I was really bummed when Chris Jensen passed away and venerable Jensen's Music closed after being…read morethere forever. He was such a nice guy. So yesterday when I wanted to play La Bamba on my equally venerable guitar, one of the strings popped. So I reluctantly had to find a new source of replacement strings. I'm happy to report that Nick Rail abundantly filled the bill. Nice helpful staff, prices that don't drive you to the internet, and a store filled not just with guitars, but also keyboards, drums, and horns. School band members rent and shop here, too. All In all a good experience. They've been there 40 years, and this was my belated first visit. Does anyone else remember the Bonnie Langley Music Store in downtown Santa Barbara?

Tired of dealing with trash in Santa Barbara, specifically the weird upper state/uptown Santa…read moreBarbara people (like the sutter hospital case) that think they're above the law. Also dealing with children whose first or second year being employed and or running the store. So this Michael, curly haired man was telling me that they didn't have a book I wanted so I was going to resort to the normal route-buying it on Amazon and getting it shipped to my door the next day. But he insisted that he can get it transferred from another store and it'll be three days tops, he took my info down and said he'll give me a ring after it arrives. And I wanted to support local so I waited the old school way. After two weeks went by I didn't get a call or text so I decided to call them and this lady picks up and said yes they do have it. I came in the store and they didn't have it and he went off angry and screaming at me basically because I'm a dummy - 'like if you don't put a deposit down, you won't get it.' He was saying it all fast paced and clearly very annoyed of me. I mean what are they busy doing? All of the instruments I've touched are all dusty and ragged looking and most are made in china and doubled the price of online. He initially told me I didn't even need to put a deposit and now he's screaming at me and irritated at me and arguing back and forth with a customer. Unprofessional and milks the hourly doing nothing. I hope no one supports this outdated looking and made in china products store. If you want great customer service from all departments for music- go to Santa Maria, Oxnard or Westlake Village for The Guitar Center, they are super professional and they're actually rockstars that will keep you and/or your child inspired.

We sent our fifteen year old daughter to Amplify for the first time this Summer, and she had an…read moreamazing time! We would highly recommend Amplify for any girl that is passionate about music or art- especially middle and high schoolers trying to find themselves in the world while being pulled every which way by social media. For a bit of context, our daughter has had a passion for singing since she was able to sing. From singing in the car as a toddler, to completely filling both her iPad and the family iCloud account with videos of herself singing along to her favorite artists during COVID lockdowns, she was always singing. But the insecurity and bullying that came with middle school and high school stifled that for her, and singing became something that she did in secret. She insisted she wanted to pursue a career as a singer, but she was afraid to let anyone hear her voice. When we read up a little more on Amplify and the positive environment and opportunities that they provide for girls to explore various aspects of the music industry, we decided it would be just the confidence boost that she needed to come out of her shell and let her voice be heard. While the girls are at camp, parents are kept informed through the camp's social media groups for parents of campers, and through the bunk1 app, both of which feature pictures and videos that are uploaded every day or two. We loved seeing pictures and videos of the girls having fun and interacting with the various visiting artists. If any issues or questions came up, camp staff would text us to keep us in the loop, such as when our daughter wanted to change her intensive on the second day of camp. She also sent us an amazing video of our daughter practicing with her band. That's right, the girl that was afraid to sing in front of anyone was singing confidently and beautifully with her band on the second day of camp! She also performed in the camp talent show, and (after a little bit of jitters) the camp showcase! I haven't seen our daughter's performance video yet (I heard that they send out the full performance videos later in the year), but the pure joy I saw in the videos that were posted from the talent show was absolutely infectious! The girls are so supportive of the other bands, dancing and singing along to the lyrics as they cover songs from artists ranging from Bikini Kill to Billie Eilish! Besides practicing and performing with her band, the biggest highlights of the camp for our daughter were the performances from visiting artists. Each two week session features visits from well-known and emerging female artists. During our daughter's session, Lisa Loeb and Emi Grace both visited the camp, performing for the girls, answering questions about their experiences as musicians, and signing autographs. During session three, the camp also invites campers from all sessions back for Campchella, an all day music festival featuring some of the artists from each session and over fifteen artists in total. Emi Grace quickly became one of my daughter's favorite artists during her visit to camp, so she was super excited to see Emi perform a second time at camp before she headed off to Chicago for her Lollapalooza gig! Overall, I'm really impressed with Amplify and the positive impact it had on my daughter. My daughter loved the music aspect the most, but I feel like Amplify is so much more than just a music camp. It's a totally accepting and inclusive community of creative girls coming together to grow, learn, and have fun, without a cell phone in sight! From starting bands and songwriting, to photography, album design, and fashion design, to working on Cuqui magazine, to musical theatre, there's something for every interest. I love how Amplify brings the community and diy spirit that I grew up with in the 90s riot grrl scene to a new generation! Girls to the front!

