I've spent a significant portion of my short life looking back on great guitarists in reverent awe…read more Richards, Page, Hendrix, Townsend, Clapton, Allman and Young are among the masterful deities I continue to look towards for inspiration. My attempt to mimic their craft alone was met with frustration, despair and often failure before finally giving in, as so many aspirational musicians eventually do. It was not until a friend recommended I check out Guitar Chicago that I dusted off my cheap Epiphone to climb back on the Steel Horse (Bon Jovi, what a gifted poet). I met with Jason, who came highly recommended. Jason has the ability to help demystify the guitar with a strong background in Jazz and a firm grip on musical theory. He's equally skilled and comfortable going through chord patterns, technique and odd Jazz rhythms as he is deconstructing a Kiss song. My goal in taking lessons was to make myself comfortable enough to play a few songs without too much butchering. Jason has helped me reach a level of comfort where I can plug my crappy guitar into my less crappy computer and record myself playing. I feel much more comfortable with the instrument than I did only a year ago. The location is great, the scheduling is flexible, online payment takes no time at all and perhaps best of all, you don't need to bring your guitar. I often leave each half hour lesson feeling accomplished and hungry for more guitar. Jason and Guitar Chicago continues to contribute to my early onset of arthritis and I couldn't be happier.

So, I have now been taking lessons for more than 1 1/2 years at Guitar Cities (Chicago), and I love…read moreit more now than I did when I first started! My skill has progressed nicely, and I'm happy and pleasantly surprised at how much I have learned and continue to learn week after week. Jim is an outstanding instructor who offers top-notch skill, patience (much needed in my case), humor, and a lot of encouragement! I couldn't be happier. I love it so much, I am now also adding Ukelele to my repertoire, in addition to acoustic guitar. However, when I took a new job 40 miles away, the commute was literally inducing psychotic levels of road rage. So in an effort to save my sanity, I began to take my lessons over Skype more than a year ago and it has been great! There are absolutely NO issues with taking lessons online vs. in-person, and I have never felt like I wasn't getting as much out of the interaction. Now it doesn't matter where you live, because technology can bridge the gap and make it possible for everyone! I HIGHLY recommend lessons with Guitar Chicago for anyone and everyone...give them a try!!!

Went to a masterclass for the first time featuring Grammy nominated violinist Desiree Ruhstrat and…read morepianist Jorge F. Osorio. It went longer than I expected. He did a good job but she was great.

My wife and I started to consider music lessons for our six-year old son when we saw all of the…read moreresearch that showed that kids who take music lessons are much more likely to be successful in school and in life. At first we thought that piano or violin might be the what we would start him on, but when our son looked at the various instruments and then heard what the flute sounded like, it was obvious that was going to be his instrument. If you are ever looking for a flute teacher, The New Music School has an amazing instructor in Steve Yepéz. We first met him last year and immediately fell in love with his calm, patient demeanor. Our son immediately took to Mr. Yepéz and has been surprisingly diligent about practicing. And we have already seen what we think may be directly attributable improvements in his school work: an improved sense of focus and better problem solving - traits that the research we had read had suggested might improve with music lesson. Also, the flute played by a six-year old, who is just learning, sounds a lot better than a violin being played badly! LOL All-in-all, if you're looking for a great flute instructor, my family can't recommend Steve Yepéz highly enough

Mr. Richard Schieler is very unprofessional, dismissive and attempted to blame a child about…read morescheduling. He was unable to provide me with the rescheduling policy and stuttered on the entire call where I asked for him to improve his methods and procedures. My son enjoyed his lessons and it is unfortunate to lose money for lessons paid. In the future to improve your business consider the following: 1. Schedule and payment inquiries should be discussed with parents. 2. Rescheduling should be allowed if students are in good standing. 3. Address children as children and adults as adults, this is not difficult. It is evident Mr. Schieler lacks skills in the areas listed above. If you would like to retain clients/students, then improve your approach and get organized. Chicago School of Music is not interested in maintaining good relationships with students and parents. It is VERY UNFORTUNATE because Mr. Jenks was an excellent vocal coach.

In short: unprofessional, dismissive, disorganized…read more I wanted a more structured way to learn piano. I'd taken lessons in the past and hoped that having a consistent lesson programmed by people with advanced skills would help me grow in a more steady and reliable way. That was not my experience. I was a student here for five weeks. My instructor was knowledgeable and kind but the lessons lacked continuity and the scheduling was disorganized. The school sent an excessive amount of communication leading up to my first lesson and when it was time to renew. My fifth and final lesson never happened due to a scheduling miscommunication. When I said I would not reschedule for what would have been the third time, the school refused to give me a refund, and implied I wasn't eligible for one because I hadn't responded to their excessive communications: "I had also emailed you previously and you told me you were planning on continuing. I followed up with you twice and even left you a voicemail but you didn't even respond to those inquiries after you told me you were continuing so naturally I'm surprised to be getting an email requesting a refund." I had a terrible experience with this school, please consider other options.

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 :)

3 weeks ago, I ordered from Amazon a clarinet instruction book for my daughter's private lessons…read more It never showed. I started calling around to music stores in the area on Monday. Coulsons was the only one that called me back, and within the hour. Due to COVID, he said he wouldn't be in until the next day, but that he had the book I needed in stock. I tried several other options by phone and email and got only 1 email response, from a well-known shop that didn't have it in stock. I finally called Coulsons back the next day, and the gentleman agreed to meet me in the shop. An hour later, I was driving back out of the city, very satisfied.

From the owner: We sell sheet music of every genre and musical accessories and gifts.read more

Truly amazing. This place is HUGE. Everything musical and related electronics you could possibly…read moreimagine. What I truly like: 1. Prices I have looked at (mostly big stuff) are exactly what you would pay online. Companies are now very aware and competitive with online shopping. 2. You are not hounded by salesmen. I walk in, am greeted, and can wander around peacefully, trying out what I want to try out, without somebody breathing down my neck who has to be shoo-ed away. I have not (yet) needed assistance, so will not comment that far, but overhearing others seems would be good. Considering an expensive purchase, and I like to think things over. I know what my needs are.

I tested several digital pianos and my decision came down between the Roland FP-30X and Yamaha…read moreP255. The Roland won due to its superb key weight which feels exactly like playing a grand piano. In addition, I felt that the Roland's sound is better since its built upon a Steinway grand piano's sound. The P255's sound is built upon Yamaha's CFX grand piano. The P255 sounded a bit muddled in the middle to my ears. Staff is friendly and helpful.

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.

We are very happy to find School of Rock. Our son started playing acoustic guitar 8 years ago and…read morelearned to play other instruments. His teacher recommended something more challenging when we found this school. He is SSOOO HAPPY with the band class and the 1:1 guitar class. We strongly recommend School of Rock

This location is exceptional!…read more Super engaged staff, great layout, awesome all around. We take our little guy here for Little Wing class on Saturday mornings. 45 minutes of banging around, singing loud, making music with his little pals. I sit across the street at West Town Bakery quietly secluded from the chaos and return to pick him up, a happy camper. Win/Win. Highly recommended!