Went to buy some strings and the guy didn't even ask if I needed help with anything. The guy didn't even want to put the strings on my guitar because they were "busy" meanwhile he wasn't doing anybting... read more

Had to make a a quick stop to buy some reeds on the way to a rehersal. I stopped by Music & Arts and notice a 2 packs of Vandoren reeds side by side on an end cap. One was for $9.99, the other was for $15.49. I asked if this was right. The person there scanned it and said it was $20. I gave them the other one and they said it was $20 something too. I went and got a box of reeds labeled $24. Took it to the register and it was $27+. In a hurry, I bought the $20 ones. Went to my car and though about it. Went back an said I wanted the ones labeled $9.99. It wasn't my fault the reeds are mislabeled. The other worker got the label, looked at it in their system, and said these other reeds (student beginner reeds) were the ones. That was an insult. They weren't going to honor the marked prices, so I returned the ones I bought. It felt like bait and switch. The next day I called the manager. He obligatorially apologized but added more insult to injury by saying I should have read the labels closer. The print is tiny by the way. He blamed it on them coming in and changing the prices but not changing the shelving. It is ineptness plain and simple. It was not about the money but the principle. I've never had any issues with the other Music & Arts locations. I frequent them because such stores are needed, especially now with the financial problems of their parent company, Guitar Center. However, until there is a change at the Sterling, VA location, I won't be going back. What an utter disappointment. read more

This is a complaint about their billing department. I'm honestly too exhausted to provide every detail but the short version is their billing department needs a serious overhaul. Their customer service reps aren't on the same page. Each rep tells you a different thing. The credit card that I used to pay the monthly charge was hacked and I had a new card reissued. Of course this coincided with the billing date and a payment was unable to be processed even though I called to alert them and provide the new number. No phone call was received from them. The first notice I get is from their collections department. Yes, collections. I spoke to someone and they said they would reverse the late fees as a result of the situation and my attempts to inform. A month later, I discover "there are no notes in our system about this", you still owe these fees and your account is delinquent. I just wanted a zero balance at this point and had given up trying to get anything from them so I paid in full. Lastly, the last day of my daughters school year was 6/13 and my billing date was 6/10. I explained I would return the violin on 6/14 and they informed me that was ok because there was a 4 day grace period. Guess what? I return the violin and June's charge was on my account. I call and they say it's a 3 day grace period and "there are no notes that you were told a 4 day grace period". So I guess now I'm a liar. Ok. They say they will request a credit but can't guarantee. They never called me back to inform me of the status. I just called again and the lady cut me off and said "there is no grace period". I asked if I could please finish explaining so she was up to speed and she said "you can call back" and hung up. My daughter will need an instrument in the next few years and I will NEVER EVER EVER use Music & Arts. read more

went in to buy strings a few minutes before close, should have been a simple uneventful transaction. cashier puts his hands on me, literally shoves me out of the store and calls the police on me. police come to investigate and let me leave peacefully. absolutely unbelievable. its sad that Melodee music closed, otherwise I wouldn't be messing with these chimps in the first place. prolly better luck in the mornings/afternoons. -1 star read more

I recently purchased an Ibanez Acoustic/electric guitar and a Fender Rumble Bass amplifier at Music & Arts in Waldorf, MD. Brian provided Outstanding Customer service. He was professional and friendly. He made my buying experience fun and joyful. I'm looking forward to buying more musical equipment at Music & Atrs at the Waldorf, MD location. Thanks Brian!! -James P. Burke III read more

My son takes violin lesson here with Ms. Pam. She is a wonderful teacher! I think that Music and Arts Center is a great place to be introduced to musical instruments lesson at any age. They offer various types of musical instruments classes as well as instruments and music books. I agree with the other reviewer that this place is a family-friendly store where I see many kids are being introduced to musical instruments either through taking lessons here, purchasing or renting for schools. The staff at this store are also very helpful. read more

