I came here for the Haymarket Opera show: it was a unique venue that feels like a fusion between a…read morechurch (open space--decent roomy sound but more diffuse, hard bench seats--not the best, a little warm) and a concert hall (broad stage that is more shallow, rising seats in the back). It's not hard to get to and find parking, has a historic feel to it. The bathrooms are slightly difficult to navigate down the stairs with narrow in/out but that's how it is. It was nice to experience this space for variety and seeing more of the city.

Really bad administration. They never answer the phone or return voicemails, so you can't even pay…read moreyour bill if there are problems with the website, which there always are. But the worst thing is they don't monitor their teachers. Ours decided they had too many students and dropped my child in the middle of a term we had already paid for. No refund, no apology, no nothing. This place is expensive ($123 per lesson), and I am furious. Enter at your own risk.

We loved the Musical Offering during the 4-5 years that our son studied there. Tim, his instructor,…read morewas great in mentoring our son, who learned to play lead guitar, bass guitar, and the drums while also gaining the confidence to sing. Tim would then arrange concerts around town at block parties, bars, and other events-- at a couple of them, the band members actually got paid! The levels of expertise and support were tremendous, and they have an eye towards developing musicians in a really holistic way (in contrast with other music schools that really only seem to train students to play 3-4 songs for a one-and-done kind of performance).

Strange business. You pay upfront for 3-4 months of weekly lessons. Then if your teacher cannot…read moremake your agreed upon lesson time, the burden is on you to find another time for your lesson. If you can't find a different time for a "make up" lesson, then you have the pleasure of paying anyway. No refunds even if it's the teacher who cancels.

My daughter was enrolled in Ms. Jacque's class for over two years before we moved out of the city…read more Ms. Jacque is the best! She was one of the "newer" teachers but she is AWESOME! Her energy, enthusiasm, & silliness is very engaging for the kids, and she has a beautiful voice! Because she is newer, her classes were a little smaller, which is kind of nice. The veteran teachers are great too (I signed up for the holiday sing a long with Ms. Julie), but I noticed my daughter seemed a little less engaged in the other teachers' classes. I don't know if it had to do with the fact that classes were much more packed & she got less attention from the teacher (no fault on Ms. Julie, she does a great job connecting with all the parents & kids, her classes are just bigger). The program itself is awesome. My daughter's language development is way above average (not trying to brag but it's true) and I think this program has a lot to do with it. We still listen to the CD's at home, and the recordings are really pleasant even for adults to listen to. The songs are not irritating like some kids albums can be (parents, you know what I'm talking about). My daughter will request "Ms. Jacque music" in the car, so cute! I know my daughter misses her! If you are considering this program, I'd highly recommend it.

We attended a few music lessons when our toddler was younger! Loved the engagement and the…read moreenthusiasm of the teacher. our toddler and we had a fun time

Adam is a very professional and passionate violin instructor. He teaches good form and technique so…read morethat his students learn the proper violin technique early on and gradually build on it. He takes his time to explain and does not rush kids through pieces to show progress. Instead, he makes sure that his student can play a piece at a performance level before moving to the next. This ensures that the student gradually builds on technique and naturally progresses through the Suzuki books. Adam is very personable and tries to find the right approach for each student. I have two kids at Adam's studio and I can tell that the way he relates to them is different depending on their age and personality. As my 9 year old said "I like how Adam corrects you without making you feel bad." My eldest has been playing violin for 7 years and we have changed several studios over the years. Adam is the only teacher who actually comes with you to help you pick your violin at the store. He truly cares about his students and wants them to enjoy their instrument. With Covid my kids have transitioned to virtual violin lessons. The quality of the lessons has remained at the same high level and my kids have continued to progress as musicians. I highly recommend Adam Davidowitz at Third Floor Suzuki Violin.

Adam Davidowitz has done a fantastic job as Sarina's violin teacher. She started when she was just…read moreunder 7 years old, and two years later, I'm amazed at what she can do on the violin. I can also say that she looks forward to her violin lessons, both individual and group, and I think that's because Adam has a great demeanor about him--making it fun yet being very serious about how she plays the instrument. It's hard to imagine asking for anything more from him.

As a musician and music educator (harp), music education for my girls is one of my top priorities…read more I've worked at many schools from early education to Loyola University and continuing adult education. The staff at Bucktown Music is unbeatable for all ages. The programs offered here are the best in the city with easily applicable curriculum, clear assignments for home, developmentally appropriate challenges, and fun for parents too! My daughters love music class. They are delighted every time we step into the room. From the courtesy at the front desk to the parking options and surrounding activities; the fully stocked bookshelf to the bathroom with diapers available; the clean kitchen to foster community to the shower to support the active staff, they've thought of everything at Bucktown. Thank you for your beautiful resource to our musical city!

Everything about Bucktown Music is fantastic! The people& the program. And the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE…read moreclass so much.

I love the concept of the Music Playhouse of Chicago. I love music and wasn't sure how to expose my…read moredaughter to it since I don't want to force her into Suzuki strings or something, and the Wiggleworms program at Old Town School appears to be geared toward slightly older babies (mine is just two months). In the newsletter for Family Picnic there was an advertisement for the fall term of The Music Class for Babies, which is led by an employee of Music Playhouse at various locations. I was a bit on the fence about going (why is everything for babies/small children in the early hours of the morning--have some sympathy for those of us who aren't early birds!). Luckily Family Picnic is only a few blocks away and I'm so glad went. At this weeks' session there were two other families in attendance and the children ranged from two to six months. This particular class is geared toward children aged 0 to 18 months. It was led by Miss Juliet, who had a variety songs to sing; rhythmic patterns to explore; as well as shakers, sticks, and scarves to dance and play with. We did activities whilst standing and sitting, including various songs and dances. It was great fun and my little one seemed to enjoy it as well. After leaving, we signed up for two more drop-in sessions; though the term is 10 weeks long, I unfortunately have to return to work in a couple weeks so I won't be able to attend a Friday morning class. I wish they had late afternoon or weekend sessions so that we could participate more often. The only negative thing I have to say is that the class took place sitting on the floor or standing. I am not the most limber and I was able to get up and down but it was really uncomfortable for me, both sitting on the floor and trying to get up from it (and I'm not sure how it would work if there were many more people there). I didn't really feel as though I had the option to sit on a chair as opposed to the floor. I'm not sure how it would work for someone who, unlike me, truly cannot sit on the floor for whatever reason, so I'm not sure if it's fully accessible.

