Outstanding staff and service for string players at all levels. The go-to place for supplies,…read moreinstruments, and advice, or just to make connections. David Doyle is a very highly skilled violinist and luthier, and his staff are all players with a full understanding of their instruments. The Sound Post is well known and beloved in the Ottawa music community. They treat their customers with friendliness and respect.

The Sound Post was recommended by my child's violin instructor because of his own experience as…read moreboth a teacher and professional. My child was just 4 at the time and they made sure that the violin was the right size and took all precautions during covid. Because of her age and the small size of the instrument (1/10) we went with renting - she is now 6 and isn't big enough to go up in size just yet. At another point we needed to get a new bow because of an unfortunate accident and they were so helpful. While their rental rate is a bit more than some of the other music stores, it is worth it knowing that our daughter will always have the right size as all staff are fully experienced with stringed instruments. They also have cellos, violas, and basses for rent and sale; offer restoration/repair; music stands; music books; and all the other accessories you might need. The nice thing is that they do have the very small sizes, including the 1/32, I believe. Her ensemble instructor has also recommended going to this place. I completely recommend going to The Sound Post, especially if just starting out.

I attended a piano lesson here with my friend and her daughter (it was the daughter's lesson). I…read morehave to say that as a fellow music teacher, I was extremely impressed with the teaching style. The lesson was well rounded, including games, improvisation and theory, as well as the practical playing aspect. The teacher welcomed us to stay in on the lesson. The prices here are a bit lower than the average in the area and you can tell that the teachers love their jobs. Private or semi-private lessons are offered and available in several languages. There is also an option here to rent keyboards or violins if you don't have your own yet. The owners also perform and are available to provide music for special occasions.

Great experience with the teacher, horrible experience with administration and location. Lack of…read moreresponse from the owners when there are student issues. They are pushy, rude and quick to respond only when it is to their benefit. Definitely not a school for adult students with busy schedules. Make sure to read their whole website before agreeing to attend this school. Disappointing.

I went there with a friend to purchase a part for her violin. She played professionally and knew…read morewhat she needed. The owners appeared to have come from a former eastern block country. Lots of signs up telling you what you are not allowed to do. A person who appeared to be security appeared. As well a vehicle parks I the alley behind the store had security. Having been in law I for cement it did go unnoticed. STAY AWAY.

I moved to Ottawa in July of 2015. i am a native Montrealer…read more While investigating fun things to do in Ottawa, I happened upon a link to the School of Rock site. What a fantastic concept! They allow kids to learn and play instruments. But, what attracted me was that they also offered what they boot camps for adults. This allows adults to join ad-hoc bands and learn a number of songs and then play them live at a local Pub. I have raw talent on the drums, but I am by no means an experienced drummer. I have never owned a drum kit. Before attending the School of Rock, I must have sat in front of a drum set perhaps somewhere around 15 times. I called up the School of Rock and told them my situation. I was informed that I only needed to be willing to have fun playing. I was in! To date, I have attended about 5 rehearsals with my band and we are having a blast rehearsing our songs in the category Arena Rock (AC/DC, Heart, Peter Frampton, Bad Company, etc.) I never expected that I would be having so much fun learning music and being part of a band. I recommend the School of Rock to anyone that loves music and feels that they might enjoy playing an instrument. They also give lessons on playing guitar, drums and singing.

I have truely enjoyed my group guitar lessons with Rob! The class is paced just at my speed. I have…read morecome away with being able to know the core chords and even play some songs! Highly recommend for beginners!

Purchased an 8 class group introduction to guitar. I made 7 of 8 classes. Can safely say it was…read morethe best deal I have ever had. Great course...our Instructor Robert was a lot of fun. Highly recommend it!

Dealing with the folks at Ottawa Pianos has been a very positive experience for me. The piano…read morepurchased (Yamaha GC1) was to be a surprise for my daughter and Lili and Kim were on board for helping to keep it that way. They made sure to advise me of everything I needed to know regarding the piano and even made sure that the movers were advised of the situation. This worked out beautifully as the movers called ahead to make sure the coast was clear (i.e. my daughter was out of the house). They had the piano installed and were gone before she returned so it was a complete shock to her to see the baby grand sitting in her living room. Needless to say, she is overjoyed and so am I. Many thanks to Lili and Kim at Ottawa Pianos and also to the lads at McConville Movers! Mission accomplished!

As an adult learner, returning to piano lessons after many decades, I highly recommend this place…read morefor instruction. I found the Music Director to be professional in presentation, an active listener of my plans and supportive of my hesitancy to return to formal lessons. In order to be paired with 'right' teacher (Harris is fabulous!) I was encouraged to provide a detailed note about myself as a learner, as well as clues about an 'ideal teacher' and goal statement in order to ensure my success with getting started with lessons and remaining engaged. I found the instruction to be encouraging and always flexible - responding to my needs and desires. My experiences with Ottawa Pianos have exceeded expectations.

Love this luthier!…read more Full disclosure - I don't play an instrument! My review is based on experience I have as a parent of a music child and as a volunteer with a music organization where I have interacted with him via phone. I think very highly of Guy. He supports the music community, he gives honest opinions and good advise - and, from the reading I've done generally researching luthiers he also makes *wonderful* instruments. He also happens to have a beautiful selection of bows! Note: Check his website for hours - it may be best to book an appointment. Would I return: Yes Would I recommend: Yes

An excellent luthier and pleasant and professional…read more Guy and his colleagues do excellent restoration work but also make fine cellos. Strad magazine had a good write up of his workshop in the May 2017 issue, although I'm not sure if that's available online.

I got home after checking this place out, literally an hour after I wrote this review…read more And overall, I liked the place, the people were nice, I asked one of the guys If I could try out one of the SG/SG-Style guitars, it was fun. This may help me out if I decide to buy an SG, additionally, one of the other workers helped me out with how to figure out the amplifier for distortion and gain, very helpful. Another thing that's interesting is that I didn't necessarily have to them if they could bring one of the guitars down, which I guess is mid, because I was obviously not trying to drop a guitar while trying to be able to try playing it and see what it was like. But otherwise, it was fun, the place was nice and organized, I definitely look forward to coming again.

I would have preferred to give the men at Spaceman 7 stars.(representing perfection) The service…read morehere is incredible and so honest. I was told that the cost of repairing my acoustic guitar would exceed it's value which I agreed. although I did not get the work done, guess what the repairman did anyway? He did two different adjustments @ N/C and I notice that at least it plays better now and I can still enjoy getting some playing time out of it. I have been doing business with Spaceman/Songbird for years and will continue to do so and recommend them whenever and wherever I can. Chris(a happy customer)

I had a Taylor guitar with action off the charts. It was fixed in just a few days at a great price…read more It plays better than it ever has now. Thanks!

A wonderful relaxed environment, and very knowledgeable staff…read more A great variety of beautiful instruments. I'm delighted with my purchase, well worth a journey into town.