Awesome people to do business with. No B.S., Wayne is very dry and straight to the point. I walked…read morein there off the street over 20yrs ago and instantly knew I had stumbled onto a secret Goldmine of guitars and amps. I've bought many many guitars from them over the years at extremely fair prices. Wayne is very fair and doesn't try to compete with CME, or GC, he tells it exactly like it is. It's like walking into an old hardware store or Auto shop. If you come in looking for something or for advice , they'll take care of you and you are welcome to hang out. If you come in with an entitled, woke attitude, go back to GC or BK and have it your way, nobody needs you there to ruin our vibe. Wayne, Tom, and even Rich when he's around have always been nothing but professional to the customers. The instrument selection is exactly as advertised. The best used, affordable instruments around. Dent, dings, yes. Great guitars and amps, absolutely. I currently own 4 Gibson Les Pauls and 2 ES-335's that I got great deals on from Wayne and that I never could afford new or from GC. Check it out for yourself. Ignore the 1 star-3 star crybabies. Actual working musicians, some famous , some not, go there repeatedly. Rant Over! Wayne's the best.

I have known Wayne for over 25 years and he is an absolute gem of a human being. I have bought and…read moresold gear here and now that my son has taken up music, this is where he bought his first electric guitar (J. Mascis Jazzmaster that he adores). There are a few places you will find in life that are magical and special and Midwest is one of them, Wayne's patience, generosity, knowledge and kindness are second to none. Go check it out, you will be glad you did, You may see us there, my son will be trying every single distortion pedal in turn and I will digging through the odds and ends that no one else is interested in, the weirder the better. I absolutely love this place. PS: out of curiosity I read some of the negative reviews. In you younger days (when I had copious free time) I used to hang around the place. The people who were unhappy he would haggle or buy x or y, are being overly sensitive. It is a finite amount of space, he needs to move product, he is alway candid, I bought a drum kit there to sell a few months ago, he was upfront and said he didn't handle them unless they were certain brands or vintage, no hard feelings. I have made him offers on items to have him turn them down, again, never mean or insulting. I have never seen him be anything other than a class act. He isn't going to buy things he can't sell, he isn't a charity, nor is he going to give things away. I have had dozens of friends and family buy instruments and equipment here and all of them left very happy.

Overpriced products and deceptive sales practices. Friendly people, but dishonest. Lied to me…read moreabout product quality in order to sell guitar at significant markup to what I later learned was the standard price at department stores. Not a good guitar.

I love it. Due to being underrated it a good music center. Violin part cheap and affordable. The…read moreservice is great but can be clear what they can and cannot do. And how they can see if you have any questions or even things you don't have and can help you with that. The bows are really great but they can't rehair the bow sadly I wish they can but in summary they are really supportive and a great place when need to get your parts for different instruments and getting it fix!!!!

Great local music store for basic music instruments and lessons. Staff is friendly and…read moreaccommodating, just a really great place to have in any community.

Highly recommend. Piano instructor Eric is outstanding. Loads of patience. Figured out exactly what…read moreI was looking for in instructions. Staff, which I'm sure are accomplished musicians in their own right, friendly, helpful and excellent to deal with. I am a senior student ( age, not talent haha). Have taken many lessons over the years. Eric cannot be beat.

I would not recommend using Allegro Music Center. The instructors are good, but their business…read morepractices are atrocious. They are very inflexible in the case of missed lessons, no matter if the lesson was cancelled by us or the instructor. After too many "rescheduled" lessons we called to cancel multiple times but they continued to charge us indicating we didn't cancel with their written form even though we hadn't been to the location for over 2 years during a global pandemic.

Jared is great to work with. He'll go out of his way for you. Great for some rentals too.read more

School of Rock in Oak Park is really a wonderful business. I have an 8 year old drummer who…read moreabsolutely can't wait to get there on a weekly basis for his lesson, and jam session. He's learning quickly and has been given a very solid understanding of his instrument. In the jam sessions he is exposed to other instruments which is important for many reasons. The environment is safe, comfortable, and inclusive of all people. My son really feels part of something big...and he is. This place is really wonderful.

Went to support a friend of a friend....its like a performance In someones garage. People can try…read moreout their amateur music skills with an enthralled group of supporters.

My six year old started taking one-on-one piano lessons with Rachel and she absolutely loves her!…read moreRachel is warm, patient and kind to us and we really like the school environment. There is a small waiting area with coloring books and a few tables for families to wait in. We are so pleased with this music school and would recommend it others!

We are really thrilled to have discovered UpBeat for our kids' piano lessons. My kids have shown…read moregreat progress and really love going. There's a fantastic focus on performing in front of a group which really raises the level of the kids and the community aspect of the school. The staff is terrific and they're really invested and interested in each kid. UpBeat is definitely a cut above other music schools in Chicago.

She is very nice to children and knowledged. Good communication with kids.I highly recommended.read more

Bilinda is a very professional piano teacher, who is very knowledgeable and patient to teach piano…read morefor every level, glad to have chance to learn piano from her and would like to recommend her to everyone

Melissa has helped both of my parents who suffer from dementia and isolation find joy and pleasure…read moreon the days she visits them at home! Melissa is energetic, caring, creative and clearly enjoys helping others, in addition to being a talented musician. She was open to our feedback and adjusted the type of music to best support my parents well being (which has lasting impact after she has left the apartment)! We all need someone like Melissa in our lives whose light hearted presence reminds us to let go of worries and take pleasure in the moment!

Melissa from Meli music has been working in our Infusion center at the cancer center for several…read moremonths. Melissa is not only a talented musician and conscientious, but is compassionate and connects with our patients on a personal level. Since the introduction of Meli music, there is a noticeablely lighter mood in the Infusion center on the days we have music therapy. Melissa also offered to provide an innovative solution to our patients by being available for live and interactive video calls during coronavirus. I highly recommend Meli music!