I went to Starving Musician (Santa Clara) in search of an electric drum amplifier and an Epiphone…read moreSheraton. I was in luck this day as I found both a brand new e-drum amplifier and a used Sheraton at fair prices. Looking the guitar over I noticed the nut for the instrument jack was loose and asked that it be tightened prior to purchasing. On a semi-hollow & hollow body guitars this can be a tedious task, hence why I asked for assistance. The guitar tech, Dimitri, stopped what he was doing and went above and beyond my expectations to remedy the problem. It was not a quick fix and he kept me updated throughout the process. Starving Musician is my first stop when looking for music gear. They have been around as long as I can remember and offer the best trade-in value for your used gear. Always a great experience.

Basically a great place for nice condition used equipment at decent prices with sales people to…read morehelp you with your selection. You can also sell some of your stuff here. However, sometimes.... ? A few days ago, I got this... I came in to sell or consign an 8 track reel to reel Tascam 38 in hardly used, pristine condition, value $800-1,000+. I was told that they do not sell this kind of thing and to go to Rasputin or Street Light. ????

My kiddo has been going to Mrs. Julie's weekly group piano class for about a year and a half, and…read moreit has been such a positive experience. The class starts at a slower, steady pace, with a strong focus on fundamentals instead of rushing through songs. This approach has really helped my child feel confident and comfortable as they learn. Even though it's a group class, Mrs. Julie truly pays attention to each student. She makes sure everyone understands, helps correct technique, and never moves on until the kids are ready. I also love that every class begins with listening to different chords, which helps build musical awareness early on. The class always ends with a sweet goodbye song that includes the line "we say goodbye to our friends," and it's such a thoughtful way to wrap things up. One thing I especially appreciate is that Mrs. Julie encourages students to look beyond just the class material. She shows them how what they learn in class can help them explore and understand other pieces they like, which makes learning feel more meaningful and empowering. Mrs. Julie truly wants music to be fun for the kids, and her teaching philosophy is centered around the idea that music is a journey--not just one song, one test, or one recital. She acknowledges that there are ups and downs along the way and encourages students to be confident and learn how to figure things out on their own. Throughout the year, the school hosts winter and summer recitals, giving the kids something fun to work toward. Students get to choose songs they're excited about, and Mrs. Julie reviews them to make sure they're appropriate for each child's skill level. It keeps kids motivated without pressure. The overall vibe is warm, supportive, and encouraging, and learning piano feels fun rather than stressful. This class has been a wonderful introduction to piano and music in general. Highly recommend for families looking for a caring, well-structured group class for beginners.

Very concerning experience at Canon Music with our 4-year-old in a group piano class. About 10…read moreminutes before class, several young children arrived early and were waiting in the classroom with their parents. There was no reminder about noise, no guidance on where families should wait, and no staff present to supervise the pre-class environment. A male teacher from a neighboring classroom suddenly rushed in, visibly upset, and loudly scolded the waiting children and parents, saying they were disturbing his class. The children and parents had no prior awareness that they were causing any issue, and the situation could have been easily handled through calm communication. Instead, the teacher's reaction immediately frightened the children--one child began crying on the spot, and my daughter froze in fear. The situation then escalated further when the teacher became involved in a heated confrontation with a parent that nearly turned physical, all in front of several 4-5-year-old children. After returning home, my child showed clear stress reactions and repeatedly expressed that she no longer felt safe returning to this location. For a children's learning environment--especially for preschool-aged kids--this lack of emotional safety was deeply troubling. Parents of younger or more sensitive children may want to consider this carefully. Update: Following this incident, Canon Music reached out, apologized, and refunded the unused portion of our tuition, which I appreciate. I also want to share that Ms. Julie, our group piano teacher, was very caring and dedicated, and our child really liked her. It's unfortunate that we won't be able to continue learning with her. My original review reflects the experience that led to our decision to withdraw.

Rumyana is a wonderful piano teacher who's very good with children. My kids love to learn from her…read moreas she's very patient and she teaches each child at his/her pace and level. My kids have enjoyed playing the piano because Rumyana makes it fun for them. We're so happy to have found the perfect piano teacher for our kids and have recommended to several of our friends and they're all very happy as well.