My 12-year-old went to Amplify for the first time, and she had the BEST time. We drove in from out…read moreof state, and it was absolutely worth it. She chose the rock band intensive, where she learned to play bass and collaborated with her bandmates and instructors, Effy and Sarah, to write and perform an original song at the end of camp on stage. She was so excited when other girls asked for her autograph after the performance! The best part of the experience was that she found "her people." She met girls who were kind, encouraging, supportive, and just a little edgier, which made her feel like she truly belonged. She also loved that all-girl bands came to camp to perform and stayed afterward for Q&A sessions with the girls. One of her favorite days was Field Day, which still makes me laugh because she does not like PE at school. I love that Amplify has a focus on music and arts, but still keeps some of the traditional campy activities. As a parent, I really appreciated that the camp nurse called before camp to discuss my daughter's medical needs and medications. The dining staff also did a great job accommodating her dairy-free diet with plenty of vegan options. She spoke positively about the counselors, especially Chloe. The campus was beautiful, and drop-off and pickup were both organized and easy. My daughter came home more confident, with new skills, deeper friendship, and memories she'll never forget. Before we were even home, she was already asking if she could come back next year and stay longer than two weeks. I think that says a lot.

We have taken Piano and recently Violin with Mimi. She is a very kind, patient and wonderful…read moreteacher. Highly recommend taking any music classes here. The space is so fun, bright, clean and inspiring. Such a gift to have this music education space for kids in this tiny town by the sea. Thank you Alex!

Yellow bird music is truly magical! This was the first mommy and me type class I attended with my…read moredaughter. I was nervous as i am not really the socializing type. It's warm and welcoming. Seeing my daughter learn and beam with happiness every time we go has made it an irreplaceable experience and a lifetime of memories.

Nina is a gifted and talented Musician would recommend. She has a sensitivity that comes throughread more

My daughter has learned from Nina for three years, and she has made tremendous progress. It has…read morebeen an incredible experience. My daughter was a beginner, so it should have been like drawing on a blank page for Nina. She knew what was the most important and effective thing for a beginner like my daughter, understood her emotion and needs, and passionately communicated with her, showing her contagious love for music. Her lessons have always been very active, dense, and filled with high energy. In fact, my wife, who sat in the lesson, loved Nina's teaching style and often said she was fascinated to listen to Nina's frequent demo play for my daughter! Most importantly, we saw significant improvement in my daughter's play in each lesson. Regarding technique, her training in basic skills and intense focus on musicality was perfectly on the right level for my daughter. She picked up errors and pinpointed the source of errors, then gave clear instructions and the right advice for practice and improvement in musicality. Overall, we had a great time with Nina. I wholeheartedly recommend her violin lessons.

Very nice drum teacher, helped my band in a emergency situation. Even wrote a long letter for us…read moreto the guitar center about the missing stands of rental drums. And the studio for rehearsal is sooo cool!!

One of the highlights of our son's junior high and high school experiences was watching him become…read morea musician and his learning to be part of a talented rock band. Steve Stockmal, the founder and master music instructor, is amazing with both girls and boys of every age, adults included.

Hiring Valerie to play at our wedding ceremony was one of the best decisions we made on our wedding…read moreday. She is a wonderful harpist and her music is elegant and magical. We had an outside ceremony and Valerie was at the front of our venue playing under a tree surrounded by white flower petals. She immediately drew everyone into her performance and our guests truly enjoyed listening to her. I could hear applause as I waited behind the scenes for our ceremony to begin. Her list of song choices is a perfect mix of classical, traditional and contemporary. She played the traditional songs we had chosen until after the ceremony when we walked back down the aisle to Bruno Mars,"Marry You". So fun! Valerie is easy to work with and after our ceremony she gave us both a big hug, she felt like a member of our family. She was the perfect choice for our Wedding Day!

From the owner: Valerie Saint Martin is a French harpist and opera singer based in Santa Barbara, California who…read moreprovides professional harp and vocal performances for weddings, corporate events and recitals. She also offers harp and voice lessons.

I bought a guitar from an estate sale and it didn't sound so good so I brought it here to get set…read moreup and now it sounds amazing. Perfect set up and action! Highly recommend getting your guitar set up here.

Bought a guitar and a harmonica from here. Better than any other music store. If you call and he…read moredoesn't pick up he texts you back pretty quickly. When I bought my guitar the action was too low, so I brought it back and he fixed it for me for free. Super knowledgeable 10/10 will be back for all other music needs

Beautiful property with a great concert venue. Helpful volunteers. Handicapped parking very close…read moreto entrance. General parking a short walk during which you can enjoy the property on the way.

Elderly people of Santa Barbara, beware of this organization!!!…read more Was recently reminded of how these people scammed my grandmother in law out of a LOT of money, then tried to take an even MORE exorbitant amount from her as she was lying on her death bed. After several conversations with them, we had to sue to get the money back. The money was on hold and the Music Academy of the West immediately did a 180 and sent the money back, which shows they understood that they did not deserve that money. I just want to reiterate, they manipulated a dying elderly woman into "gifting" money to them, even after she had acted as a more than generous patron while she was fully with it. Don't worry, you guys can delete this. I'll be back posting this if yall do!

My son took lessons from Barry for a few years . He really had fun. Barry is a great teacher.read more

Barry is so talented and above all very patient. My daughter loves attending her drum lesson…read more Barry makes it fun! I would highly recommend Barry.