Baxter Northup is located on the bustling Ventura Blvd, but unless you're looking for it, it's…read morereally easy to miss! For starters, the windows and posters have seen their days that one might think that it is out of business, but it is in fact not and quite the opposite - tons of space inside! They have a variety of instruments and supplies, including a cleaning swab which I was looking for. And the plus is that they also offer music lessons in private rooms - even same day! I had an initial same-day oboe lesson with Phil, and we had great conversation. However, I have to admit that I didn't learn too much, and that we spent most of the time talking. The person working at the front was pretty chill, but paying for lessons wasn't very clear from the beginning - recommend being more specific with those. Their website is via Tumblr (?) which is a surprise. Lessons were $40 / session, and they recommend one session per week (but how long is a session?). Overall, I wish that there was more clarity on this side from time to payment the moment that we signed up. Parking was fairly easy to find on the street or in the lot in the back. However, do note that parking on the street is via metered parking and not free most hours. Return? Potentially for some music books!

This is my go to place for Instrument fixing and tuning. There is a wonderful gentleman who is very…read morenice and knowledgeable who helps us. It usually fast :)

I went in to buy my very first instrument, a ukulele. The staff were all super nice and…read moreencouraging, not intimidating. One of the staff Nick congratulated me on purchasing my first ukulele, which meant a lot! The staff that rang me up also kindly offered to tune my ukulele, and informed me about discounts. Would love to work here!

My experience was in reverse. Returning the item was more pleasant than purchasing the item. We…read morewent there to buy a speaker for our son. Buying it was a bit stressful, the answer to our questions were hard to come by and we had to carry this big speaker to the car. That said the experience wasn't bad, but, I believe for someone like me who doesn't have knowledge of speakers, a little more education would have been helpful. I am sure this an ideal place for musicians who know what they want. Unfortunately, I bought the wrong speaker. When I returned it, the staff member was pleasant and didn't make a fuss about it.

My daughter has been attending their piano lessons for kids, and the experience has been nothing…read moreshort of fantastic. The instructors are incredibly professional and truly have a gift for working with children. They create a nurturing environment that fosters both skill development and a love for music. If you're looking for top-notch piano lessons for your child, Ava Music Academy is the place to go! I tried many classes around us, but I highly recommend this class.

I've been attending Ava Music Academy for over a year now. I have been taking private voice lessons…read morewith Ostad Edris Foroughi. The school has exceeded my expectations. Very happy with my progress.

Our daughter has attended Suzuki Academy for almost 3 years now and we could not be happier with…read moreour time here. Sensei Hannah is a talented, engaging, all around lovely instructor who our daughter adores and looks forward to seeing every week. Lessons have always been appropriate for her age, handled with great patience, never too much or too little for our kiddo to take on, and always joyful. Hannah has also guided us every step of the way in supporting our daughter on her journey as neither of us are pianists. We hope to be here for many more years to come and look forward to seeing our kid continue to grow in confidence and musicality.

We've had such a wonderful experience with Sensei Vanessa! My daughter expressed curiosity about…read morepiano last year and we decided to give it a try, and it's been wonderful watching her cultivate a deeper appreciation for this instrument week by week at a pace that feels quick but somehow never too fast for her to keep up. I could not recommend Suzuki more!

There are just so many wonderful things about this studio. Most importantly, the teachers are…read morewonderful and actually teach dance to even littlest kids. We'd been to other studios where they had the little ones run around with Pom poms to Frozen music. By age 3, my daughter knew so many dance positions and moves and the names for them. Another thing - this studio is clean. And pretty. And on top of this all, the owner Miss Gaby is lovely to work with on the business-y stuff too. Five big stars!

I just saw the first recital since my daughter began taking lessons, and I still can't stop…read moresmiling. My daughter's teacher, Gabby, is very passionate and seems to tailor her instruction based on the child's strengths. My daughter is taking private lessons, so maybe it's not like that in groups, but she seems to be teaching my girl very ambitious and energetic routines right out of the gate, as opposed to my daughter's last teacher who seemed to spend two years on fundamentals and never taught her an actual routine that puts the moves together. This is the thing that finally got my daughter to appreciate all those earlier years. I highly recommend this teacher and studio to anyone with a little one who loves to dance.