Love, love, LOVE Ms. Erin!…read more We've been taking our son to Ms. Erin's classes on Saturday mornings and he loves the songs. Classes have been outdoors at Tuco and Blondie and they are socially distanced. Ms. Erin provides instruments or seating if you forget yours. Everything is cleaned before and after you use it. I would highly recommend the music classes for littles who love movement and singing.

My grandkids were the first 2 students at this location and they have loved every minute of it…read more The staff and students are very friendly. They have shows every other month offering a variety of songs and music genres. Congratulations on your first 5 yrs! Rock On!

Happy 5th Anniversary to SOR Glenbrook! It was such a fun celebration today in the parking lot in…read morefront of the school. We heard the show teams from this location and also from the Oak Park SOR. They both rocked it! The staff is amazing here and they are really kind, cool and encouraging. Your child will thrive and learn so much in their capable hands. Rock and Roll forever!

This is gonna be quite the read. Just a heads up…read more I'm going to be as objective as I can here. I'll just lay out what happened TO ME (not a guarantee you'll have the same experience), and I'll leave it at that. I signed up to take voice lessons with Allison for the spring semester of 2024 (March through June). The first two months (March and April) were fine. Not amazing, but not terrible. There were, however, several little issues I noticed (eg, being late, eating during our lessons, constantly yawning). But that's not the main part of this review. At the end of April, I had received the unfortunate news that my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. Also, we were set to move in with them (not because of the cancer) at the end of May. All things considered, because of the effect it would have on my family, I needed to drop the voice lessons. At our next lesson, I told Allison about my situation and was asking if it was possible to perhaps opt out of the rest of my lessons. But I was fully willing to pay for May since that payment had gone through already (last week of the previous month). I just asked for a refund for June. She didn't really answer my question directly and kept telling me things like "try to find the joy in singing" and "why don't you think about if you want to stop the lessons and take it week-by-week." I had to keep asking her if there were exceptions to the contract I signed that allowed her to grant a refund. After several attempts, she finally responded by saying there CAN BE EXCEPTIONS. Now this is a crucial part of my review. And let me make this abundantly clear: If she had said right off the bat, "I'm terribly sorry, there are absolutely no exceptions," I would've been disappointed, but would have had to ultimately accept that that was her policy. But SHE left that door open. Not me. ***I do fully acknowledge up until this point, as a reader, you have to just take me at my word. And I know that can sow seeds of doubt. But now that the correspondence has moved to email, I can show you exactly what was said on both sides and you can have a more informed opinion*** I emailed her a week later to see if I could get a refund just for June (see screenshot). After that email, it took TWO WEEKS for me to get a response. And notice in her response, when it comes to my lessons, she continues to mention just the move and not my father-in-law: "in order to prepare for your upcoming move..." and "even though you do not feel that you can attend your voice lesson appointments right now as you prepare to move..." (see screenshots). I literally respond within half an hour reminding her what SHE said about exceptions so that I could find some clarity/common ground (ie, if my father-in-law's cancer would fall under those circumstances). Again, I just wanted CLARITY (see screenshot). Then I don't get a response for SIX days even with a reminder email (see screenshot). When I finally get a response, she, again, dismisses the cancer altogether and instead, just copies and pastes her email from before (see screenshot). You remember, the one I already read and wanted more clarity on? Yeah, she just sent that email again. I respond in literally less than 15 minutes. I'm frustrated. I can't imagine my emails being any clearer. And at this point, I wanted to make it super clear for her that the request for the refund was NOT about the move to my in-laws', but because of my father-in-law's cancer. Again, just seeking some sort of clarity on what she said (see screenshot). She responds and continues to fixate on the move which, I've made clear, is NOT why I'm requesting a refund. Clearly that would be unfair to her. And even if I ever said it was because of the move (which I didn't), I feel like I've made it abundantly clear that that's not the reason. She then restates that she's willing to postpone my lessons, but obviously at this point, I have zero desire to continue my lessons with her (see screenshot). And she works alone (ie, has no associates. it's something I asked her about and she confirms in a previous email). At this point, I feel like I just need to make my peace with the situation: she is refusing to understand that my request for a refund is NOT about the move, but about my father-in-law. But I needed one more shot at seeking some common ground/finding clarity (see screenshot). And in her final response, she finally states "extended family members' circumstances do not qualify for exemption" (see screenshot). Although it was disappointing, if she had just said from the start, this whole thing wouldn't have been necessary. If you've read this far, hope it's helpful in making an informed decision about her yourself. But I will say, if you do decide to take lessons with her, I just hope and pray nothing happens to anyone close to you during that time.

Allison has been my daughter's voice lesson instructor for several years now and I've been very…read morehappy with the experience. She organizes several programs a year, allowing her students to showcase their talents which are always great to hear. More importantly, her efforts with my daughter extends beyond singing - helping her foster confidence, responsibility and how to deal with the anxiety of a live performance, resulting in real results beyond learning how to carry a tune!