I do not recommend going here for instrument rentals, or for anything really. Unfortunately, we had…read morea very bad experience our first time here. We would love to support local when we can, but we will not be returning here. We were given an instrument that seemed one size too small and sounded like a toy compared to our previous rental instrument from Meyer music. Even my 4 year old said , "eeeeeew" after trying it out for the first time. We rented for one day , called to ask about the returning it and the worker on the phone initially said we could go in and get refunded, but then called back and said we would still be responsible for the charge. He seemed like he didn't know what he was talking about because he kept recommending that we go in and try out the other instruments and said they had a variety to choose from, but we were clearly told the previous day that there was only ONE instrument in stock in the size we needed. Upon returning the instrument the next day, the customer service guy shrugged it off and said "you had the chance to try it," after showing them the picture of their instrument compared to another. The rental instrument was for a very young kid who wouldn't have questioned it. My child's instructors were surprised at the size difference, and mentioned they would recommend continue renting either at Meyer music in Grand Rapids, or even Shar music. We were unable to have a successful lesson with no proper instrument so we left our lesson and went to return the instrument directly. It's been super hard to reach out to the manager at the store. The workers there seem to be untrained and when we when to return the instrument, he took it and said we were all set without even entering anything in the system or getting our name. When asked to get a receipt, he asked for name and proceeded to type something, we ended up with a receipt of our original rental $21.xx, and the receipt also mentioned next billing cycle starts next month, nothing about ending the rental agreement, or instrument being returned. In the photo: left is the actual size we are in, right is the rental. The shoulder rest that we had wouldn't even stay on the violin... it just kept slipping off.....something is clearly not right, and they are not willing to make things right or even admit that a mistake was made. Lesson learned! We hope our experience will help save you the trouble that we experienced.

The staff are always friendly and knowledgeable. I appreciate that the teachers are known,…read moretop-notch performers in the area. The location is convenient as well!

All I can say is "Wow!" I've always thought about getting singing lessons, but never got the…read morecourage to until now. I was always worried whether I would like it or not, if I would actually learn something, and I think I was always worried that I would learn I sucked and I shouldn't even try. Crazy thoughts huh?! Well anyways, I am glad I took lessons with Ashley because I learned so much. In just 5 months, I experienced a huge improvement in being able to sing. I had no idea of the depth of the gift of singing I had until she helped me discover it. Ashley is so helpful, thoughtful, and inspiring that I recommend her to anyone who loves to sing and would like to move forward in their journey with music and singing.

Our 15 year old studied with Ashley and made a tremendous amount of progress on her singing skills…read morein a short period of time. She always looked forward to her lesson, enjoyed Ashley and, by her own assessment, gained a tremendous amount of confidence. We would recommend Ashley to anyone looking for a voice teacher. She is awesome!

I'm blown away by the talent and commitment of this extraordinary musical arts organization! With…read more42 music teachers and a wide variety of classes offered for all abilities, ages, and instruments, Crescendo Academy is one of the biggest treasures in Kalamazoo. Our daughter takes voice lessons with excellent voice teacher Shannon Scoles (she's also on the faculty at WMU). I never imagined that Lillie would connect so well with her teacher, and learn so much in such a relatively short time. She looks forward to her lessons each week, and has strengthened her voice, learned new styles, and progress with her passion for singing. Crescendo Academy has deeply impacted our family. Beyond that, I am always in awe of this non-profit organization. There are scholarships for students, a plethora of options for private instruction, group ensembles, and even music classes for littles. You'll find that the faculty is highly regarded, and boasts many musicians you'll recognize from the KSO and other musical organizations. April, who is the operations manager, is a connector, a genius at matching students with faculty, and planning all kinds of events (like art hop!). Even seeing her will bring a smile to your face - she's the epitome of a friendly face of a beloved organization. Take your kids to Crescendo. Get yourself involved. You'll be glad you did!

David Teske, is a consummate professional in everything he does, but especially when it comes to…read morefine string instruments. It is not really easy to compare David's work with others as it really is as good as it can get. He is a true artist and a great asset to the guitar and related musical instrument industry.

I have a Heritage H-535 in trans. black and over time I lost interest in play it. Being such an…read moreincredible guitar it really bothered me that it got to the point that it lived in it's case. A buddy of mine turned me on to Dave that had refinished a Fender Strat that I sold him some time ago and the make over was mind blowing, a totally new guitar!! This inspired me to to refinish the H-535. I got in touch with Dave and explained my situation and get his feel for what I was looking to do. He first explained that to refinish a trans black to a lighter finish (trans blue) is a bit challenging but he was totally into taking this on. I sent him a couple images of guitars in the finish that I liked and he responded with a color sample that was exactly what I had in mind and it's a go. During the process Dave kept me up to speed with where he was and updating the time line which really built up the excitement!! I just picked up the guitar last night and when he reviled his work I was totally speechless. He knocked this one out of the park. It was exactly what I wanted, a guitar that I cannot take my eyes off and more importantly my hands!! The set up is dead nuts perfect and he even cleared up a couple hanger scars to boot. In short Dave is a really cool guy that has an incredible talent with making guitars incredible to play and enjoy. I could not thank him enough for expressing my vision to this wonderful Heritage H-535 and really looking forward to working with him resurrecting another. Thanks Dave!! RockiT!!!!!

First time seeing BenJammin and Analisa this weekend at Old Dog Brewery, it was an absolute blast!…read more Any parent can attest that finding fun things to do on the weekend with your kids can be both challenging, expensive and monotonous but with BenJammin your kid can have a great time with other kids and you can enjoy a delicious Bloody Mary, with no cover; in my opinion it's the best of both worlds. The performance was not only entertaining but educational and would be a great fit for birthdays, daycares, churches, community events, etc! We'll definitely be back to old dog to hear Ben jammin frequently!

Great music! We try and see them as often as possible with our three toddlers at Old Dog Tavern…read more Also have experience as a teacher with them at elementary schools. Friendly, upbeat, and great with kids.