Phil is a really talented and patient instructor! He is also willing to work outside the box! I am…read morean actor/singer and wanted to learn two songs on the piano to sing and play for auditions. He worked with my basic inability to read sheet music and picked out an easy arrangement for me to play for two different songs. It was a lot of fun and now I have great audition material! I highly recommend him.

From the owner: Lessons are available for both Children and Adults and we specialize in beginning piano students…read moreboth young and young-at-heart! Serving Atwater Village, Silverlake, Los Feliz, Glendale, Glassell Park, Frogtown, Lincoln Heights, Echo Park, Eagle Rock, Mt. Washington, Highland Park, Cypress Park, Franklin Hills, The Hollywood Hills and all other surrounding parts of Los Angeles.

I'm not your typical dad of a typical guitar student as I am by profession a guitar player and…read moreinstructor with over 10,000 hours teaching experience with adults and kids of all ages. I thought I'd be a good instructor for my 9 year old son who has been holding a pick correctly since 18 months of age but let's just say . . . I was wrong. He doesn't listen to me, shocker, right? I ran into Trevor from Guitar Ninjas at a school event and after first disregarding the idea it dawned on me that perhaps all of our lives would be easier if I wasn't his primary instructor. Although my son has a very high degree of musical talent he also has a very low degree of work ethic. Over the years he has had lessons with a different place which is a great place with wonderful people but it alway felt like I was inconveniencing them by asking questions or trying to be involved. He didn't really learn much other than one chord over 4 months so I took him out of it. Granted, he was younger and that was 3 years ago and he didn't touch a guitar for those 3 years. He started showing interest again last year so I started teaching him some stuff but A) It's nearly impossible to teach your own kid and B) my frustrations with it were creating a bad vibe. I called Guitar Ninjas and spoke to Jason the owner for about 30 minutes. He was extremely open and flexible and said I could sit in the lesson if I wanted (I do not do that but the offer was nice). He sent me their syllabus and I was pretty impressed with the approach as it is geared towards kids. It is very structured with concrete milestones to "graduate" to different levels which are structured similar to karate belts which is great incentive for kids especially. Most instructors/schools are almost exclusively focused on the left hand with chord fingerings, etc. and they start with chords that are very difficult for beginners of any age to learn without either quitting, feeling hopeless or frustrated. The GN approach puts a particular emphasis on strumming and right hand techniques from the ground up using achievable chord voicings. They also have standard songs in each level with backing tracks in their online portal which can be adjusted for tempo. btw - they don't suggest kids "practice" but "play" guitar on a regular basis which is actually quite brilliant as "practice" sounds like a drag. Jason thought Lucas would be a good instructor so we set up a trial lesson. When I ran the idea by my son his reaction was "sure, I guess" so not overwhelming enthusiasm but that's my son but he was kind of interested in what level he would place in initially. I told him probably the bottom despite the fact that he was playing barre chords with maybe 30 hours total play time. We had the first lesson and I waited in the waiting area as I want my son to establish his own relationship with Lucas. The lesson went great and I could overhear most of it. They placed him as a green pick (4 levels up) to start which is high for his age but he was pretty stoked to hear that and he was pretty stoked to continue as a Ninja. We have been taking lessons consistently for maybe 5 weeks and his playing has grown SO much. Lucas is a great guy with a great background and seems really good with kids. Now, I can assume the role of the dad that teaches him stuff outside the Ninja curriculum and just making sure he is doing their assignments correctly. So, I guess I could give the Ninjas a stellar review!

*Update* I was able to engage with the admin office and my child was paired with a new instructor,…read moreit's only been a few lessons, but I do see a difference in his playing, most notably being challenged to play with both hands.

Who is the best guitar and ukelele teacher on the East side ?? Jason Myers ! Why.... here's why :…read morehe's kind , he's easy going , he's patient -I mean really patient , he open to all kinds of music , you can play and learn any style you like. He's a genius arranger I mean genius - hell make your song choice sound like a pro. He believes in You and your ability. And if you put in the effort, You get better and better and well ...He's such a good person. I never feel like "ugh I gotta go to my lesson". Nope , I look forward to it every time. So go out and Play music , learn music and enjoy music. Go to Jason Myers

