We are very happy with Jan Pequeño's guitar teaching. Our…read more13yr old daughter wanted to learn guitar. Although I am a decent guitar player-- I am self taught and wanted my daughter to get formal training and independent lessons so she could start off on the right foot. That decision was a good one since Jan has her reading music and practicing proper techniques; and she loves it! Jan is organized, he tracks progress and is patient at the same time. My daughter is progressing well and enjoys her lessons with Jan. I highly recommend Jan if your child has an inclination to learn guitar.

Jan has been teaching guitar to our 11 year old daughter for almost a year now and we have nothing…read morebut good things to say about him. He is extremely patient and very engaged in his teaching approach. We were looking for someone to come and give lessons in home opposed to going to a school, because we like the flexibility if we needed it. We understand that life happens and he is always willing to work around a change just like we are. He has a structured lesson plan, book and assigns weekly homework for our daughter to practice daily. A school talent show popped up and our daughter is very shy, yet when she heard about it she was eager to join. We are sure the lessons have inspired a great deal of confidence in her. Jan sorted out what songs would be feasible and was willing to double our weekly lessons to ensure that she would be prepared(he even gave a dual lesson with her and her partner who was signing). The performance was great and we have him and our daughter's hard work to thank. I really can't fit enough information in a review to state how great of a find he has been. If you are thinking about lessons, try him out and see how you or your kid vibe with him.

I've taken my kids here for grp music class when they were toddlers. Now they are 10 and 7. The…read morestaff are always nice. Customer service is great and communication is effortless. My sons take drum lessons with Jonathan and we love it. He doesn't teach them in a "baby way." They learn by playing current/fave musics of their choice. We love it here.

Great staff and friendly and knowledgeable instructors who work well with younger children. Highly…read morerecommend

Mr. Nick is an awesome music teacher! He makes the class very fun and inviting to children! He…read moredeserves 5 stars!

Came here for the group piano lessons. The gentleman was AMAZING! He was very energetic and…read moreplayful. Unfortunately there were more kids than the instructor anticipated.. 12 kids between 2 pianos.. my son was disinterested after.

Awesome employees! They were very respectful, don't look to get money, but look for which violin…read morebest suits you. I suggest looking for instruments in their website and booking an appointment when buying something. Definitely coming again!

As soon as I walked into the store, a staff member greeted me and offered help--even though he…read morelooked busy handling some paperwork. He asked what I needed, and I explained that my acoustic guitar had a broken peg tuner. I already had the replacement part with me, so I handed it over. Instead of jumping straight into recommendations or upselling, he immediately tried to fix it on the spot. Once he confirmed it was repairable, he quickly cut the string, replaced the tuner, and got everything back in place. The whole process took less than 10 minutes! I live in Carson, so driving out to Lakewood and getting it fixed the same day was such a relief. This guitar isn't for professional use--it's for my daughter who's just starting to learn--so having it ready right away saved me a lot of time and hassle. He even tuned it by ear in seconds, which was really impressive. Overall, a smooth and pleasant experience. I really appreciated the quick, no-nonsense service and would definitely come back again for future repairs!

Our teen granddaughter took Voice Lessons with Christine Lao through Raffia Music. Christine was…read moreeasy to work with and flexible if we needed a schedule change. She helped our granddaughter prepare for a theater audition and we saw her vocal skills and her confidence soar! She received many positive comments during her audition and the difference before and after voice lessons were noticeable! Highly recommend!

Love this studio!! Woman owned!…read more My daughter is now 7 and has been taking lessons here since she was 4. I took piano lessons from age eight until age 16 and wanted a place that could start my daughter sooner. Raffia Music Studio was the only one that would start my kid at 4, plus it offers so many other types of musical instruments, voice and performance training. I am a serious researcher. I have always made exhaustive lists weighing the pros and cons of any endeavor. After researching several studios, I decided this was the one! Consistency is key in becoming good. We've had the same teacher since we began 3 years ago. Srimal is not only a teacher, but performs regularly with a band around town. I appreciate when a teacher also honors their craft by doing it. Srimal is very patient. Works to get the best out of his students. Pushes them, but also meets them where they are. Every winter, there is a recital where you get to enjoy seeing all the students performing their pieces. I highly recommend Raffia Music Studio!

