Lovely, intimate theatre with very good shows. Parking is a bit tight, though. I wish they had…read moreperformances more often!

It's obvious that favoritism is a big problem here. It's always the same kids getting the lead…read moreroles and spotlight even events like Geneva's Got Talent, over and over again. There are so many other kids who deserve a chance, but they never even seem to be considered. Disappointing and unfair. TERRIBLE experience overall.

A really great option for getting your kids involved in theater locally and throughout the year and…read moresummer! There are themed weeklong summer camps for multiple age groups that end with a mini performance at the end of the week, which is super cute. During the year, there are the classes for all ages that also end in a showcase performance for families. The focus is on more than just the performance though, there is real developmental theater and music education throughout the weekly classes. Sunglasses are open to all, and there are audition based classes for more seasoned performers too.

I am enrolled for drum lessons. I have been interested for years but never took the initiative…read more Met Karina at the French Market in Wheaton where they had set up a booth. I immediately knew this is what I had to do. My instructor Tim K. has been helpful and encouraging. Jerry Evans has hired knowledgeable instructors with a passion for music. Highly recommended. P.S. I am over 60 y.o. So if you have an interest in learning to play an instrument, it's never too late.

My daughter has been taking piano lessons here for just over 1 year. Her instructor, Raluca, is…read moreamazing! She provides a perfect balance of structure and fun in the lessons. Last month, my daughter joined one of the "rock band" classes and is having a blast!

I went to watch Les Miserables by Schaumburg On Stage as I'd recently missed the national tour in…read moredowntown Chicago. Realizing that Drury Lane and Paramount had done their version a few years back and Marriott Theatre had done it a bit before that, I wanted to watch a live version in case I can't make the next big stop in Milwaukee. I watch quite a bit of theatre, both professional and amateur. Not sure why, but until this show -- I wasn't aware of Schaumburg on Stage which has been around since 2016. To my surprise, the quality of the production was similar in quality to other highly acclaimed groups like the District 214 all-district group (which recently did The Wedding Singer). Here were my thoughts on various aspects of the show: Staging: It really surprised me how many sets were used in the show and how they were fully functional. They were designed and painted well and items were hardly reused. They also did a very good job of quickly changing sets to make sure the showtime was kept to a reasonable length. Vocals: Two things I like about this. One is how they kept the complex harmonies -- which worked great in group songs. The overall balance lacked baritone and bass voices, but that's expected with younger actors. I also liked how they did not shy away from the challenge of the very high notes for male or female leads. They could have easily changed the key, but it's great to see them embrace the challenge. Orchestra: A bit smaller, not sure if it's due to space limitations or that's the way the school version is written. A bit more reliant on piano and common woodwind/string instruments than the full version. I did like how they played at a level not to overpower the vocals. Lighting and fog: I liked all the varieties of lights used. Not just in general stage lighting from the top, but also from lights on the side and spotlights. There were quite a bit of variations on lighting, which helped to tell the story. I did not like the excessive use of stage fog though, which tended to linger for more than a single scene. Overall, a great group to watch a show from. It's much better than the typical amateur group and prices are very reasonable. It's also great how they incorporate actors and actresses from all different ages and help them to build interest in theatre. Based on the quality of this performance, I can't wait to watch another show when they get a new digital microphone system.

The experienced people at SOS really see the value and potential in each kid. They are like family…read morein that they really connect and care, but they also hold the kids to a high standard and help them achieve it. This is definitely a step up from park district community theater in both production quality and experience.

My son has been taking guitar classes for a couple months in St. Charles. Originally we signed him…read moreup more for fun. Didn't realize how impressed I'd be with how much he's grown in his playing ability. He loves his teacher and looks forward to his lessons every week. Really cool to see his progress, can't recommend enough

Literally the most unprofessional business I have ever dealt with. Zero or actually negative…read morestars. While my oldest daughter worked with Kaitlyn for voice lessons for a few years and had a great experience with her, the business is so poorly run, and they will just take your money and run. About a year ago, we were informed that we owed over $2000 in back pay due to their lack of proper accounting. It took me hours to go over records and verify that what they were claiming was correct. And in the end, I still wasn't sure if there was some inflation of charges since it was over a year's worth of billing that I had no invoices to keep track of. After this blunder on their part, they changed their accounting and billing policy and actually started sending invoices monthly. But the invoices reflected payments for 2 months in advance. So essentially if you decide to quit, they have 2 months worth of your money. My daughter's voice teacher, Kaitlyn, decided to leave AMI, and we were only given 1 week's notice prior to her leaving. In fact Kaitlyn said she was instructed NOT to say anything up until one week before. And my daughter is about to go to college, so switching now to a new teacher made no sense. So now we are left with over $800 in credits that we will never use. I asked several times for them to reconsider and reimburse our money. In the medical field where I work, it is customary to give patients 90 days notice if you are leaving so they can find a new provider. And we have worked with other music related businesses and none of them were crooks like AMI. Look elsewhere.

