I've been taking piano lessons with Jeff Cappelli at Cappelli Music for over two years, and it's…read morebeen a fantastic experience. Jeff is an exceptional teacher--patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in his students' success. I've made tremendous progress thanks to his guidance. One thing I especially appreciate is that he's always willing to answer my endless music theory questions and has even helped me explore my interest in piano tuning. His passion for music goes far beyond just teaching students how to play. Cappelli Music has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, and it's clear that everyone there cares about providing a great learning experience. I highly recommend Jeff and Cappelli Music to anyone looking for high-quality music instruction.

I have known Jeff Cappelli since we were both students at OPRF High School. The Cappelli family…read morehave a long and excellent reputation in our area, and when my husband and I moved to River Forest with our young family of five children I wanted them to take piano lessons and instantly decided to send them to Jeff. Cappelli Music matched each of the children with teachers who worked well with them, and our oldest daughter, who on her 6th birthday took her first lesson with Jeff, has become a middle school music teacher. As the children grew, I found time to take lessons myself, and I have studied with Jeff for more than 10 years. He is a wonderful teacher, and I enthusiastically recommend Cappelli Music for adults or children.

I bought a 1983 Hamer Bass.The pictures that they displayed did not show the cracks (checking) to…read morethe extent that the was on the guitar.I understand that it is a 43 year old guitar and the description said minor checking but i feel they should have taken pictures to show the condition of the bass.In the pictures you could see a few minor cracks around the headstock but when it arrived it had cracks the entire length of the body on front and back.This checking on the front and back did not show in the pictures.I have bought from this store before and the Thunderbird bass i bought from them was exactly what the pictures showed. I would have bartered a lot more had the real condition of the Bass was displayed.

Chicago Music Exchange (CME) is massive. There is a lot of ground to cover and many instruments to…read moresee. I accompanied my husband to CME during our weeklong trip to Chicago this summer. We took the L to Paulina, and the music store is a short walk from the train station. So many guitars on the street-level part of the shop. Drums, basses, and the repair shop are found on the lower-level. Aside from all the guitars displayed on the walls, there are also so many canvased photos of musicians and groups who visited CME over the years. There are a number of comfortable spots where you can sit and play. There's also a cushy couch area with Gucci pillows where you can sit, especially if you're waiting for your significant other :)

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.

Eldest child learned electric guitar here through private lessons and took part in the performance…read moregroup that culminated in an awesome show on stage at a real club!! I've also been here for a few fundraisers for local non-profits and it's really a great space for that purpose. I think about 50 people attended a recent event in the second floor space and it was perfect for that- great acoustics, cool vibe, welcoming staff, free street parking, great neighborhood location.

Excellent service from a most knowledgeable source. Recommend for bass clarinet tune up!read more

I trust all my clarinet adjustments and repairs to Rick Sayre. He is excellent! I highly recommend…read morehim.

We bought my son a $400 drum set there and it was crap!! Parts were missing, it doesn't work, we…read moretook it to someone to see if he could fix it and he said the parts to it didn't even belong to the set we bought. Unfortunately I do not know much about drums and thought I was buying a "decent" first drum set for my son. Do not EVER buy anything from them because they lie about what they are selling you. Now I'm out $400 and my son cannot play his drums and cannot afford to get another one. Will never buy another item from them again. Go to A Sound Education.

I was directed to Above and Beyond Music through a referral from a vendor that couldn't keep…read more"Fidget Spinners" in stock. The proprietor, Janet, was friendly and accommodating with an ample stock of various fidget spinners in stock. Granted, Above and Beyond Music is a music equipment and resource center, but bringing in business with popular fidget spinners is a new major area of interest for children and adults. Their guaranteed sales of quality products will bring them interested collectors of these neat little devices for a long time to come. Thumbs up and five stars to Janet and Above and Beyond Music!

We've been to the Old Town School many times, but not for several years now. A close cousin was…read moreplaying, who teaches at the school. We had tickets to see him play. Not reviewing his music (which was fantastic), but the venue. The room we were in was like a black box theater. The room was fairly small and intimate. It was open seating and when we arrived it was pretty full. We were very fortunate that there were two seats open in the third row. The room is acoustically sound (pun intended)... Seriously, being small, they really don't need to amplify the sound, even though they did have a microphone set up. As we were leaving, we got to roam the halls around the school. There were a lot of fun, vintage posters that were a lot of fun to look at. We met quite a few people who either had been students there, or were current students who had nothing but good things to say about the caliber of the educators and the Old Town School. Based on the performances we've seen there of students and faculty, I'd say we agree.

