after he fixed my daughter's cello. What a great job he did! Not only did the major stuff get fixed, but also every nick and scratch was filled, smoothed and removed. The cello looks a lot better now. Also, he saved us some money by working on repairing existing pieces, instead of just replacing the bow. He did advise us on better handling of the bow to avoid future problem, and also that the bow fix could be just a temp thing, and might still fail. That was back at end of March. The bow is still being abused daily here! =) Once again, thanks for the artisan-ship, for the professionalism and for the time you took talking to my daughter and I. We always learn something valuable from you! =)

Our son has taken Classical Guitar lessons from Rick for a couple of years now. He has no previous…read moreguitar experience but has always had a very strong passion for music. Rick saw something in this and has developed a way of teaching to our son that has kept him captivated and reaching new heights with his abilities over the years. Our son is not only able to read and play music; he writes his own songs and is willing to perform them willingly when asked. Granted this is over time, we couldn't be happier with the results we have seen in our son (unless he practiced more). Rick provides the much needed encouragement, passion and dedication in each lesson and we like to hear the progress when our son actually practices. Our son is no professional and still has a long way to go, but we couldn't imagine him being anywhere other than with Rick at Washington Academy of Music.

I liked the instructor enough, but when I went out of town for being a service member (overseas…read moreservice), and even when I verbalized that prior to leaving the state, they continued to charge me full price for two months. They did not let me know the instructor was receiving a bunch of no-shows from us. Seemed like a money ploy to me.

Anna is a good teacher, patient and helpful. She really understands the way voices work and helped…read moreme not only with my singing voice, but with my speaking voice as well. For years I was straining to speak and she helped me speak confidently with my natural voice which is now more relaxed and doesn't hurt my throat anymore.

Laura is a gifted teacher and we are so happy that our son is studying piano with her! His…read moreprogress over the last 2 years has been remarkable, thanks to her patience and ability as a musician and teacher! I highly recommend her!!!