My daughter has taken lessons here for several years, starting with piano, and we've had mostly great experiences with the teachers. When one teacher wasn't the right fit, the staff was flexible and supportive in helping us make a change. The director and front desk are thoughtful, accommodating, and always focused on what's best for the students. Recently, my daughter switched to cello and absolutely loves it--her teacher, Jasper, is genuine, respectful, and makes learning the cello feel relaxed despite its challenges. Recitals are fun, and we're so happy with the program and its affordability that we plan to enroll our other kids in piano group lessons for music theory. We'll update this review then! read more

We signed up through the city recreation program. It was advertised as Introduction to Piano. It really should be Introduction to musical instruments since other instruments were introduced. I felt mislead, but my daughter ended up enjoying it. She really wanted to play the piano so we continued to take the classes. The way they teach piano is by scales, Solfège. The monthly tuition at the moment is $137 per month for 1 hour lesson once a week. They take zelle, card, or cash. The classes are pretty big in my opinion. Maybe 10 kids per class. I think it's way too big. Especially with little kids. Should be 5 kids per class or maybe 4. I say that cause I can see the instructors are trying to keep it together when the littles get out of order. One of them rebuked my 6 year old child for touching some instrument. I couldn't see what she was doing, so I didn't say anything. It was quite embarrassing. I'm the parent I could have taken my kid out to speak to her and tell her not to touch anything and spared her the embarrassing rebuke in front of the whole class, but anyways. There is another music school in Walnut that teaches piano by letters. Might be a good choice for a kid that wants to learn piano seriously. It's called Tchaikovsky school of music. The price is reasonable for 30 min private lesson depending on what level of instructor you choose. Which is better for little kids cause it's shorter. They'll also work with you if you need reschedule, and wont charge for days the instructor is on vacation. Music N Smart is a decent music school, but it's only 1 out of several you can choose from. They wont work with you if you need to reschedule and will still charge full price if they are on vacation. read more

My kid has been taking piano lessons at Music-N-Smart for 3 years now. Everyone at the studio is very friendly and helpful. Zoe, the director of the studio, is always communicative and accommodating, which made us feel very supported and taken care of.  We are currently having Ms. Shirley. Ms. Shirley is an excellent teacher who uses a wide range of techniques to improve students' piano playing skills. I found that my kid's ability to play more precisely and expressively has quickly improved due to her lessons on shaping and expression. Her patience, skill, and dedication to her students are evident in her students' progress.  Furthermore, Music-N-Smart's recitals provide students with a wonderful showcase of their talent that is shared with friends and family, celebrating the accomplishments of all ages and skill levels in a beautiful setting. I highly recommend Music-N-Smart to anyone enthusiastic about developing as a musician. read more

Music-n-Smart is a great music school to allow kids to learn and explore different kind of music. Ms Shirley is my kid's piano teacher, she is one of the best teachers! She has high energy and she is very professional! She is passionate and always has creative way to teach and motivate kids into music and make their learning experience fun!!! The staffs are very friendly and supportive too!!! read more

My son really wanted to learn piano so we brought him in for a summer program. Everyone here is really nice and helpful. Registration is easy and summer sessions are affordable. Glad we tried this place out. Thinking of trying other lessons in the future. read more

Music-N-Smart - Jacob waiting for his piano class - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Chino, California

See all

My daughter started with gruop classes at Music N Smart since she was four. After Harmoney Road book 4, she began private lessons with Ms. Ella. It's been almost ten years and we still come here for her piano class every Saturday. Ms. Ella genuinely care about her students. She takes great pride to see them improve in piano skills. Ms. Zoe and her staff are attentive. We worked out a few issues over the years. They're always willing to listen and work with us. All in all, it's a good place for music lessons. Classes are well scheduled, rooms and instruments well maintained. Annual recitals provide good stage and performance experiences. Instrument rentals are reasonable, too. We rented a clarinet for my daughter when she was in fifth grade for school band. I've recommended this place to my friends and community. This place is worthy of my first review. read more