I have been studying drumming with "Lenny Gee" Giachello at Drumville Studios for exactly one year,…read morenow, and his lessons are truly the highlight of my week. Before meeting Lenny, I had no formal training on the drums. I tried (and quit) in middle school, but it wasn't until my late 30s that I could buy my first drum set. I practiced a couple of times a month, playing along to my favorite songs on headphones. I was able to keep a steady beat and play some basic patterns, but I realized that my skills had hit a wall; my speed was limited, my accuracy was poor, I couldn't play a decent fill consistently, and I couldn't decipher the more complex drum parts I was hearing. I just didn't have a good understanding of what I was doing, on a basic level. So, at the age of 45, I was finally ready to admit that I could benefit from formal training. I also knew that I would fizzle out quickly doing self-study from books and online courses. I needed guidance and feedback from a real, live, in-person, human teacher. I found the website of Drumville Studios, submitted my contact info, and got a call back from Lenny the next day. He shared his background and his approach to teaching the drums, and asked about my experience level and what I was looking to accomplish. I asked him to treat me like I had no prior knowledge of the drums, and start from scratch. That's exactly how we started when I showed up for my first lesson the following week. It was a revelation from minute one, when I learned I had been holding my sticks incorrectly this whole time! Then we began going over note durations and the division of notes--the very foundations of learning to read and interpret drum notation--with Lenny conveying the importance of reading notation, something I had willfully ignored. One year in, I've gone from being mystified by drum notation, to playing along while sight-reading simple to intermediate rock songs. What I've come to learn about Lenny over the past year is that this dude LIVES and BREATHES drumming. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history, techniques, and personalities involved in drumming, and he's enthusiastic about sharing that knowledge with his students. We'll often spend the first few minutes of a lesson just talking about a cool drum part one of us heard in a song recently, or an interesting practice technique he gleaned from an old tutorial video he just re-watched. He's passionate about my individual progress as a drummer; he cheers me on when I finally nail a technique that has challenged me for weeks, and he reminds me to be patient with myself--and, quite literally, SLOW DOWN--when I get frustrated with a song and keep making the same mistakes over and over. I'm also amazed by how observant and perceptive Lenny is. There are so many sounds and movements occurring simultaneously when you're rockin' on the drums, but he's always able to give me useful feedback: "You're lifting your foot too high off of the kick pedal." "Your right pinky keeps peeling away from the stick." "That hi-hat splash came in a sixteenth too late." It never feels like criticism; it feels like I'm in good hands with someone who knows their craft and cares enough to help me elevate my technique. The value of the lessons I get at Drumville is simply unmatched by anything I'd find at a music store or music lesson academy. If there isn't a student coming in right after me, Lenny will often let my lesson go long. Sometimes he's just excited at the progress I'm making, and sees an opportunity to get me started on the next rudiment, or the next song, that will push my skills even further. He's unbelievably generous with his time. You will not get that benefit at a music school that operates in 30-minute increments. Lastly, I'll comment on the learning environment. Drumville Studios is in Lenny's home, which is clean, organized, and smoke-free. Lenny's sweet wife, Sue, is often home and greets me when I come in. There's a cozy living room "waiting area" in front. You'll breeze through the kitchen to get to Drumville--the den where Lenny has a full drum kit and multiple practice pads and stools set up. This practice room is spacious, with natural light coming in through the windows, and fresh air coming in through the screen door. A gentle, old dog named Elvin is often snoozing on a rug while we practice. In other words, I've found this to be a safe, welcoming, comfortable place to take private music lessons. Plenty of on-street parking, too! As I said before, I really look forward to attending my lesson with Lenny at Drumville Studios every week. To me, learning the drums is a fun challenge, a relaxing reprieve from the world and all its problems, and surprisingly good physical exercise. Whether you're a beginner playing drums on your pillows at home, or a self-taught musician wanting to improve your skills, Drumville Studios gets my heartfelt recommendation as one of the best places to learn drumming in and around Long Beach.

Lenny is a great drumming instructor! My son has been attending his classes for 3-4 years now so I…read morecan confidently leave this review. Lenny's patience and passion for teaching percussion is evident during and after every lesson. My son and I always leave Drumville energized! At home my son never feels pressured to practice for a set amount of time due to Lenny's pragmatic philosophy of practicing in chunks when time is available. Totally fits in with my child's hectic schedule. I have seen my son at age 6, go from a shy uncertain child, to a confident, positive, more social child. The confidence he gained from learning drumming and Lenny's constant wisdom when things get challenging has helped my son grow as a musician and also as a leader at school! My son's concentration and focus has also increased, which shows in his school work and teacher reviews. I attribute it all to Lenny@Drumville! Climbing the proverbial drum ladder has taught my son that hard work pays off. Lenny@Drumville constantly reiterates this concept with positivity and kindness and patience. Which is much appreciated from a parenting standpoint. If you want to increase your child's focus/concentration, improve their behavior / performance at home and school, and overall confidence, I truly believe that spending time with Lenny@Drumville can help your child learn a multi-dimensional instrument while learning lifelong social / behavioral skills to be successful in life! Also, Lenny's song library that he puts in front of my kids spans the full range of rock which I appreciate. Lenny exposes my kids to Rock history (which most kids these days lack) like the Beatles, Stones, thru Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, and Green Day...and everything else in-between! Give Drumville a chance! There's no upsell and no filler here! Lenny is always completely transparent on if he thinks drumming would work for you or your kids and that's why we love Drumville! Rock On!