After playing guitar for more than half my life, I decided at age 30 that I wanted to start taking…read moreup lessons again. I was largely self taught and my playing had become a little sloppy (or just plain lazy) over the years. As an adult student who hadn't taken a lesson since she was 13, however, I was a bit hesitant to enter into the process. After hunting around online awhile, Justin was the first instructor I got into contact with - I was impressed with his credentials and felt that he was someone who could get me out of my comfort zone. I decided to give 29th Century Guitar a go and could not be happier with my decision. From our first conversation and trial lesson Justin immediately put me at ease, and 6 months later (1 hr lessons, once a week) I have noticed a marked improvement in both my playing and my understanding of the instrument. He seems to have an even distribution of younger and adult students, which reflects his aptitude as a teacher and ability to relate to just about anyone. He's very friendly and approachable, and extremely competent. He is also flexible and understanding when it comes to scheduling, and very clear about what his expectations and requirements are as far as lesson commitments and payment policy are concerned. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend anyone to Justin - newbie or stubborn, set-in-her ways singer/songwriter like myself.

I picked Justin as a guitar teacher because he 1) graduated from Berklee College of Music (the…read morebest) and 2) he travels to where you are. Once I started taking lessons with him I discovered that he's not just an awesome guitar player but he really knows how to break down the theory part of guitar that most guitar teachers can't or don't do well. And the technical stuff has vastly improved my guitar skills! His teaching style is very disciplined with an easy going personality. I love that I can suggest exactly what I want to learn and he'll teach me that (and somehow sneakily add in some extra stuff so I come out learning a helluva lot haha) Thanks Justin!

Irina at Olney Piano Studio is a remarkable instructor whose passion for music and teaching is…read moretruly amazing. I was fortunate to find her with openings to teach my two daughters when they were in elementary school, and was so proud to see my high school senior perform her last recital several weeks ago. We've had experience with other music and voice instructors and appreciate that Irina is top notch. Her style and belief in her students help them achieve excellence with their understanding of music and their performances. Recitals are always a treat since she inspires others' talent and encourages a friendly atmosphere among students and families. Irina is beloved by students and parents.

Have to support these small music shops. Victor Litz has a lot to offer from types of instruments,…read moreelectronics, lessons, used gear, you name it. I was especially impressed with their selection of ukuleles. Never have I seen so many in MD in one place! Definitely more than what Guitar center offers. They have an acoustic room in the back to try their acoustic/classical guitars. I had the chance to buy one of their used guitars at an amazing price. I appreciate the staff working with me on the price and even holding the instrument for a day when they could have easily sold it to next customer. Shows that they care about customer satisfaction more than just making a sale. I was able to spend a good amount of time trying out the instrument and they also helped tweak the intonation before I decided to take it home with me. The only few downsides I could see was some of the staff were not particularly knowledgeable about certain guitar models that they were selling, but much better than say Guitar Center. The humidification in the acoustic room basically only controlled by a residential type humidifier, so not very precise. Compared to other small guitar shops in the DMV, I don't think I would feel comfortable getting my guitar worked on here just based on the level of expertise I surmounted from the conversations I had. But a good place to buy gear nonetheless if you know what you are looking for. Parking is just a little challenging since it is in the middle of old town Gaithersburg. But in the past I have come on the weekends and there is some parking across the street at the museum.

I used to be a fairly loyal customer but cannot continue to patronize a store that does not…read moreappreciate and respect ALL of their customers. There are many better options in the area such as Chuck Levins and Bill's Music that are more welcoming and frankly have a much larger selection of instruments. EDIT - Tony, you know exactly what you did. You thought you were being funny but ended up insulting a group of people that you may disagree with, but are still some of your customers or potential customers. I do not feel comfortable doing business with companies that do not treat all of their customers with the same level of respect. I respect your right to have your opinions, but we all have choices.

I do miss my weekly lessons--Just got too expensive on a retired man's salary! Plus I miss his…read moreGerman hunting dog too

Feel like We've been taken for a ride!!! Rented an…read moreinstrument for our daughter, was told that a book was included in the rental package, but that they didn't have it in stock, "that we could call, and when they have it, come pick it up". Once there, was charged for the book. Claimed they "had removed the book from the original rental". Denied claiming it was even part of the package!!!Denied ever even saying it, even though all three of us, me, my wife, and our 9yo daughter heard the exact same words!!! On top of all this, we were given a filthy instrument!!! GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! These guys are dishonest, could care less about the customer, and are outright LIERS!!! Once this rental period is over, we will DEFINITELY be taking our business elsewhere!!!

My daughter has been taking piano lessons from Ms. Miri for 2 years. She loves Ms. Miri and enjoys…read moreher lessons very much. And I'm perfectly happy with the quality of the music education she receives Miri's studio. Ms. Miri is a dedicated teacher and has done so much to provide her students with the best music learning experience possible. She sets challenging assignments and goals for her students. She handpicks suitable pieces for them from different books depending on their levels and skills. She encourages parents to send her videos and gives feedbacks outside lesson time. She assigns weekly reading and writing homework for students to learn music theory, history, and musicians. She holds recitals twice a year and has organized field trips to concerts... When it comes to teaching piano skills, Ms. Miri is very gentle but strict. She emphasizes correct hand movement and deep, singing sound. My daughter has difficulty getting the movement right. Ms. Miri patiently makes corrections and keeps trying different methods with her. She often discusses music imageries with my daughter to help her improve playing. My 5-year-old son started piano with Miri a month ago. Ms. Miri is extremely patient and gentle with him, working on his hand position tirelessly. Ms. Miri is the best private teacher we've ever had. She makes my children's piano learning experience fun and rewarding!

From the owner: We offer weekly private piano lessons for beginner, elementary and early intermediate levels in 30,…read more45 or 60 - minute sessions, depending on the student's age/level. Lessons address the fundamental aspects of playing piano through the use of proper technique and music theory. We value each student's personality and try to provide lessons in a most enjoyable and suitable way for all learning styles.

Michelle Kaplan-Cohen is very organized and a great communicator. She was great about finding the…read moreright tutor to meet my children's needs. She has been fabulous to work with, and she's made sure we are happy with the tutors she matches us up with. Michelle always gives us options when selecting a tutor, and we've been so happy with the results. My older son was having so much trouble with virtual learning that he was failing every class. Michelle matched us with an amazing tutor that connected well with my son, tutored in the subjects he needed most, and tutored in executive functioning. With the tutor's assistance, that mostly turned out to be in executive functioning and walking him through the steps to write a huge history paper, my older son ended up with A's and B's for the rest of the year. My younger son needed some help in writing this past year. Michelle recommended what seemed to be an unusual pairing, but my son is so inspired by this writing tutor that instead of playing video games, he takes time to write pieces for her to go over with him and suggest improvements. My older son is also seeing her now as well and is gaining valuable feedback on how he can improve his school writing assignments.

My 10th grader was struggling in AP Physics and we reached out to Kaplan-Cohen tutoring. Michelle…read morewas wonderful about finding a tutor that matched well with our daughter's learning style and needs. It eliminated our child's Physics-related stress and she ended the year with straight As and feeling pretty confident about her AP test experience. We couldn't be happier and would highly recommend!