Both of my kids started their music journey here for over 4 years now. They started in group music lessons which I won't call it piano lesson since it involved much more than just piano. In that group classes, kids learned the rhythm, making sounds with different instruments, sing and dancing together. Most importantly, kids made friends in the group classes and the friendship support them to go along after they started the private classes and making their music journey not lonely. Both of them are learning piano and violin. Good things here is you can always find the teachers whose teaching style is suitable for your kids. You are not tied down to one teacher or one instrument. In additional, you can learn same instrument from different perspectives. I am not expecting my kids to be a professional musicians one day but I do want them to enjoy and appreciate the music in their lives. The end of year recital is the big thing that kids anticipate where they can see their friends and put on a show together. They all loved to dressed up and excited to see each other play. No matter what and how they play, I am already happy to see them being confident on the stage. Feel free to talked to Ms. Zoe, the owner of the studio, about the progress of your kids learning. I always get inspiration suggestions to help kids. Music journey is long but doesn't have to be boring. I am happy that we started here. read more

My daughter takes music class in Music-N-Smart since she was 5. She loves this school and the teacher here. When the pandemic time, they also provided the online classes. They put children and their family's safety first. The music room is nice and clean. read more

I love the way teachers find their best selves with sincerity and sincerity when they have a child here, and if they're not good enough, they pay more attention and teach I strongly recommend it read more

This is the worst place I have ever come across to learn music, the teachers are rude, the owner only wants to make money, not recommended, terrible place. read more

Funny how all of the "1 Star" reviews are hidden in the back ! Save your time and money . Do not go here . They only care about $$$ , they don't care about their customers or customer service at all . The front desk lady Zoey is pushy and rude . read more

This place is still an awesome place to come and work on your musical talent! Ms Zoe and Ms Lisa are really good with the kids. This is especially true of the beginners kids classes. I'm back for round two as my second child is now old enough to start piano. He is definitely more into it than his brother was, but maybe that is because he had to sit through quite a few of his big brothers group classes him self... or perhaps it is because I bribe him with toys & prizes if he gets three stars through the class: 1 star for participation 1 star for attention, active listening, and eye contact 1 star for sitting well and being present Some perks are that I do not have to buy the books again since I have already gone through once before with my other child. Its a good way to get your child started. My recommendations to you as fellow parents with aspiring concert pianists (at least in your mind): 1. Set expectations, your child is not going to jump in a play Chopin, chopsticks perhaps, but please be patient and wait for Chopin (give the kids a chance... they need a few lessons at least first, and they have short fingers!) 2. Be ready and committed to getting them to practice. And remember, even 5 minutes a day is a good practice session for a 4 year old! 3. Stay with your child during class, you want them to be committed to playing, you be committed to walking that path with them. 4. Bribery is encouragement... and a little encouragement goes a long way! Let your kids enjoy music and especially let them enjoy making music. It should be fun for them, not a punishment. It is also a great way to start teaching them that effort and practice is rewarded in the end result of their achievements. Peace Out and see you in class! W read more

Music-N-Smart - Time for piano "fun" - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Chino, California

See all

The staff and owner have been great. I am a parent and was there when this reviewer elba made a scene in front of everyone by threatening the Asian owner about not wanting to pay. By her tone and way she treated the owner it seemed she does not like Asian Americans. We all sign agreements; up front fees and cancellations. The people there work with us and we are getting our monies worth. If you can't afford it elba don't commit. If it was me I would have called the police on this karen elba. Stop AAPI hate. read more

Yesterday was my 3 year old daughter's first piano lesson. I gotta say Mrs. Shirley has the best energy! It's perfect for a group of toddlers with super short attention span LOL During the first class my daughter learned a couple of songs followed by practice of other small instruments. I read previous reviews about parents that felt that their kids were not learning how to play the piano, but I need to say that kids need a small introduction to musical sounds and notes before jumping into learning only piano. I do love that everything she learned that day was to prepare her for her future piano lessons. I'm very happy that we signed her up read more

My son and my daughter both taking piano class here! They love it so much! The teachers are all very patient and nice! They both start with the group class which is so amazing! My kids learned a lot during the two years group classes from book one to book four! They are currently taking 1:1 class with Miss. Shirley! She is very professional! Both my kids love her so much! read more

The teacher is nice and patient, my daughter had some group piano class by Maxine was really enjoyed on it.

