Note: This applies to online orders, NOT the Fairfield location. I placed an online order for a guitar with overnight shipping, and received an order confirmation email but no shipping confirmation. I followed up with an email the next day (no reply), a phone call the day after (long wait time) only for an entirely uninformed representative to tell me that the order was cancelled. They couldn't tell me why it was cancelled nor why they wouldn't email or call to alert me. What a joke. If you actually need the thing, buy it elsewhere. read more

My 7 year old son has been taking guitar lessons with Paul for several months. He loves it! Paul is such a patient and talented teacher! He's always flexible with our scheduling needs and super understanding. he's a brilliant music dude. Highly recommend. read more

Music & Arts - Paul being a super hands on teacher! - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

I haven't had much experience with their sales, but their music lessons are top notch. We use Paul Fredericks who teaches my son electric guitar and my daughter keyboard. I'm amazed at how fast they are learning and by how much they want to go to their lessons. Because of the way Paul interacts with my kids, music lessons have never seemed like a chore to them. He also goes out of his way to make rescheduling missed appointments easy for me, which is very helpful as our schedule gets chaotic at times. Music & Arts lesson system is also easy to use and notifies me of upcoming appointments and changes. A+ read more

My son has been taking guitar lessons with Paul for about 6 months now, and we have been extremely pleased with his progress. Paul Fredericks is a great teacher. He has good rapport with his students and makes the lessons both fun and challenging. My son always looks forward to his lessons. We highly recommend him as a guitar teacher. read more

Paul is a gifted teacher. His musical talent and knowledge of theory are obvious, but what sets him apart is his ability to connect with students of all ages, backgrounds, and ability levels. If you want to have fun and improve, go see Paul! read more

Music & Arts is a great local music school & store! Paul is a very talented musician & a great teacher. He is always happy to go outside of the standard song books & teach new/current music to my kids, which is much appreciated. We will continue on with our music journey! read more

Buyer beware We signed up for guitar lessons over the summer. The teacher was great - a good person and great teaching technique. We appreciate all his hard work. However, the predatory business practices full of "gotcha's" and "corporate policies" are designed to front-load, charge as much as possible via automatic credit card charges and rip off their lesson clients before they realize what hit them. The store is not interested in building a long-lasting productive relationship with their students. We came for lessons for 4 months. Our relationships with other music teachers lasted for years. Music & Arts is not the place if you're hoping for an inspiring environment for your student. As soon as we mentioned that we would like to stop their automatic charges and take a break from the lessons, it's when all the "corporate policies", "fine print" and "nothing I can do" conversations became a regular occurrence. The attitude of the store personnel was unfriendly, to say it mildly. When I asked how many lessons we paid for and how many my child attended so far, I was shocked to hear from the store manager Chris, "We do not care if your child comes to the lessons" (this is the direct quote). Before he could continue, I asked him to pause and reflect on what he just said. He paused and went on saying, "It's in the fine print". Wow! For example, if you have an emergency or your child's health would prevent them from coming in for a lesson, the store doesn't allow makeups for the lessons attempted to be rescheduled less than 24-48 hours before the regularly scheduled time and charge you the full price. To my question to Chris, the store manager, "Are we supposed to know 24-48 hours ahead of time that our child will wake up sick the morning of the lesson and won't be able to attend in the afternoon or evening?", his answer was "Yes". If he has a crystal ball, I'd love to know where he got it from. The icing on the cake was when our child's lesson fell on Thanksgiving and we got a text from the teacher on the Thursday before the holiday week saying, "there will be no lessons next week and a makeup is not needed as a lesson will not be deducted from your account since there are no lessons on Thanksgiving". Lo and behold, when our child showed up for the lesson after the break, we were told the lesson that fell on Thanksgiving could not be made up! Why? The manager's answer was "nothing I can do". Really???? For anyone concerned about running a successful store, this is outrageous. Such poor leadership on the part of the store manager and the corporate office. The day when my child was not allowed to take a makeup lesson for the one that fell on Thanksgiving, we were at the store at the prime time for school-aged kids to be participating in their afterschool activities. A store that is truly invested in music education and building effective relationships with their clientele would be busy and filled with kids coming in and out of those classrooms, with their parents browsing the first floor for supplies and new music books. But, alas, it was dead quiet; there were 4 young men congregating around the cash register area with nothing to do and not a single customer at the store besides us. This situation is typical after the instrument rental rush is over at the beginning of the school year. If it is not a huge red flag for the store manager to make changes, I don't know what is. The classrooms are in poor shape and disrepair. If you're thinking about signing up, I suggest you take a look inside the rooms where your child will be spending (hopefully) time often. But even that wouldn't have been an issue for us, had Music & Arts cared about their students' learning and success instead of the fine print they keep on bringing up to justify overcharging their customers for the services they never performed. Such a shame! This store looks like it's on its last leg - no indication of investing in their facilities, their students who take lessons, or pleasant shopping experience for their customers. read more