My junior girl scout troop had a great experience at Studio Nafisa. We had a session there last…read moreweek to earn the jewelry badge. Our lively 10-year-old girls were calm and focused in Nafisa's peaceful studio. They made earrings, bracelets, and necklaces during the 2-hour session. The girls' creations were lovely, and it was a stress-free event for the adults. Highly recommended!

Love Studio Nafisa! My daughter has attended fall and winter art camps as well as attended a…read morebirthday party and Girl Scout outing there. Nafisa does a great job teaching and exposing the kids to a variety of art techniques. We will definitely attend again.

I was referred here by a family friend for guitar and vocals for my daughter and my son. I went in…read moreto check out the school a few weeks ago the two teachers I was referred to are no longer teaching there. I met who I am guessing is the manager his name was Adam or Alex? He tried to talk me into guitar with one of the other teachers but I was extremely surprised that the teachers are all kids. I was really excited that they opened up and are so close to my house however they want $300 a month to have a 22 year old teach your child. I also was not very excited by the fact that for $300 a month my children would not be learning any theory only music for the show that they would be putting on. When I asked if they could also throw theory and some structured learning in I was told if there is time after they work on the assigned songs that they would be allowed to do so. The man I was speaking with could sense my disdain and got very pushy and when he found out that my children have been in music lessons since they were 3 years old he became very adamant about me joining and talking about the show team and other performance programs my kids could be in, Normally I would be a proud mama bear to hear someone wanting my kids to be part of something so badly, but truthfully I do not want to pay for my children to be in a band I want to pay for my children to have lessons from an accomplished adult so they can learn to play better, not be put on a "show team" to play songs and never learn anything new. I felt as though I was at a used car lot the way the man was talking to me. I also just got a strange vibe off of him. He seemed burned out or like he may have been on something. Definitely not someone I would feel comfortable leaving my child with. I was super disappointed because I had heard such wonderful things about the vocal instructor and the guitar instructor, I was upset to find out that they had left the school, especially when they did not have sufficient teachers to fill their spots. All they could offer as replacement was early 20 somethings to replace them. Basically I got a very bad vibe off of the place. When I visited the only people who were there were the burnt out manager, the guitar teacher who is in his early 20's and the vocal instructor (who I had already been told was not sufficient and that you don't want her, you want to make sure you get the vocal keys teacher).. So all in all I would say skip school of rock glen ellyn and go to school of rock naperville. Thats what I ended up doing. The teachers there are of adult age and have resumes as opposed to the glen ellyn school where the teacher are in college and just working a job. If you go to their website do not be fooled in the staff section the guitar teacher who I was going there to try and sign up with is still on there as the music director which I feel is sneaky and misleading, he is not there anymore they just keep him on there to make them look like they have someone on staff that can actually teach music.

Last Spring we checked out school of rock for my son who was interested in playing drums. We…read moreweren't ready to commit to buying a drum set so we checked out the Rookies program. He had a blast and took to the drums like a fish out of water. Fast forward we enrolled him in Absolute Beginners camp in the summer - with a show on the Friday of the camp. We were amazed at how all the kids learned and preformed several songs after 1 week. Fall we enrolled in lessons and Performance Program. All the kids learn at an incredible rate with weekly one on one's as well as weekly 3 hour rehearsal with his group. I feel it would have taken years at a lower cost lesson only program for him to get to the level he's at in 5 months. In addition all of the staff and other kids are awesome. School of Rock will quickly become a second family for anyone who attends.

My experience with YPAC is with the one week performing arts camp (Monday through Friday) designed…read morearound tryouts for a play/musical on the first day and culminating in a performance on Friday evening. Every child enrolled in the camp (which I believe cost $500) is guaranteed a role in the play. I recently attended the Friday night performance for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. There were only 10 children enrolled in the camp. The show chosen had 6 speaking roles, and 4 non-speaking roles. The participants in non-speaking roles were infrequently on the stage singing and dancing. Didn't have so much as one line in the whole show. Which meant they spent much of the week leading up to the show sitting around watching the others practice. Not exactly what the camp offered or was paid for. It would seem to me that a better show could have been chosen to allow fuller participation for all the camp enrollees. I understand that in any play some are cast in larger roles than others. However, the secret to a good theater camp is to figure out how to utilize ALL the kids to make them feel like full participants. There are much better theater camps out there. I would recommend skipping this one.

If you are looking to engage your child in the arts, YPAC has a wide selection of options, from…read moredance, tumbling, music and theater. With two locations in Yorkville, the facilities are easily accessible to families in Yorkville and in surrounding communities. Both of my daughters have participated in the tumbling program. My older child started tumbling at an older age, and YPAC welcomed her and built both her strength and confidence. The teachers are knowledgeable in proper form and safety. My youngest started in a parent/child class, Pre-COVID. It was more of an open gym/exploratory class, which was a fun introduction to tumbling. We just started back after a break for COVID, and the facility remains impressive. My now the year old jumped right in to participate, which impressed me. The teachers are obviously experienced with younger children. The facility has a great plan on place to safely check children in without a lot of close contact and traffic through the building, and parents can still watch class via Zoom. Prices are a little high- billing is monthly, and there is also an annual membership fee. I do believe that there are some scholarships available.