My younger brother goes here and he says: "I enjoy going to Music-N-Smart because Ms. Maxine is considerate, patient, and encouraging. As a high school student, it is not too stressful and the program even has recitals in the spring and winter. The practice rooms are very clean and dampen sounds pretty well. They have a good selection of sheet music you can purchase -- I've bought pop songs and Junior Hanon for the Piano, among others. The past year and a half at Music-N-Smart has boosted not only my piano skills, but also my confidence!" read more

My daughter and me both take piano classes with Ms. Maxine for over four years now. The program is really great and we all really enjoy the music recitals twice per year. We really encourage everyone who wants to learn instruments to attend this school. read more

These guys are not professionals, all they care about is the tutoring fee. They wanted to charge me because we cancel at the last minute, she got sick and was throwing up, I didn't want to bring the sick child for the safety reason, but they didn't care and I had to pay it anyways. On the other hand they switch teachers on us all the time without notice, I heard they cut teacher salary without notices too. Get your child out of there. read more

My 3.5 years old boy LOVE this place! Their summer music program helps him to increased the interests in music. Ms Lisa is nice and professional. Highly recommended to all the parents :) read more

Music-N-Smart - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Chino, California

Music N Smart has been wonderful - its service and response time have been great! The manager, instructors, and communication have been excellent! Ms. Zoe is really friendly and good with kids. My son has been taking cello lessons here for almost five years, and he loves it! Music N Smart is professional & enthusiastic, and I have seen a tremendous improvement in my son's cello skills. I would highly recommend! read more

Horrible experience here.. I signed my son up for piano class, he has muscular dystrophy and we took his service dog with him during his piano class. His service dog is highly trained by cci (canine companions for independence), had her California assistance dog tag and I.D. and stayed in her down position, under his keyboard, the entire class. The staff asked if we could stop bringing his service dog because she was distracting the other kids and making other parents uncomfortable. They didn't consider my sons condition and the comfort and support she brings him or that's it's against the law! California law allows people who use trained service dogs full and equal access to public places!! Needless to say, I took my son out. read more

Music-N-Smart had been an integral part of my piano experience. Though Ms. Shirley I was able to complete my level 10 exams and pass exceptionally in my playing and theory. Ms. Shirley has great amounts of energy to give, and it's evident how much passion she puts into giving her students a pleasant experience, whether they continue with music or not. read more

Highly recommend Music-N-Smart. This is a wonderful music school with excellent instructors who are very dedicated to their students. The environment of learning music is very friendly. My son started his guitar lesson couple months ago and he loves it. He had a talent show in his school and the guitar teacher personalized his lessons and taught the song he requested. It's such a blessing to have this fantastic school near us. read more

This spot seems really nice and I'm sure the other classes are worth the price, however I'm disappointed with the toddler music class. I registered through the city recreation department and both my 3 year old and I were excited to start classes. Once the class started, I quickly realized that the class isn't structured for toddlers and it's not really a 'piano' class, but rather a sing along class...something I can do at home. The teacher, although very nice, doesn't seem to have a plan and just goes through random songs and activities. I think the most they play piano is 3-5 minutes, and the class is 45 minutes long. By the end of class, most of the kids are bored and in my opinion this class isn't worth the $80. read more

Best music class in the neighborhood. High quality teachers with professional back ground.

