We hired Puget Sound Strings to play a private event in our backyard for 30 friends this summer…read more Despite horrible traffic that day, the musicians arrived promptly and in great spirits. However, as most of our friends were delayed, the quartet was very flexible and gave us extra time to accommodate them. We designed a more interactive experience for our friends, and the musicians were delightful, entertaining, and "read the room" very well in regards to the music selection. Their musicality and showmanship were outstanding. We look forward to continuing the tradition next year!

Puget Sound Strings provided a string trio for my husband and I's wedding ceremony and cocktail…read morehour in July 2019. I regret it's taken me so long to write this review! The string trio was simply, AMAZING. They truly made our wedding ceremony unique and helped bring our vision into reality. My guests were raving about that portion of our ceremony and cocktail hour - they were so impressed and enjoyed the music! It was Rebecca who we communicated mostly with through email prior to the wedding day. Let me just say, she made the communication and booking process so easy. Their repertoire was definitely impressive and we had a lot to chose of pieces to from. There were 3 specific songs we wanted for our ceremony (Bittersweet Symphony, Here Comes the Sun, & Stand by Me) and I was thrilled to find out they were able to play for us! I also want to thank Rebecca for helping us decide on a song for our bridal party to walk out to after the ceremony. We wanted something a little more upbeat, but still elegant at the same time. She helped us decide on Viva La Vida - the PERFECT ending! Overall, we were so happy with our decision to have Puget Sound Strings play at our wedding. The booking process was so easy, the string trio came and did an amazing job and everything was just executed so professionally! It truly made our wedding extra special - I had no idea how magical the write music would make the most important part of our day. If you're thinking of booking PSS for your big day or event, DO IT! I assure you, you will not regret it! :)

Note: this review only applies to the professionalism of Emerald City, not the actual DJ…read moreexperience. It started off fine with Dan from EC. I currently don't live in Seattle, but my wedding will be in Seattle. So I spoke with Dan over the phone, we even did a Skype session to discuss what musics I like, what uplightings I wanted, everything was going fine. I was ready to move forward with Dan, so we scheduled an on-site visit. Because I am from out of town, we made the appointment two months before the actual visit. Then a week before the appointment, I emailed Dan to confirm, and he said no problem. Guess what, the NIGHT before the appointment, after 10pm, I got an email from Dan's brother, saying Dan just realized he has another "engagement" at the same time slot the next day and couldn't make the appointment. Now here comes my complaints: First of all, if an appointment was made two months in advance, you work your schedule around it. I was only in town for two days to visit friends and family, and I made sure I stuck to my appointment, why can't you?! It'd be different if you have a family emergency, then I'd understand. But noooo, he had "another engagement". I was completely speechless when I read the email. Speaking of the email, here comes my second complaint--show some respect to a prospect customer, at least CALL, APOLOGIZE, and say you can't make it to an appointment you made two months before. Not only didn't Dan have the respect and decency to personally call me, he even asked his brother to EMAIL. I wish I could copy and paste the email here, but I assure you that the email was not apologetic at all. It was just a normal email, stating Dan couldn't make it to my appointment the next day because he has another engagement. Third and lastly, even after the fact, Dan didn't make an attempt to reach out to me, to again, APOLOGIZE. Sure I am just one bride and will only get married once, but I have a wedding planner and I make sure she will never recommend such unprofessional services to any of her other brides. Not to mention I have enough younger friends in Seattle who will eventually get married. In summary, again, this review only applies to their professionalism. But ask yourself, if you are a bride, do you want to hire someone that's flaky? I think not.

Dan was an exceptional DJ at our wedding! He brought his wife along to man the photobooth (which…read morewe HIGHLY recommend... so much fun!) and they were great! Dan played exactly the music we wanted, and was open to the reasonable requests from all our guests! The volume was perfect, and he was very professional throughout the entire event. He was such a good sport... our wedding was all outside and it POURED. Being a DJ, I'm sure that's one of the worst things that can happen, with all of the expensive equipment, etc. No complaints from him, though. I'm more than glad that we hired him :)

Great experience finding the perfect trumpet, Seth Tate was very helpful when it came to letting me…read moreplay test multiple trumpets to find the perfect one.

The Kennelly Keys Music on 196th Street Southwest in Lynnwood was our second go-to Kennelly Keys…read morewhen I was growing up. We were required in elementary school to take part in the school band or orchestra for 5th grade with 6th grade optional (I took part both full academic years: 2002 to 2004), so with an older sibling and me, my parents were looking for reliable music stores. There was a Kennelly Keys close to the house, as well as this Kennelly Keys, that we habitually frequented. This was our destination for questions needing further answering and products not available closer to the house. Workers were friendly and the store well organized. When choosing my musical instrument for band, I decided I wanted to play the alto saxophone. My parents were okay with my choice so long as it was not as pricey as my sister's cello. On one of our visits to this location, the store was having a big sale on used instruments and they had a working alto saxophone available for a good deal. So, I got my first alto saxophone that day. I used it for both years and held on to it for a while before eventually parting with it. It worked well and served its purpose reliably.

