I was looking for someone to give piano lessons for my son when my wife discovered the Thames…read moreValley Music School during an internet search. After doing some research, I decided to give them a call. The person I spoke with, Kathy, was very helpful and explained all of the options available. TVMS teaches to all levels of students- from beginners to advanced musicians. They have a good number of teachers to choose from, and they offer lesson times during the week and on Saturdays. Lessons are given at Connecticut College in the Cummings Art Center. Students have the opportunity to use the College's resources, which include individual practice rooms (all with Steinway grand pianos). TVMS schedules several student recitals during the year where students have the opportunity to play in front of an audience, something that all students need to become comfortable with. The cost for lessons is a bit higher than what you may find on the outside- however, I feel the cost is definitely offset by the quality of the lessons and all of the extras that are available to the student. I highly recommend TVMS for anyone who is searching for a music teacher- especially for those who are more serious in their intent.

The level of instruction for both private lessons and youth orchestra is amazing!! So grateful…read morefriends recommended we come here!! Looking forward to many more years of listening to my children play here!

I called to get a guitar set up at rhe new london store. Im terrible with names . There was a woman…read morethere who did the work. She raised the action to right where i wanted it. Did it for cheaper (much ) than the last guy i had work on my guitars. And had it back to me in less than a day.i was kind of shocked. A litrle worried on my way over there. But she did a great job. I hope she stays there for a while.. at this point in my life i should really know how to do some of this stuff for myself. But i dont .i would definwtly come back and have her do more work on my guitars when its needed. Actually, if they offwred like a class on doing your oqn basic repairs/ maintenance on guitars /bass i would definetly sign up for something like that. Anyway in the area theres not too many places left where you can take an instrument to get worked 3on so thanks for filling some.of that need.

I just visited this location the other day in July 2023 and wow, this store has the nicest,…read morefriendliest, most down to earth staff I've ever experienced in a Guitar Center music store. I live in NYC and I've visited a number of local stores and the employees pretty much ignore me most of the time even when I'm itching to spend money. I was greeted as soon as I entered the door and was asked if I was interested in anything in particular. I said I'm in town for the week for business and was looking for the cheapest decent guitar to play in my hotel room. The staff member gave me a quick tour of the used and new guitars they had in stock. He handed me a guitar cable, tuner, and a bin of picks and welcomed me to grab any guitar and plug it into any amp... and just ask if I needed any more help. Wow! I had the most fun I've had in a music store since... ever?!? I played guitars and basses in all different price ranges and got in my daily practice. These folks were the best.

Great experience purchasing my next piano thru Caruso Piano Gallery in New London, CT I could not…read morefind what I was looking for locally, so I began my online research and found it at Caruso. For the first time in my life I would consider purchasing a refurbished 1974 Yamaha 48" U1 Black Satin piano 1900 miles away. WOW. I wasn't sure I could do this, but proceeded after reading many great reviews and the four star reconditioning service with 21 point certification offered by Caruso. This included full cabinet restoration as well in black satin. And, after visiting with Richard Caruso thru phone calls and emails, I was sent a video demonstration made by one of their pianist of two I could choose from. I also chose the Piano Life Saver (humidity control) system to be installed by Caruso as well. So, my choice was made, the LS system installed and piano prepped for shipping. Thus, we started the process of long-haul from New London, CT to Denver, CO. After a delay in trucking service availability from New London to its first destination in Kentucky, the Caruso company decided to deliver a load there themselves. Once in Kentucky, my piano was in storage for a short while before it began its journey to Denver. Once in Denver, Caruso suggested delivery to my city of Colorado Springs using Keyboard Carriers. Working with Brittany Caruso, the whole process was flawless. My piano arrived at Keyboard Carriers in perfect condition and after a short wait they were able to deliver to my home. This was an experience that I would do again and I highly recommend working with the Caruso family. Thank you, CPG! My journey began on June 6, 2022 with delivery to my home on August 2, 2022 (not bad at all for a Summer delivery with long-haul shortages) Photos of my new beauty are below.

Purchasing a piano is, for most people, a once in a lifetime occurrence. So it becomes even more…read moreimportant that the store that you make this buying decision meets all of your needs- an adequate inventory of a variety of pianos, knowledgeable and professional sales staff, and a reputation for years of quality sales and service. Caruso's Piano Gallery meets all of the above criteria! Caruso's has a nice inventory of pianos, both uprights and grands. And most major brands are represented- Steinway, Yamaha, Bosendorfer, Baldwin, etc. They have both new and pre-owned models. The showroom is nicely laid out, and encourages you to sit down and try the pianos out. The sales people are attentive but not intrusive- if you ask for assistance they are more than happy to help, but if you wish to be left alone to experiment, they are just as glad to do that also. They are knowledgeable on the idiosyncrasies of the piano brands, but encourage you to decide which piano suits your taste the best. Pricing is competitive- in fact, it appears that their prices are better than some other stores. They offer financing and flexible payment options. Local delivery is included in the price, and delivery can be scheduled for as little as a few days out. I highly recommend Caruso's if you are looking for a piano. You can be assured that you will receive great service, as well as a great piano!

Great local music shop that has excellent customer service! Staff is very friendly and…read moreknowledgeable. They have a large selection of instruments and can match prices. They also teach lessons and even offer the first lesson free!

From the owner: The Music Bureau offers music instrument sales, rentals and service as well as lessons for most…read moreinstruments including voice. We also have a Camp of Rock, and because we have stage right in the store, we host open mic nights on the first Wednesday of every month. The shop is also available for private events like Karaoke and Band-Jam parties for any age!