As a more "seasoned" student, I really did not know what to expect in taking lessons again after many years. Paul has been such a patient, fun and knowledgeable teacher that I always look forward to my classes. I love all kinds of music and Paul is always up for the challenge to adapt and help me learn and have fun at the same time. read more

I'm excited to share that I finally bought the perfect instrument from Music & Arts in Fairfield, CT! After my initial inquiry, the store manager reached out to get me the exact instrument with the best price possible. - This store sold me the instrument at $150 less than the other stores in this part of the US, including online. - It provided a great coupon that other stores don't, this store has good coupons, especially during Winter Holidays. - It took me 5 years to save up for this instrument -- Glad I trusted this store with my decision and purchase. - The instrument that I got is rare - this store got it. - My instrument arrived fast in mint condition -- straight from the factory, made of high quality wood and material, and plays so well, I couldn't be happier. The store, its manager Chris, and staff team work for you AND with you. This is a traditional, local business individual care with professionalism that is hard to find. After 5 years of planning this purchase, my new instrument means a lot to me. Major thank you and appreciation to Chris and the music store for making it possible, you made all the difference! Keep on playing on read more

My child takes bass lessons from Paul. He is great about engaging my child - no easy task with a teenager!! Great experience.

Staff is extremely pleasant and helpful. I broke an end pin while re-tuning my guitar at home and came in to get some help. Everyone there was pleasant, patient, and informative. I took a look around the store and they have good stuff at reasonable prices. I left my guitar with them for a very reasonable fee. Can't recommend this place enough. read more

We have been going to Music & Arts for many years. My children have taken lessons there with a few different instructors on a few different instruments and have enjoyed them very much. Paul, especially, has been great with my son, teaching him guitar, piano, and drums. The staff is always very friendly and helpful, and they often have good deals going on for buying instruments and accessories. read more

Music and Arts has been a great place for my sons to take guitar and piano lessons. Both of my kids love working with Paul and have grown their understanding of music theory and playing their instruments so much. He is a skilled teacher who knows how to make learning fun and connect with the kids. Both of them love going to lessons. I highly recommend Paul, he is fantastic. read more

My daughter takes piano and guitar with Paul. The instruction is superb both technically and also in that she is encouraged to explore the kinds of music that interest her. I would definitely recommend. read more

REVIEW IS FOR PIANO LESSONS WITH TERRY: AWESOME! She is great! Really! If you can get on her list, do it! Our 5 yr old is blossoming and loves to go see "Miss Terry" each week! He practices on his own and she has fostered a love for music in our son. She knows how to talk to and interact with kids and when I see all of her other students, I see a similar response! read more

John Fitzpatrick is my daughter's guitar teacher. I would highly recommend John for lessons! She is always excited going to her lesson and John. He makes learning exciting and fun so she wants to practice everyday. With the way John teaches her, I can see her progressing each lesson without struggling. John is very nice, enthusiastic, and listens to what my daughter's goals are. He plays acoustic, electric, and also does vocals. read more

My daughter needed to get a larger size viola, and instead of letting me know there were different pricing options, they "traded" me for one that was $400 more! I was told at the time there would be no cost for this exchange...until I saw the bill on my credit card statement. Such false advertising and what a horrible way to get money out of unsuspecting customers. I wish I knew of another instrument rental place locally. Very disappointing! read more

Viola rental $20 for 4 months, but slowest service on earth. Like 4 people in line took 1 hour?!