The music center is great and specially Mr B. He taught both my sons, he's absolutely amazing. Patient, professional and extremely willing to do all he can to help my sons. I am very happy with his services and recommend always to my family and friends. He loves music and it shows in the way he teaches. It's very important to have a patient teacher, he takes his time with the kids and gives them all the time they need. Mr B. Has many years of experience and is internationally renowned, he has an impeccable track record. He always does a wonderful Job in teaching kids and I highly and eagerly recommend him. read more

Everytime I go in here i have to special order something. I wanted Tortex .63mm picks (not that hard to find) and they were like, "we don't carry those any longer." WHATS? who doesn't!? Went to buy 12 gauge strings for my electrics, and they said "Oh, well if it's not on the shelf, we can special order them for you. It'll take about a week though." Fuck that. I'll go to Guitar Center and buy in bulk. They have around 50 different manufacturers of everything, and they are ALWAYS in stock for those little pieces of gear. The selection just sucks, period. I'm not talking boutique stuff here, we're talking basic necessities that most musicians need regularly. Listen, I knowww that this place caters to the school age kids who take band or whatever. But it's super nice to have the ability to pop in after work and grab some essentials without having to go to guitar center miles away and through terrible traffic. Slightly dreadful for a serious musician, great for soccer moms trying to keep Johnny busy with flute lessons. read more

This is the best music store in the Sterling, VA area, especially for music teachers. They give teaches a 20% discount every day (no minimum purchase amount) and every first Monday of the month, teachers get 30% off their purchase. The staff is very helpful and can always order any items that are not in-stock for no additional charge. Their selection of teaching resources and method books (especially for piano) is great. read more

Handy place to go if you need replacement strings or reeds right away. Staff is so-so knowledgeable about the stuff -- mainly pointing to what's on sale and where stuff is located in the store. But, they're friendly and courteous. The manager knows enough about the biz and instruments to calculate the payback on his time in helping you find something or answer questions about repairs. Electric guitar selection is mostly Fender and Epiphones (cheap end); however, they stock some very nice acoustic guitars in the mid-range priceline. And they're reasonably priced -- day i went in some were 50% off the MSRP. It's worth a look inside to find out what they have and don't have. Oh yeah, if you're wanting some repairs done to an instrument, they ship it out to someone. That's a minus in my book. Better to go to Fox's Music in Falls Church if your needs are more than parts or sheet music. read more

It's been 2 years with Music & Art for piano lessons. They have amazing stuff and teachers especially Mr.B He is very professional, very knowledgeable , very patient always smiling and very caring especially with the kids. He know what he is teaching and caring for every student. He always take extra miles with each one. I do recommend him as a perfect teacher for any piano lesson or even any other instrument. I also had my daughter instrument from there and they have a very good and reasonable prices. read more

I would like to complement the friendly staff and professional music teachers. Especially Mr. B. He is Amazing and has a magical way of teaching. He's a great asset to Music and Arts. Keep up the good work. read more

I think the previous reviewer misjudged the area in which he was shopping. The store doesn't market itself as a music store for "serious musicians," nor is it in a location for serious musicians; it's a family-friendly music store in a semi-suburban strip mall with Starbucks, K-Mart, and a couple of grocery stores. With that said, I've found the staff and manager really helpful, the store well stocked, and, when I did need to order a couple of items, they arrived quickly, and I received a prompt phone call saying they were ready for pick-up. Their prices are reasonable, and I enjoy my lessons there, also. read more

Outstanding service all around truly enjoy the staff they're fun they're engaged your smart you're talented and I especially like my instructor Mister B, THE best instructor I've ever had. He has a heart for students mastering their instrument and having fun. He is the standard by which you should judge all your talented instructors. Happy holidays! You rock. Cedric read more

I like this place, I've bought two guitars from here and a drumset. I go there frequently to get my strings replaced or other miscellaneous music-related equipment. They are great with their service. They always have promotions going on, I got a free $100 ticket master gift card last year for getting something on black friday. read more