From the owner: Private music lessons and recitals for piano, brass, strings, voice, woodwind and percussion…read moreinstruments. We teach beginner up to advanced musicians how to enjoy and make music at a high level!

My daughter has been taking piano lessons from Ms.Lin since 2021. We feel so grateful to have such…read morea great teacher. Ms. Lin is patient, kind and knowledgeable. She uses different ways to describe hand movements and different concepts so that a 6 year old is able to understand. She taught my daughter to count a half-beat as "pi-zza" so we pizza pizza through the whole song. She encourages my daughter to participate in recitals and competitions, but never pushes. Participating was a great motivator to practice. My daughter always feels proud when she finishes each recital and receives her trophy. Each of her accomplishments is celebrated by us and her most wonderful teacher. We also love Virtuoso Music Studio. The waiting area fulls of new books and the kids love getting HI-CHEW candies and stickers when they finish their lessons. The principal Ernest is a great violinist. He truely cares about the studio and is very attentive to details, such as the decor and making sure restroom is very clean.We love learning music here.

My daughter has been taking cello classes with Ms Zoe for about a month. My daughter didn't have…read moreprior experience with the instrument, but had two years of experience playing the viola at her school. Ms Zoe creatively adapts her teaching to help my daughter draw relationships between viola and cello. It really helped my daughter master the basics fairly quickly. Instead of being strict on sticking to one learning pathway, Ms Zoe encourages my daughter to bring her school pieces and ask questions. One thing that my daughter really likes about Ms Zoe is that she plays along with the student. It's very encouraging to my daughter, and it makes her feel that the teacher is in this with her. My daughter really enjoys Ms Zoe's classes. I also would to share my experience with the studio. The service was excellent! The studio was able to put me in touch with Ms Zoe pretty quickly. There are many classrooms in the studio, and they're well maintained. Virtuoso also has a strong team of teachers teaching various instruments. We're very happy to have such great music studio in our community. I highly recommend this place!

I have a 4 year old and 6 year old currently with Eric, who we pursued after my older daughter…read moredesperately wanted to be ahead of a friend of hers who was slightly ahead of her after a year at big-box studio. Most studios do the same Faber set of books, page by page, and most of the studios we went to had piano teachers who were mid to good, but overly rely on this structure to get the kids to a certain point. It is a drudge and I felt like if my daughter's friend was ahead there was literally no way we would ever get ahead which deeply demotivated my daughter. Eric is a passionate, energetic and driven teacher and I think there is some self selection that happens with those that go with him. He is what I would call highly attuned: he sees potential in my children that even I am unaware of. But if there is one thing I believe as a parent, if you see a spark, throw gasoline on it. When it comes to piano (and I'm assuming violin / voice, we haven't gotten there yet ;)), Eric is a tankful of kerosene. He is engaging, knowledgeable and a true role model for my children. One thing my husband and I both love in his teaching is on his website of what he teaches, I've attached here. In a period rife with AI anxiety, we are confident of the positive effects of his teaching that have made my daughter more industrious, better at chores, better at practicing and discipline, and being a better citizen and human. I will also comment on a moment where Eric was pretty stern with my daughter that she had to practice more. I personally never achieved anything in music so I thought 5-10 min a couple times a week was fine but she plateaued. After this lesson, she cried about the feedback for days and I asked her what her goal was. For her, it took remembering her competitive side and then leaning into getting better. I also told Eric about what was happening and he was sensitive to her mental state and worked with her to regain psychological safety. In truth, piano is a hard skill! Young children will be uncomfortable if they want to achieve greatness (my 4 year old has no such interest and therefore her lessons and her approach is much more chill. Given her personality, also am pleased that Eric has inspired her to sit and try vs. other studios where she would just cry and tantrum). I also think most piano teachers we had my daughter work with took a very passive approach about her plateauing and I'm thankful he pushed her in this way. His talents don't come free and I will say Eric is a single person managing like 70 students or something crazy like that. So there have been some logistical difficulties when people get sick or scheduling changes. I've learned to lower my expectations there -- because truly, to give my daughter a chance to achieve true excellence with someone so warm and engaging is worth it. I don't know of anyone who can compete with Eric in terms of pushing progress in a way that is effective and instills both a love of music and strong work ethic; the inconveniences of working with this single individual is worth absolutely worth it.