I took my guitar in for a little tuneup on my fret board. He was very nice as professional. Had it…read moredone the same day. Only a couple of hours. Came back exactly how I wanted it. You can tell they take pride in their work. Definitely coming back for any future guitar needs

I can't believe that customer service like this still exists. George is absolutely the best…read more Incredibly knowledgeable, kind, professional and clearly a true craftsman. I feel very lucky to have stumbled on this hidden treasure of a place when I brought my Gibson guitar in for a set up. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Highly recommend!

I've been taking theory lessons from Damjan for a few months now and have really been enjoying the…read moreexperience. I didn't have any background in music when I started so we've had to begin with the absolute basics, but the lessons & explanations have always been clear and he's always been helpful in reviewing material and answering any questions I may have. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in music lessons.

Roksana is a wonderful voice teacher. She is sweet and supportive, yet very specific and demanding…read morewhen it comes to the technical aspects of singing. Her work on the body, posture and breathing is very helpful is learning how to allow the voice to work without unnecessary tension. And she can also play anything you put in front of her on the piano! Since working with her I have become more comfortable with my voice and musicianship and feel like I have more confidence as a performer. I highly recommend her as a teacher, you won't be disappointed!

Our daughter has been with Piano Play for 4 years. We are so happy with Ms. Sharon, her instruction…read more& playful spirit. She is fantastic, the entire crew over at PP is amazing, friendly and hardworking. They truly care and work at the pace of your child to make certain they have a full understanding of the material & find ways to keep it interesting & new so that these kids really fall in love with learning & specifically music. I would give them 10 stars!

We LOVE piano play! Our daughter has been there for 4 years and has learned so much in a fun and…read moreloving environment. From group lessons and now onto private, she has learned to read, write and play music proficiently. The teachers are lovely, have drafted their own curriculum for the group classes, and make the lessons very engaging for the young learner. Beyond piano, they always infuse life lessons - including teaching persistence, focus, pattern recognition, project management etc. End-of-semester recitals are a great way for kids to show off what they know in a supportive annd nurturing environment. Huge thanks to Ms. Sharon, Ms. Cello, Ms. Q and Ms. Colby for a fabulous and rewarding experience!

We did a demo class, haven't been able to sign up for a full session yet but we plan to. The class…read morewas wonderful and our favorite that we have done so far! My littles loved it and loved how active they got to be. Cathy is absolutely wonderful. Highly recommend!

We LOVE music class with Little Movers and Shakers!!! Cathy runs an amazing program and we have had…read morethe best time in Miss Erin's classes. Especially throughout the pandemic, it has felt like an incredibly safe option for little ones. We are grateful for this amazing class!

I recently purchased a Korg Pa5X Professional Arranger from Elevated Audio and had an amazing…read moreexperience. Fran was incredibly helpful, and we truly appreciate everything he did for us. We had a wedding performance coming up, and our main arranger unexpectedly stopped working the same day. Honestly, we didn't know what we were going to do. Fran and Elevated Audio really came through for us, and because of that, we were able to make the performance without any issues. We're extremely grateful for the fast help, great service, and overall experience. Thank you so much, Fran and Elevated Audio! Great Prices, Incredible Service! We will be coming back if we need any more gear.

I was looking for a used Nord keyboard on CL for six weeks. They were all 1000 miles from me and…read moreall felt sketchy in terms of the folks I was dealing with. I reached out to Elevated Audio and what a difference. Got a good deal on the keyboard and Nord threw in their exquisite travel case -- a $600 value. The keyboard is stellar. But huge kudos to Fran and crew at Elevated Audio. Smooth, fast transaction overall while also being extremely personable. I cannot recommend them more highly. I will always check with them for future music gear purchases. A great experience. A+++