This update is regarding a visit to OSF was to attend their Wiggleworms open house. I've left the…read moreoverall rating the same because OTSFM is still great for a lot of reasons, but the Wiggleworms class isn't one of them. I've heard of the class before and always thought if I had a kid I'd take them, but I think the age range starts at 6 months so we started with a class with a different provider, Music Playhouse of Chicago. I'm glad we came to this one to try it out. While the kids seemed to be having fun, I didn't like it as much as the Music Playhouse class. Wiggleworms doesn't seem to have a developed curriculum. This was just an activity where the kids can grab shakers and toys, and the leader will sing what they want or take requests from the kids, but not a class that has any kind of particular learning outcomes upon which children build. Maybe it was different because it was an open house but I'd have expected they would showcase what an actual class was, and I think it's just not what I prefer. There are some pluses, though. They have weekend classes, which can be hard to find with other music classes for kids. I think it may also be significantly less expensive than the one I take my kiddo to. And they may have a few more babies-only classes than where we go now, which usually has only one of any (depending upon enrollment). I didn't realize before I had a child but there's a huge difference between children of 0-18 months and those beyond, so mixed age classes wasn't my thing at the time. So Wiggleworms has its pros, but overall I'd visit Old Town SFM for the classes and concerts but choose another children's music class.

I've gone to Specimen a few times for bass amp repair, even though this is not their specialty, Ian…read moreis straight forward and timely with his repairs. He's also a fascinating person to talk to about the gear he's constructing. (Those horn amps Andrew Bird uses are his invention, and he makes small ones for stereo and computer speakers). There is no store front, so call ahead to see if they can help you out. Then press the Specimen buzzer and wait to be buzzed in (through the door on the left!). On my last visit I had been having some weird issues with my bass head, and was told if it wasn't a tube issue, it may have to go to SWR for repair. A tube was replaced and the next day I got a call! Great service! Guitar-making classes, guitar set-up workshops, vintage guitar and amp repair, these are what Specimen does best. But they've always done right by this bass player, as well!

I just completed my first course at this school: 'Tube Amp Diagnostics & Repair 1 & 2' and I can…read moresay that it was quite an experience! I live in Alaska so it was a bit of a journey to get to the school. But I am very glad I took the time to take the class. I have been a musician for over 20 years, and I am studying Electrical Engineering in AK, yet despite all of my background I feel like I picked up a lot of valuable new information. As far as I can tell, this is one of the few places left in the country (maybe the world) where you can learn about pure analog valve technology as it is used for audio applications. The class was small (six students including myself), which meant that there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions and talk one-on-one with the instructors. Not only did I learn a lot about the methods and practices of tube amp repair, but I picked up a number of neat tricks that will help improve my band's live performances. Considering that, and the fact that I can now repair my own gear (or be hired by other musicians for repair), I feel like this class will pay for itself in the long run. Ian's workshop is a spectacle in and of itself, particularly for an aspiring audiophile like me. It exists at a crossroads of authentic scientific curiosity, and unrestrained artistic expression. It's hard not to admire the work that Ian and his interns do on a regular basis. Just having the chance to look around the shop made the trip memorable. I highly recommend the Chicago School of Guitar Making. I don't understand the negative yelp reviews for the school, I took plenty of time to research the class in advance to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. As I've already stated, I feel like I got my money's worth and then some. If you're flying in from way outside of Chicago, give yourself a few 'buffer' days to get into town and acclimate prior to class. You'll minimize the risk of missing class due to shenanigans at the airport, and you'll have the opportunity to look around one of the great American cities. If a conflict does arise, it says right on the Specimen webpage that you can arrange to reschedule your tuition for a later date. They do have a business to run after all! As far as I can tell all six of us students had a great time and walked away from the class quite satisfied. The main instructor for this class (Kye Kennedy) is a wizard and a great teacher, both he and Ian are very approachable and exceptionally knowledgeable. Everyone at Specimen are very welcoming and showed me excellent hospitality. I will definitely be booking another class at this school.

I think this studio is awesome... I wanted to start learning to play the piano again for awhile,…read moreand I thought it would be hard to get back into it - but surprisingly it wasn't that bad. I looked at a few schools prior to finding this one, Five Hands did a good job making me feel comfortable right from the start. Rick made it very easy to get registered and is very accessible, although the studio is geared for a younger audience, it offers everything for an adult student. It has professional yet down to earth teachers, good challenging coursework which is not overwhelming and a comfortably informal environment. I would highly recommend anyone to this studio to reignite your love for playing music.

My 10 year old started piano lessons about 2 years ago and he loves them. They make it challenging…read moreand rewarding. The no stress recitals are so fun for the kids and it's really great for them to see all the different levels of progression. Another wonderful perk is the fantastic pool party Rick throws each summer.