DJ Otto was our wedding DJ a few weeks ago and we could not have better things to say about him and…read moreour experience! We have known about Otto as a DJ at other weddings we have been to, and when we started wedding planning, we knew we had to hire him as well. We had a ton of compliments on our dancefloor vibe and music, he did a great job at understanding what we wanted played and it was even better than expected! He was very easy to work with, and I recommend DJ Otto to everyone!

I just had my wedding in June and booked with Tom from Otto-Matic. From the very beginning, Tom was…read moreincredibly accommodating, personable, and easy to communicate with. Planning with him was seamless, and he made us feel confident that everything would run smoothly. All night our guests couldn't stop talking about how much they loved the music, and Tom did an amazing job reading the crowd and playing songs that kept everyone dancing. Tom truly went above and beyond to make our wedding unforgettable. We couldn't recommend him more highly, and we're so grateful he was part of our special day. Thank you, Tom, for making our wedding everything we hoped it would be and more!

I have been working with Pascal for just over a year and I cannot speak highly enough of Pascal as…read morea guitar instructor. He is not only an exceptionally skilled musician but also an excellent teacher who has transformed my playing in just a short matter of time. Pascal can easily and clearly explain material and concepts, often approaching things from multiple angles to ensure complete understanding. Whether we're working on lead guitar techniques, rhythm guitar fundamentals, or diving into music theory, he maintains a strong balance that keeps lessons engaging and comprehensive. His teaching style is also approachable and professional, which has helped create an environment where I feel comfortable asking questions and pushing myself to improve (something I was nervous about, having never played guitar previously). Although I was at first hesitant about the commitment of in-person lessons, I have also really grown to appreciate the fact that lessons are in-person. Pascal has an eye for detail and a very well-trained ear, which allows him to provide real-time adjustments on everything from basic technique to nuanced elements like the way in which the pick is being held, thumb position, hand placement, and arm angles, etc. I believe these types of corrections that would be difficult to identify on my own (again, having no prior experience), and would likely not come through in most online/recorded lessons. These small refinements have made a large difference in my playing ability, to the point where even minor adjustments (like a slight adjustment to wrist angle) allow me to play a chord or a progression that I was struggling to play on my own during practice. As others have commented, I would also recommend double lessons, which I find to give me a great amount of items to work on before my next lesson. On a personal note, I genuinely look forward to my lessons with Pascal. Pascal's enthusiasm and encouragement have motivated me to practice consistently and focus on development in ways I do not believe I would have if I were learning independently. I also do not feel pressured if I have a busy week and have not been able to dedicate as much time to the material (although that rarely happens, as I enjoy the material so much). My wife has even commented on how much progress I've made in such a short time (she likes listening to me now). As someone who firmly believes you get what you pay for, I can say without hesitation that Pascal is worth every penny. If you're looking for a guitar instructor who will genuinely invest in your growth as a musician, Pascal is an excellent choice.

If you want to be able to pick up a guitar and confidently turn the music in your head into…read morereality, Pascal will get you there. He has the experience, skill, and patience to tailor each of his lessons to provide meaningful and rewarding progress towards your musical goals and, in my case, beyond what I thought I was capable of. I started playing guitar as an adult, and had little idea of what I wanted to get out of the hobby. After years of sporadically learning pieces of songs from online lessons, I came around to the conclusion that I enjoyed guitar enough to take it more seriously. Initially, structured online lessons yield great results, but I quickly started hitting skill plateaus that forced me to move in a different direction to feel like I was making progress. After diversions into music theory, gear acquisition, and some in-person instruction, my interest in guitar was stronger than ever, but I just wasn't getting that much better at playing the thing. Then I found Pascal's website and thought he sounded like someone I should reach out to. The first lesson I had with Pascal completely changed my view of what I could get out of guitar in such a positive way. Biased by my previous experiences learning other instruments, I went in thinking that learning could either be structured and chore-like, or relaxed and fun, but unproductive. I was wrong. Pascal immediately put me on a track that was both structured and personal, and made me enjoy playing so much more. I wish I had hours every day to devote to practicing, but I struggle to find even minutes most days. Even with that constraint, the progress was immediately tangible. One of Pascal's greatest strengths is explaining why he's teaching something and laying out realistic expectations for progression. I became much more aware of the small increments of progress I was making and my basic skills improved dramatically. As lessons progressed, the connections between the lessons became more and more clear. The fretboard transitioned from being intimidating to comfortable, and the fear of getting "lost" started going away. At no point did I have to sit down and memorize anything to get to that place; it happened naturally with the lessons. I waited to write a review for a couple years because I wanted my recommendation to be credible for someone like me: a person whose interest in playing guitar has exceeded their skill and is looking for a teacher to bridge that gap. If that sounds like you, I wholeheartedly recommend reaching out to Pascal!