I had a student come in with a tenor sax rented from this location. The cork on the gooseneck was almost gone and the half the pads didn't seal. Do not rent from this location. There is zero quality control read more

I had an AWFUL experience with Music&Arts! I rented to own a violin for my daughter when she was entering 4th grade; she is now almost done with 6th grade! Back in September 2015 - 8 months ago - I went to the store to exchange her 3/4 violin to a full size violin. The young boy, probably not well trained to be working there, did the exchange. Well, I asked him at least 3 times, how much more would the new violin cost me. His answer: Nothing! This is just a simple exchange! You were under contract, so you are covered! I thought it was strange, that's why I asked 3 times and had my credit card in hand. He did not asked me swipe my card, nothing! 8 months later, I got a bill for $400.47 and a threat that my name would go for a collection agency! WHAT?!? I went to the store yesterday, spoke with another young employee, which he told me there was a mistake, that I should have been billed on my credit card or billed monthly to my address, but neither of this happened. When I called again today, the person who I spoke to was rude, implied that I was lying, and told me that the employee never told me there was a mistake!!!! Again, WHAT!!! They were rude and would not listen to me at all! I paid the bill in full, even late fees, for a bill that I did not know existed! One person even told me that it was a Fairfield employee fault and not the corporate fault so I should pay asap or deal with a collection agency! I should have listened my daughter's orchestra instructor and private teacher not to buy from them! Poor quality and their customer service even worst! Very disappointed! And between tears, I told them I would write a review so that no one else would have to go thru the same stress I had! read more

No problems with our rental. We are happy with their services. I have taken in my son's trumpet a couple of times and it has been hassle free. read more

WARNING! WARNING TO PARENTS!! DO NOT USE THIS SHOP FOR RENTALS! Should be ZERO stars. We rented from here for 5 years, the first 4 went off without a hitch. This year has been an absolute nightmare. We rented two instruments, same address, same name, same payment. ONE account had no issues, the other the local store put in the wrong address (where we have never lived). Over the last 4 months I have called their headquarters, left messages, emails, etc. trying to get a paper bill MAILED so that I could pay whatever was owed. They were incapable of sending this, and every time I called in could not even find the right account or would tell me everything was fine and they did not know why I was being contacted. When asked why they could not have looked at our other rental account for the correct information they were stunned into silence. Absolute incompetency from the sales staff all the way up to the billing department supervisor who assigned our missing "account" to a collections agency and then gave us the WRONG agency. Save yourself the trouble and stay far, far away from here. read more

Brought in my husband's 1960's Conn Direktor trumpet to be repaired on September 28. Got it back November 2. When i dropped it off I was told it would be ready in a week. ONE WEEK. Weekly phone calls to the store speaking with Mike and Chris got me nowhere. They said due to the age of the horn some parts aren't available. BS. A button needed replacement. Two places on the horn needed to be soldered. One valve has been frozen for 30 years and will never work. Their original quote, was 1-2 hours to work on it, at a cost of $67-97. Four weeks later, we're out $124. NEVER AGAIN. Instruments for repair are sent to a "repair hub" near Hartford, and basically the guys in the store told is its out of their hands. As the customer, I found it extremely RUDE and unprofessional that I had to call several times for a status report. I'd call on a Thursday and was told it would be ready on Monday. Four Mondays came and went. Nothing. THEY should be calling ME to let me know there's a delay due to unavailable parts or whatever. I shouldn't have to pop into the store and call multiple times looking for my trumpet! Never again! read more