I sent my 8 year old to a Glee Camp at Bach to Rock with friends on a day off from school last…read morespring. All the kids came out smiling from ear to ear saying they wanted to take singing lessons. But my own spirited daughter said forget singing...she saw a drum set at Bach to Rock and thought that looked way more fun. She's asking for a new activity every few weeks so I tend to ignore her requests until she asks at least a dozen times...and she kept asking. Finally I agreed to drum lessons if she went to Glencoe Academy of Music since it's so close to my house. I'm all about the least amount of driving possible being a busy working mom of 3 kids. She agreed and I sent an email to Glencoe Music Academy asking for info...and very quickly heard back from Brandon who got us scheduled with Mark. Glencoe Music Academy may be convenient, but the lessons would be well worth it even if we had to drive there. Mark is patient, fun and my daughter comes out with a huge smile every week. To be honest I thought drumming was just making a lot of banging noise, but I've been really surprised (and pleased) with how much coordination is involved w/ playing the drums...and it's been fun to see her make progress. She also has a bunch of friends who take guitar lessons with Carlos and are very pleased as well. The lessons themselves are pretty expensive, but I think that's to be expected when it comes to private music lessons. I haven't agreed to an expensive (and loud!) drum set quite yet, but Mark has offered a few times that he can come with us to the store to help us pick one out when/if the time comes. In the meantime, I'm happy with her playing on her little amazon pad to keep the noise down a bit in my house.

If you are interested in picking up a new hobby or just getting back to playing something you used…read moreto years ago, Glencoe School of Music is the place to be. It brings downtown and area musicians to the North Shore. Carlos and his staff are amazing, talented and fun people who know how to motivate the young and the old! Situated in the middle of downtown Glencoe, next to Foodstuffs, the studio is easy to get to and has plenty of parking with a public lot right behind the building. If you are thinking of taking up an instrument or want to work on your karaoke skills (seriously Kay Rutherford is an amazing vocal instructor), GAM is the place to go. All the instructors are performers in their own right and have the skills, patience and knowledge to make you a better performer!

I am an avid theater fan (and sometimes participant), yet somehow I'd never been here. This is a…read moretragic fact, as they've done a lot of shows I really love over the years. But honestly, I think a big deterrent is their ticket prices. It looks like they do student ticket prices now, which is great and makes it much more attainable -- I don't remember seeing that as an option when I was in college or my first round of grad school, but it's been awhile since I was in that situation. (It looks like they have educator discounts, which I'm hoping I may be eligible for, as it doesn't specifically state whether you have to be a K-12 educator or if college faculty are eligible). They also have discounts for theater industry professionals, which is great. Their regular prices for shows are a bit more expensive than a lot of the theaters in the city. (But also it probably balances out when you consider cost to park downtown versus here). It also looks like they have pay-what-you-can options at certain shows, which is also a nice way to make it accessible to more folks. I still haven't seen a show here, but I came to a lecture event they did a few weekends ago that is related to the themes of their current show. It was really interesting to hear both an academic perspective from a professor and the perspective of a social worker and dramaturg. They also do a pay-what-you-can storytelling night, which sounds super fun. The space is also incredible. The lecture took place in the lobby area, and it's a beautiful space. I look forward to coming to see a show here. (And will update my review once I do.)

Came here for Pearls Rollin Blues in the John Nichols theater. Wow a nice intimate space. Seats…read morewere comfortable and lots of legroom. The show was good. My only issue was it didn't seem like there was a sound engineer. The mikes were all at the same level so when Pearl was singing, some of the back up were too loud and you lost some of the words. The musicians were fabulous and the conductor/piano player was outstanding.

We have used three musicians from the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band for many years at our…read moreorganization's annual reception. They are simply wonderful. A number of our guests have commented on how simply great they were. We look forward to having them again at next year's event!

We had a fantastic concert at our library with the Maxwell Street Klezmer Quintet! We received so…read moremany wonderful comments from our patrons. They attract a large crowd and filled our meeting room.

I came here for a magic show with a group of friends on a Friday. Overall, good facility! There's a…read moresmall parking lot for patrons nearby, which was nice. Bartenders were friendly. Bathrooms were clean. It was cold, but that's typical of buildings in the summer. I'd come back!

What's life without a little magic! We came by to see a show on a Sunday afternoon and we're able…read moreto enjoy the Physician's show. When you walk in there is a bar and some tables but through the double doors, you'll find a 2nd bar with a speakeasy feel. When we checked in, we were assigned our tables. We ordered drinks before hand and the drinks were brought to our tables. We also ordered the pimento cheese and crackers. We snacked on the crackers most of the show as there was quite a bit of pimento in the bowl. The show was great and was broken into 2 parts. There were a lot of great metaphors along with it being a very interactive show with the crowd. Many of the tricks and magic left us in complete awe. We can't wait to come back and see future shows!

The instructor is amazing. He puts his whole heart in his teachings by helping you to work from…read morethe inside out, starting with your heart.

From the owner: The Doug McDade Studio of the Performing HeArts is a performance based learning center for the…read moreactor and non-actor alike. Our goal is not to simply mass produce actors who are given basic elements of performance without guiding them to a specific destination of their artistry. Through decades of work, Doug McDade has cultivated a teaching method unlike any other studio. One that allows the student to come as they are and leave as they want to be. We will not leave you hanging if you’re unsure of your work or feeling off-balance in your understanding.