Guitar, ukelele, slide guitar, bass... Jason is a pretty amazing teacher, mentor, person all…read morearound. I've been taking lessons from him for about 2 years now, and 30 minutes a week is all it took to get me out of my, "Um, I can play a lot of Stairway to Heaven...'cept the solo..." mindset and on to exploring the instrument's capabilities (as well as my own.) He's exceptionally good at helping young starter musicians get the right physicality, much as how piano teachers are fanatical about hand position and posture. But most of all, he adjusts to whatever your particular skill or mindset happens to be, and encourages you along the way to get the most enjoyment out of the process. As Jason says, "If you don't love playing the instrument, you won't (learn it, play it, want to learn it, want to practice, etc.) Jason's also been gigging for decades and comes with all the experience and maturity that comes with working with dozens and dozens of different musicians and students. Particularly unique is how he encourages you to express yourself through your musicality (the notes are the notes, but how and why you play it make all the difference to your audience - he doesn't turn you into a human MIDI sequencer.) His capability to teach different genres is pretty wide - country, classical, jazz, fusion, rock, metal, rockabilly, folk, western, swing, blues, pretty much the whole gamut. And if he doesn't know a piece, his innate musicality will still emphasize learning how you can make a piece your own during performance. With all of this, you'd expect some kind of steep scholarship-required kind of curriculum, but he's simple and honest about his rates, and doesn't loop you into some kind of never-ending music therapy session (which I have had some teachers do - just keep coming back next week and we'll figure it out...) Jason doesn't do that. He focuses on where you're going as a musician, whether beginner, or pro. What do you need to bring to the table? Want to practice (not have to, want to.) There are 2 student recital performances per year, as a full showcase designed not only to give you an audience, but get to know the feeling of when people appreciate what music you're producing. And he does have some dogs and cats around the homestead, so let him know any allergies you might have to the furry ones. He also runs the on-going Atwater Village Ukelele Club, which meets every week for practice as an ensemble, and has a few more performances available in addition to the student recitals. My mom has been attending each of the student recitals and notices the impressive improvements in skill each time - what starts as a young one plinking out the notes trying to keep in time, readily develops their inner song by the next recital. I think the best evidence of any great teacher are the students that emerge from the program. He's sent so many on to university music programs and professional careers, as well as people who just like playing for the fun of it, that you'll find out really quickly how to find your inner song and develop it to its fullest. While I don't think he's doing Apple Pay, he does accept Venmo and Paypal, as well as the usual cash and checks. Ongoing students (meaning you've made it past your "I think I'm kinda interested, but I'm not sure" phase) do monthly blocks of lessons, but he's also flexible with your availability. Lessons are at his home studio and there's plenty of street parking during the day time around his place. He also knows a lot of other instrument teachers, so if uke or guitar is not what you're seeking, you can always ask him for a referral and he's got lots of good people to connect you with out there.

Found this location on a day that I needed some instrument cables and guitar strings. The location…read moreis well kept and the owner was very friendly and helpful.

Mr. Zargarian is very knowledgeable about guitars and he gives great service at a reasonable price…read more I really recommend this store and hopes he stays in business for a long time!

We've been regulars here for over a year now and purchased an instrument here. Emily, the store…read moremanager, is super helpful and patient. They are very knowledgeable and offer repairs as well. This is a great spot for amateurs and professionals alike, and we make the trip here even though it's a long way because it's worth it.

Metzler violins shop has a large inventory of quality stringed instruments. I made an appointment…read moreto have my daughter try a few violins. Julia and Anthony were helpful in answering questions about their products and selecting the right one that met my daughter's needs. They also have a library of music books as well. Highly recommend.

Avoid. This review has nothing to do with the quality of their products or lessons, but rather the…read moresecurity staff. I was accosted by the security guard, George, as I attempted to enter the building. He inquired if I needed any help, and I said no. He approached closer and asked my reason for being on the premises, to which I replied, "I'm here to inquire about guitar lessons, is that okay with him?" Rather than engage him further, I chose to de-escalate by entering through a different door. I was in a conversation with the young lady at the front desk about guitar lessons for my son when George came in the other door and confronted me, again, interrupting my conversation with her. There were at least half a dozen other people on the premises. If I were a threat in any way, I'm confident any one of them would have advised George accordingly. They did not. Yet, George persisted, interrupting an active conversation I had with the lady who was answering my questions about guitar lessons -- he persisted as if I were a thug or common criminal. George replied that he was there to see if there was anything I needed. Isn't that what the lady at the front desk is for? To address any concerns or questions I or any visitors may have? If I needed anything, she was capable of addressing anything I would have required, or she wouldn't be there as the business's forward-facing staff member. I asked him if there was anything about guitars that he could assist me with that the young lady could not? He replied no. Then I said, There's no reason for us to have a conversation. Another person (staff member?) stood up for him, saying that George was their "goodwill ambassador" and it's not what it looks like. (He was ostensibly referring to the fact that I'm a black man.) To which I replied, "That explanation is Sophism and, even if true, your 'ambassador' failed miserably... This is exactly what it looks like." The scientific principle of Occam's Razor states that, "When faced with a problem, all things being equal, the simple and obvious explanation is usually the correct explanation." I own a business. I have security on staff. It's there for the protection of my clientele, property, and staff. My security also knows that their job is to be visible as a deterrent, yet not interact unless there is a potential issue. The fact that George interacted with me twice, interrupting a conversation with the front desk staff whose sole purpose was to help, is proof, ipso facto, that his intention was not to see if I needed help; it was because, in his capacity as a security guard, he saw me as a potential problem. Again, Ocam's Razor. I will admit that I surrendered the moral high ground when he wouldn't leave me alone and kept persisting: I held up my wrist and showed my $12,000 Rolex and said, I'm not here to steal. To which he used profanity, saying, "I don't give an F how much money you have." My frustration comes from a lifetime of being profiled as a black man. I'm not proud of myself for how I reacted and pulling the wealth card after not being left alone, but that was only after a humiliating five-minute interaction that wouldn't end, and it's nowhere near an equivalency of how I was treated and profiled based on my appearance (George knew nothing about me, my appearance is the only criterion that could have possibly judged me on). Had I been a soccer mom, this would have never happened, and you wouldn't be reading this post.