I recently bought a quality double bass from Gary Upton and I'm in LOVE with it. The reason I'm…read morewriting this review however is to praise the service he provides. I just had an issue with my causing some of the varnish to come off and he was right there, having me come in so it could be repaired like new. Quality work, great group of guys who work there! Bruce Rothschild

I am writing this as a customer once removed, as it is my wife who has had the relationship with…read moreUpton Bass. But I was along for the ride, and she is not a Yelper! She decided about 15 years ago that she wanted to obtain and learn to play the double bass for bluegrass. To start her out, I bought a bass on EBay, believe it or not. I think it was around $500 or a bit more, and we drove to a shipping depot to pick it up. It was an entry level instrument, obviously, something to try while deciding whether to get serious about playing. After a year or more, she decided she wanted to stick with it and get a better quality instrument. We were led to Upton Bass in Mystic, Connecticut. We directed them to build a bass for her, which they did right in house. They asked some questions and fine-tuned what sort of double-bass would suit her needs. They combine high quality with affordable prices. At least once we were there to see her bass in the early stage of being built, and then later picked it up to bring it home. She continued taking lessons and attending bluegrass jam sessions, both at bluegrass festivals and separate jam sessions. She learned to tune it and insisted on carrying it everywhere herself rather than asking me to do it. She enjoyed the experiences for many years. Finally it reached the point where she played it less and less. Back and knee issues made it more difficult for her to play and transport it, until finally she made the tough decision to sell the instrument so that it wouldn't fall into disuse. We had a thought to sell it to one of a few acquaintances who were interested, for a couple thousand dollars. But she checked and found that Upton Bass, still thriving in the business, could not build new basses fast enough for their demand and worked with people like my wife to inspect, evaluate and repair basses they had built to a large group of customers anxious to own an Upton Bass. So she sent pictures and a description and learned that he was sure they could sell the bass for much more than the 2K we had envisioned. We brought the bass down and found them in a new location, in a regular neighborhood in a well built and converted barn. He looked it over and reiterated that he was confident he could sell it so that even with their commission, we would receive much more than the price we had pulled out of thin air. It took a while to go through the sale process, as he likes to make sure the new buyer is serious and then satisfied so that the deal is clean and finished before sending out our check. But my wife had taken care of the instrument over the years, and it did sell for a great price. Who knew the original purchase was also a good investment? Even though it was difficult to let the bass go, it is good to know a serious musician now owns it. Thus our positive 15 year or so relationship with Upton Bass came to a close, and we would recommend them for the purchase (or the sale) of a quality double bass.

Excellent, kind and knowledgeable service. Needed a quick fix for a guitar and they were generous…read morewith their time and talent to help us out. Wonderful place!

I'll never forget the incredible experience I had at this wonderful store almost 3 years ago…read more It was 2020. The pandemic had just started a few months before and was still affecting daily life. During this time, when the anxiety and stress took hold I found the only thing that soothed me was music. As I realized that, I also realized how much I missed playing guitar. I had played when I was younger but gave it up and sadly moved onto other things and sold my guitars. I knew I wanted to buy another one and get back into playing again. One day in August, my mom and I were taking a Sunday drive around Mystic and decided to drive through a side road to avoid the tourist traffic on the main road. As we neared the end of the road, I noticed a building with a sign that said "Alpha Audio Works, Quality Musical Instruments". They probably sell guitars I thought. My mom also noticed the store and asked if I wanted to check it out. I said yes and we parked right in front of the store. It seemed a little dark inside and since alot of businesses were closed due to the pandemic, we thought maybe the store might be closed. I got out of the car to see if the door was open and it was locked. Dissapointed, I walked back to the car. Just as I got in and my mom was about to back out of the parking lot, we both noticed someone from inside open the door. It turns out that the right door was locked but the left one was open and luckily the owner was looking outside and noticed that we wanted to go in. We got out and he kindly introduced himself as the owner and welcomed us in. As I entered, I was so happy to see all of the beautiful guitars and basses on display. The owner Jim asked me some questions about what I was looking to buy and what kind of music I liked. He let me sit and try out a few guitars and let me plug into an amp. After awhile I picked out what I wanted and he let me put it on hold. I later realized that the guitar I picked was way too heavy and I went back a few days after and switched it out for a used black Squier strat that came with a small amp. It was only $150 altogether which was an amazing deal. Due to the pandemic, money was tight so I was elated that I would be able to get both a guitar AND an amp for under $200. I was so happy the day I took my beautiful guitar home and it has been my beauty ever since. I sadly haven't been back in over 2 years but I hope to go back at some point. The kind of customer service that Jim gave me that day was really special and I'll forever be grateful to him for giving me such a sweet deal and taking the time to let me try out so many guitars. Check this place out if you're looking to buy a guitar, bass, amp, drums, accessories for each of the mentioned instruments or audio equipment. They are very kind and knowledgeable and will take the time to help you out and answer all your questions. Thank you again Jim and Randy for my guitar and amp and for all the advice and help!

Went in and was over charged for a item ticketed as one price. All the items were ticketed the…read moresame. The counter person knew without looking that the item saxophone reeds were more than advertised. They were an additional $6. No explanation or offer to honor the price on the item.

Jim at middlesex music was amazing!!! I came here yesterday…read moreto get a music book for my 5th grader. Jim knew I was going to need to rent a snare drum kit for him but I was unsure of it so I left without it . he jokingly said see you tomorrow. well guess what he was right! I went back today to get the snare drum kit that my son conveniently forgot to tell me I needed . Jim set me up with everything I needed we had a quick laugh and I was on my way . Thank you for the awesome customer service