Edd Fairman's magic was fantastic and made our birthday party a lot of fun. The show was great for…read moreour audience of children and adults. There was a good deal of comedy and audience participation in addition to delightfully mystifying magic tricks. Edd's website offered us clear choices, his communication was prompt, and his confirmation emails leading up to the event were informative and useful. Edd made our party extra special, and we highly recommend his wizardry.

Edd was amazing! He entertained a group of around 30 kids, their ages ranged from 2 to 7 with the…read moremajority of them being 2 or 5:) They were all very engaged and he was hilarious to the kids and the parents! He even gave several parents the opportunity to talk to each other rather than chase their kids as they were so entertained by the show!

BFTP performed at my wedding reception this past weekend and the dance floor was overflowing from…read morethe very first song through the very last. They are one of those bands that 30 seconds into the first song you know you made the right choice, and your guests know they're in for a hell of a night. Working with John was super easy, and the family aspect the band has really helps you stay at ease throughout the process. We cannot recommend BFTP enough, and are looking forward to telling people we had them back when! Thank you guys and girls so much for making our wedding so fun!

If I can give them a million stars, I would! We booked BFTP for our wedding, and all of our guests…read moreare still talking about how great they were. They really made our wedding day! I almost feel a little guilty because I was on the dance floor the whole time. But like the prior review said, they were so good, the dance floor was packed! Prior to the wedding, me, my husband, mom and dad thought we would see them first at a bar before we sealed the deal. We were walking thru the parking lot and I could hear them and already knew. When we walked in the bar we were greeted by the wife (sorry, forgot her name). But so sweet. Paid the cover charge and within minutes we were on the dance floor! SOLD! John was great thruoughout the coming days for our wedding. He thought of things I didnt, and the contract was so easy. They really wanted to make it special for us. The day of the wedding, they blew our mind! They surprised us with so many extra things, beyond our expectations. The band was the hit of the night so much that my family wants to do it again. My greatest memory of my wedding is BFTP, it will always be, and our family and friends will be the biggest fans!

I discovered Stages a few years ago (pre COVID) and my child fell in love with the Preschool Prep…read moreclasses almost immediately. Over the 5 years since we have done numerous camps, day off school sessions, and the spring musicals BUT recently I got to fall back in love with Stages when I attended a Broadway Baby class with a friends toddler. It was so fun, so relaxed and the kids (and me!) had a blast. We went thru an abbreviated telling of a musical (Lion King, but each week is something new) with stories, movement, songs, instruments and BUBBLES! I wish this existed when my kids were this age. Definitely recommend trying a class!

I've been following Emily & her incredibly talented team on social for awhile now and in awe of all…read moreher themed broadway musical classes. When it was time to plan my son's 4 year old bday bash I reached out to see if we could something work for his chosen theme: superheroes! It turned out they did have an interactive performance party with superheroes and so we booked it right away! All I needed was to find an empty room to host it and I booked the JCC for just that. Emily was super responsive throughout the party planning process and followed up closer to the party for a final count so she knew how many performers to line up. We ended up having 2 performers (Batman and Wonder Woman) for 25ish kids, which was perfect. I've hired many characters for many parties and these two were by far the most talented. Batman (Colin) and Wonder Woman (blanking on her name, which is too bad since she was incredible) had the kids totally engaged, which is not easy when it comes to a large group of 3 and 4 year olds. They had them dancing, singing, jumping and even gave them each a chance to pose for a pic with them. They also weren't completely masked like many other characters so the kids didn't find them scary. Superheroes is just one of the many themed parties Stages offers. Others I"ve considered in the past were a lion king party (perfect for toddlers/pre-schoolers). They even offer a pop star party where performers come and pretend to be the team behind a specific pop star (Taylor Swift, Jojo Siwa, etc) - and teach the kids how to become the next pop star. So fun! I highly recommend using Stages for an upcoming party and I hope to sign up my kiddos for one of their classes one day.

All I can say is WOW!!…read more Dale you were INCREDIBLE!!! Everyone is talking about the music and saying it was the best - most fun and most danceable music ever!! You and Amy were so prepared and organized and went above and beyond to know who we are and what we liked before the wedding. That truly came out in the music and the event and we cannot thank you enough. Even during the hora you reassured me that "I got this" I was so scared but you definitely helped me get through it and it turned out AMAZING!!! The lighting- countdown- streamers-logo- and the way you MC and keep the night moving. All of it was just fantastic!!! I would recommend YazzJazz to anyone - they are just amazing.

In planning my daughter's wedding, I approached Yazz Jazz Music and Production to provide musical…read moreentertainment. It was the best decision I could have made! The DJ (Dale - an extreme professional at his craft) not only provided musical contributions, but also served as the evening's MC who kept the whole evening right on schedule! Everyone was too busy dancing and having fun to worry about when it was time to cut the cake, when it was time for the first dances, when it was time to do this or that - but Dale kept things moving! MEANWHILE, never once was the dance floor empty because of Dale's excellent song selections! Additionally, Amy Yassinger was in constant contact with us from the beginning planning stages right up to the service and reception. She was available to us throughout the entire process as well as the day of the wedding. I couldn't be more grateful and appreciative of Amy Yassinger and the services provided by Yazz Jazz Music and Productions! 5 STARS!