The worst experience of my life and client approach My…read moredaughter is 7 years old, and she attends various classes: ballet, group music lessons, and gymnastics. Everything was amazing in all of this places. In Silverlake conservatory we signed up and paid for a month 150$, plus an additional $50 fee. My daughter was scared of the teacher and didn't want to attend the class with her. We asked if I could attend the class with her, as she is in a new environment and needs time to adjust, and also requested to try a different teacher. They said I can't do it. The response we received was that we could try a different teacher at the end of the month, after paying for the next month in advance. I believe that schools working with children should be more flexible with their rules, understanding that a new place can be intimidating for kids, or that a teacher might not be a good fit for every child.

We have had Jeremy as our 10-year old son's teacher for about 5 months now, and the experience has…read morebeen amazing even with online learning. At first, we were worried that Jeremy had only worked with our son for a couple of sessions offline before COVID. Frankly we were amazed that the rapport and enthusiasm continued even through live online learning. Most importantly, our son appears to be building a love of learning music. Riko has a strong in-house curriculum that combines technical exercises and fun pieces. Our teacher knows just when to push our son, and when to back off. This personalized coaching (and our restraint from getting involved) has helped develop an intrinsic love of music in him. Huge fans of the Riko Method and Jeremy as a teacher!

I am glad we found Riko school of Music for our granddaughter. Mai, her teacher, is…read moreknowledgable,patient, encouraging and always kind during lessons. For a 1st grade child this is important and keeps our granddaughter enthusiastic about playing piano. All aspects of the lessons are presented as fun, allowing this 7 year old to want to play the songs, learn music theory and develop life skills that will certainly last a lifetime. It was a joy to watch our granddaughter perform at the Riko Spring Concert. While she was a little nervous, it was her first single performance, all the students were encouraged and celebrated for their performances no matter their skill level. Thank you for making this a positive experience in a child's life.

This is going to be one of those odd reviews. I've never been to the store or had anything…read morerepaired. I called and had a conversation with Jack. He proceeded to take quite a bit of time on the phone giving me advice on how to go about troubleshooting or attempting to fix an issue and giving me general advice that seemed super honest. THIS is the sort of business I can get behind. This is what will make me call here when I need something. It feels like a business that actually cares about synths and their customers.

Jack helped me and was super kind. Definitely check out this spot for your guitar needs!read more

Parking: there's only 2-3 spots infront of the studio but plenty of parking around the corner near…read morethe neighborhoods :) I signed up for the low cost adult beginners ukulele course by emailing the studio. By design these courses are meant for a group of 4 students. Just wanted to ask about it since the schedule was not up to date. But the person responded very quickly and checked in with the instructor to see when he was available to host one of those courses. Once I heard back I paid to secure my spot. My instructor was Daniel Corral, he was an absolute gem :) he was very patient with me, I have no music experience at all and was fortunate that I was the only student in this class. Daniel gave me a 30 min lesson every week with music sheets and things to work on for the week. I felt really nervous about taking this class since I'm an old lady but he made me feel very comfortable. I can't say I'm amazing now but I understand and feel comfortable learning the ukulele because of Daniel. I highly recommend this studio and I'm sure all the instructors are great!

When my 8-year-old was ready for piano lessons I gave this place a call. The lady whose name I…read moreremember as Sue, was very pleasant over the phone and after giving preferred time slots, called me back in a timely manner with a lesson slot with a great musician named Nipun. My daughter's weekly half hour keyboarding lessons were a great deal at $25 for 30 minutes. While we decided to stop due to homework obligations from school, we plan to resume next year hopefully in the spring.

Mike was great. Parking is easy. Comfortable. They had everything we needed and we were happy.read more

Wonderful place! Great people and terrific location with a reasonable price. What more could anyone…read moreask for. Five Stars MDM Studios!