I have studied piano with Eric for two years now, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to students no…read morematter the age or level. He not only has exceptional musical ability and knowledge but is also genuinely kind, caring, and motivating toward his students. Under his teaching, I have succeeded at international competitions, gotten the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall, and been accepted into well-regarded summer programs such as the Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University. He is deeply invested in the success of his students both as musicians and as individuals. I appreciate that he challenges students to grow technically and artistically while building a positive and supportive learning environment. He is incredibly thoughtful in his teaching and adapts according to the personality and needs of each student. With his guidance, my love for music and my abilities as a pianist have truly grown so much. I consider myself and other students very fortunate to learn from him.

We started at NCMAC with piano and voice classes for my children and myself, with Ms. Georgianna…read more It is rare to find a teacher like her-- not only is she passionate about teaching piano and encouraging her pupils to make the most of their potential, she makes it so much fun that we look forward all week to our classes! What I appreciate most of all is that she genuinely has our best interests at heart and we learn in the right way, and in a manner best suited to our individual personality and ability. I also believe that Ms. Mary and Ms. Trisha, who run NCMAC have a similar philosophy where the children and their interests are at the center of all their decisions. Recitals at NCMAC are about doing your very best, but finding true pleasure in it, and that's how they run NCMAC too. Genuinely thrilled to have found this place and these teachers!

My son goes to NorCal Music for clarinet lessons, and he really enjoys the experience. The owners…read moreand team are so helpful and very flexible offering makeup lessons when there are openings. Highly recommend.

My little brother took lessons here a few year ago, and I was very shocked by this music school…read more The teachers and staff were unprofessional and lazy. My brother's teacher was on her phone many times throughout the lesson. Even worse, she actually slapped/hit his hand when he made mistakes. My brother came out crying. Isn't that abuse? I do not recommend this school. They treat students like objects.

My son has been taking lessons there for a while. Their instructors (from my limited experience are…read moregood). It would be nice if they took credit cards in this day and age, and I have no idea why they can't fork out the 2% to Visa to make it easier for all their customers, but that's life. I find it hard to believe that the owners don't like to use their credit cards when they go to merchants, but who am I to say? Other than that, it's a good school for music.

Reviewing as a total music novice family. We needed to rent a violin for my 5th grader for…read moreorchestra. We could not have been more helpful, patient and kind helping us set up a rental. Similarly, when we made the return at the end of the school year, the process was seamless! Highly recommend!

Just bought a ukelele from here to keep practicing as a beginner, they have good intro/beginner…read morepieces up to more expensive and studier pieces. The range I saw was from sale items at 49.99 up to 200+, they have a good, moderate amount of choices at each level, with different brands and accompanying acessories! My ukelele is a soprano, a great beginner ukelele I was practicing with, got it for $75 with tax and a carrying bag included in my purchase, if I remember correctly, tag price was $69.99 I did ask if there was something similar to a brand/type of ukelele I started my practice with but I was then getting sold onto the more expensive pieces that I didn't have experience with and didn't ask for so that was a miss for me. Wish I got more of a relevant recommendation but the workers were sweet, they let us browse by ourselves for a good amount of time before stepping in (which good for me because I needed time to think, compare, and browse). When we went, there were a handful of other customers inside the store, it's located in a small shopping center but the store is bigger inside than it appears on the outside. The parking situation was just okay, not bad, could use a tad bit more space, we went ~1p the parking lot was full minus 2-3 spots but I noticed cars came and went from the time we got there until we left so it seems like there's a couple spots free at any given time due to the traffic coming in and out for small errands. Lots of instruments and accessories to be found inside and the workers seem to be happy to help find what is needed! Pretty well organized inside to find what you need on your own though, I was able to find the ukeleles quickly.