I just started playing Bass not too long ago, so I'm not quite familiar with how to set my instrument up yet. I called Guitar Center to see if they could do the setup for me the same day.They wanted me to drop it off, but since I don't live anywhere near a GC, I started to look for a place near my office. Enter Music & Arts Springfield. I brought my Bass in expecting that I may have to leave it there, but the Associate Cody took a look at it, and made the adjustments right there. He was very courteous, extremely knowledgeable, and really seemed to care about customer service. They'll be seeing me more often. read more

I take my daughter here for violin lessons and she has been with 3 different teachers and they were all great. We have also bought books and the prices came out cheaper than buying online. The staff is very helpful both on the phone and face to face. I have caught billing mistakes and it was easy to work with them to fix the charges. read more

Extremely polite and helpful staff. Knowledgeable manager. Ms. Donna is a good flute teacher, she also gave me her cell number and was very responsive to my texts. I'm very impressed! read more

Had what I needed and at a very good price. Staff was pretty helpful. And open on Sundays (their local competition is not)!

I went to their store with a guitar that had been sold to me; which had a problem with it. The store manager, Mr. Mills, was amazing. With no problem or struggle, like I have received from other guitar stores he quickly remedied my problem and I was off to go play. I highly recommend this store to anyone who want to learn the guitar and other instruments or want to purchase quality merchandise. Thank you for all your help!!! read more

Very friendly staff, Jeremy helped me restring my guitar after buying new strings, definitely going to visit again.

The staff here are very knowledgeable and helpful. However beware of Mr B, who teaches Piano. We had our son take lessons for years, but when Mr B had another student who needed a lesson during the same time as our scheduled lesson, Mr B canceled our sons lessons leaving him high and dry. It is to the detriment of Music and Arts and their other staff, that they allow corrupt teachers to act against the interests of their students. They should pay closer attention to the actions of their teachers. read more

I haven't been in this store in a while and stopped by about a month ago and I noticed new faces. I have sales and marketing background and I felt superb customer service and friendly atmosphere at this store. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable. Tony Faust the manager went out of his way to help me with a warranty issue with my guitar. The communication was great and I was very happy at the end. I'll recommend this store and I will go back when the time comes for another guitar, accessories or classes. read more

We have shopped at Music and Arts over the years thanks to my musically inclined son. All employees have always been friendly and very helpful. Our son had guitar lessons with Mr. B and we absolutely loved him. He helped my son grow not only in his expertise with different types of guitars, but also with different types of music. Mr. B is so friendly, patient, and kind. He is also an amazing musician himself. My son would still have lessons with him if he didn't go off to college. read more

BE WARE. DO NOT RENT INSTRUMENT FROM THIS PLACE. We rented a violin from the store, since our daughter's school started to give violin lesson. After exactly one month, we noticed that the tip of the G string is frayed, so we went back to the store and asked them to fix it. To our surprise, the store charged us for changing the string. We explained to them that we just rented it and did not really play with that much. Our daughter had only had 3 lessons in total, and they had not even taught anything below C note. But, the sales associates insisted that it was normal wear and tear. They even implied that our daughter damaged it. How can the string fray be normal if we never played with it? The string itself is not expensive, but this shows that it is not an honest business. They rent out defective instrument and blame on customers and charge them for repairment. We learned our lesson, and will never rent from this place again. read more

My daughter takes lessons with a local piano teacher. She recommended that we get some music books for her to play during the summer and specifically recommended this store as well to ask for an employee named Hanna. After calling to find out when she would be working I came in with my daughter. Hanna was very kind and attentive. She took the time to talk to my daughter and find out what she liked and because of her background in piano she was able to pick out music at her level.She even sat down at the piano with my daughter and helped her position her fingers correctly and gave her guidance on how to play the beginning of one of the songs. My daughter was so excited, we ended up buying more music than I planned, but I was amazed at how well Hanna handled my picky daughter. It is very rare to find a store that is more interested in the customer than in selling something. This is one of those places. I would absolutely recommend this store to a friend. read more