I am currently taking virtual cello lessons and needed a cello. My teacher told me about Calliope. I called the store and spoke with George and arranged to pick up a cello for rent and then on Saturday, met Julia who was very knowledgeable about cellos as she plays the violin and helped me with my rental contract. They had new adult cello that comes with several accessories like the case, rosin, and base for the bottom peg for a very affordable monthly rate. It was very easy to pick up at the store. When I had a question about tuning it since I was working with a virtual instructor, I called and asked if I could bring it back the next Saturday and I had no issue to bring it back and have Julia look at it. The store itself is filled with sheet music of every kind. It looks like various instruments are represented and all kinds of genre of music from classic to modern. I can't read music yet, but maybe one day when I do and can play cello, I can come back and pick up a piece to learn. read more

What a great resource for music teachers in the Philadelphia area! Calliope Music Store is the answer to my sheet music prayers! As a private piano teacher who has only lived in Philadelphia for 2 years, I have been frustrated. Until now, I've thought that JW Pepper was the only sheet music store around--not only is the commute from the city quite far but, worse yet, they keep a minimal (and unreliable) stock of books in their store front. I assume that JW Pepper relies more on their online sales than foot traffic nowadays--but as a music teacher, I find it very important to go to the store and "browse" when trying to find books specific to a student's individual needs. After trying a plethora of word combinations in an internet search, I finally found Calliope Music. The drive from University City is about 15 minutes--not bad! Even better, there's a train station right across the street. Calliope is run by a husband & wife team: George and Julia. I had the pleasure of meeting Julia while there and not only did she help me find everything I needed, she gave me suggestions and made me feel like I had found my new sheet music home. Warm, friendly and personalized service. The store itself is quite small, but they fit a lot of music into their small space. The piano method section was quite extensive--they had everything that I needed in stock (except for one book, which they happily ordered for me). They also had a nice selection of classical piano repertoire and even some pop sheet music--something that JW Pepper doesn't keep in their store front AT ALL. I didn't look at the other sections very much, but it seems that they have a nice selection of guitar and vocal music, as well. Besides sheet music, they carry accessories (metronomes, reeds, etc) & music-related gifts and also offer instrument rentals and repairs. Once a month, they also hold free performances of local musicians in their store front! So happy to have found Calliope Music--this is where I plan on purchasing all of my sheet music from now on! Support your local music store!! read more

Calliope Music Store - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Ardmore, Pennsylvania

Calliope is a great little music store, with a ton of sheet music, from classical to pop. Whether you are looking for something obscure like Busoni's transcriptions of Bach or the sheet music for Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball (yeah baby), Calliope is there for you. Their selection is quite nice, and if they don't have it, they'll happily order it. Musicians - if you've got the funds, don't just download your music off the internet, support your local music store. There's nothing like a beautiful Henle or Barenreiter score to play from. read more

I had such a good experience at Calliope! Joe, who helped me while I was in the store, was patient and friendly, and gave me excellent advice in buying several pieces of guitar gear. I like to frequent local vendors but it's also important to me to get good value for money. At Calliope, I didn't have to choose between these two goals because their prices were very competitive. The store itself is clean, brightly lit, and well-organized. I'm very happy to have a place like this in the area and will certainly return for my future music needs. read more

Calliope is a terrific music store, and definitely the best sheet music store I've encountered in my 18 years of playing piano. I have visited the store a number of times in recent months looking for more common sheet music (Satie - they carry the terrific G. Henle Verlag books), and more obscure "deep cuts" like Ravel's "Le Tombeau De Couperin," which I defy anyone to find anywhere else in Philadelphia or the Main Line on demand. Browsing through the store's terrifically organized selection, I feel like I can confidently go to Calliope and successfully find any classical piece when I want it. Of course, Calliope has more than just classical sheet music. They have sheet music of all types for various instruments, and the store is in a thriving and very interesting part of Ardmore, near the Tired Hands Fermentaria and a number of other terrific "brick and mortar" stores such as Pucci Manuli and Viva Video. The owners are knowledgeable and helpful, and if you have children who are looking to begin playing an instrument my sense is that Calliope is a a wonderful place to start exploring. read more

What a great place! I am getting back into playing piano as an adult and left a message asking the store if they could help finding music to get me started again. I promptly received a call back. George quickly determined my level and suggested a set of books that would help me build my skills up again and develop a well-rounded repertoire. The music was promptly and affordably shipped to me. I am so grateful to have a store like this in the Philadelphia area where the staff are knowledgeable and love helping people learn and play music. I can't wait to go there in person and purchase more music and accessories. read more

I had a frustrating experience when I asked them to list my instrument on there web page for sale. If they had just told me they didn't want to list it then that would have been fine with me. Instead they took my instrument, said they would list it, and then held on to it for two months without doing anything including letting me know what was going on. Two week after dropping it off and not hearing anything from them, I stopped by the store to ask if they had listed it. They told me the time was good to list instruments because a lot of students who were renting would be making a decision to purchase there own instruments. The students they were talking about were serious about studying and wouldn't want to continue to rent. They said it will take them a while to list it because they had a number of instruments to list. I was a little irritated that it had been two weeks without hearing anything, but OK, that sounded reasonable. 1 1/2 months later I called to ask if they had listed the instrument. It was still sitting in the same place. I still hadn't gotten any call from them regarding the instrument. I explained I was frustrated because they hadn't done anything and had not once called me in a month and a half. I asked for a call back from whoever was responsible for listing the instruments with a date that they would be listing it. Still no call. Two months later I retrieved my instrument. Still not receiving an explanation or apology for having committed to listing my instrument but then ignoring it and my calls for two months. I wondered w, what if I didn't go back. How long would it sit there? Would I ever hear anything from them? Probably a good place to get sheet music. Can't speak to that. Beware that listing an instrument can be a bad experience, at least it was for me. read more

this is a great little music store. i was really missing presser, but then this shop opened and i can find wonderful sheet music again! the owner is helpful and friendly. read more