Good learning environment for kids. Management and teachers are really nice. My boys like attending their classes. Highly recommended. Tim read more

I have two children, They were piano beginners two years ago , can now be to perform Beethoven's repertoire on the stage, I really appreciate their teach, the teacher not only tell them piano skills, but also gives them their passion for music, they know interesting story behind each piece, more enriched their knowledge, so I never needed to force the children to practice, they are very voluntary use music to relax every day. read more

If I could I will give zero star. This place it's horrible. The owner so fake! She raise the tuition for no reason. And the owner just care about money , nothing else. They have some teacher really not professional. I don't think they can play piano . All the good teachers are left . If you choose here you will be regraded. Spend your money somewhere better than here. And do not waste your child time. Stay away! read more

I have been sending my child here for a while now. The owner Zoe is extremely friendly and easy to work with. The interior design of this place is very well done compared to other music studios and my child loves to come here. The group piano lessons and the concerts are a great way for kids to socialize. read more

My teacher is Ms.Shirley she is very energetic but I like her because she teaches good she is funny too.Ms.Zoey is nice to .The staff are friendly too read more

Last week when my son's lesson just started the teacher was on the phone , somehow she was so angry and her voice was so loud. I worried about her temper will affect my son so I changed other teacher. The funny thing is she called me and yelled "Is it the truth that you because of my phone call so you changed the teacher? That was emergency, so sorry , only few minutes, how come you don't give me chance to explain ? " oh ...my ... I can't believe it . Mrs. Shirley I always respect you but this is not right. read more

People with high expectations from toddlers, or those who think they will learn something without studying and without practicing should stay away. Music is something that takes hard work to learn and those parents who think their 3 year old will be able to take private lessons and learn anything at all need to get a reality check. I have come to this music school many times to take lessons and to buy accessories for my instruments. The receptionists there are very nice and helpful and look out for your best interest when inquiring about different products. I always recommend this place to anyone I know. read more

My daughter was beginning piano student. She had Laura as her piano instructor. My daughter aims to please and tries her very best at everything she does. She's an honor student. She is deathly afraid of getting in trouble or disappointing her teachers and herself. With this being said, Laura had a bullseye on my daughters back almost immediately. My daughter went to Laura for three months. Three months too long! I come to find out that Laura had been comparing my daughter to her other students as to why she couldn't understand concepts whereas her other students understood it quickly. She would physically and roughly take my daughters fingers/hands and place them where they needed/should go. Every week at her piano lesson she walked in the room, Laura would greet her, "oh, it you." I should have noticed the red flags when my daughter would not want to go to piano lessons and come out completely dismissive. It's wasn't until the last few lessons that she was in tears going to and from piano lessons at music n smart with Laura. Did she finally tell me what was going on. I personally played piano competitively for 10 years. Piano is such a beautiful instrument and I'm saddened that my daughter now feels like a failure and is scared to look at anything related to it. Laura instilled in my daughter in those three months that she was just not good enough. Being in education myself, no student can learn in this kind of environment. No matter how hard they try. It's normal to shut down. Especially for a child. The owner did not do much. She just backed up her instructor saying she's been there for so many years. And that she's an excellent teacher. This is bullying at its finest. In the end, the owner did nothing to protect her business. She could get sued for bullying. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

stay away from this place!!! read all reviews before going to this place!! save your money for real music school !! it's all about them making money and not caring about music education for there students! they have a ridiculous policy that states they can't offer a make up class if your child is sick and will only accommodate you a make up class if you cancel 24 hours in advance excuse me how do i predict the future and know when my child will be sick???!!! plus you already paid your monthly classes in advance so you will loose your money!!! plus stay away from teacher laura horrible teacher for young children!! not one time showed like she cared for my child classes never felt she would give encouraging words! my child got to the point that he didnt want to go anymore he felt uncomfortable with this so called teacher!!!dont fall for the soft talk of the so called owner ms zoe because she is a fake!! all she sees on you is $$$....lastly receptionist is nice at first when you sign up your child but be prepared not to be greeted again after you have paid!!! she is rude and obviously has no customer service experience!! read more

Both of my kids has been attending Music-N-Smart for almost 5 years (both Piano and Violin) and they love it! They start off with group session where they build their interest in music and slowly move towards private lessons. All the teacher in Music-N-Smart are awesomely nice with great patience. The school is very well run and the Director, Ms. Zoe and her fine team have been very helpful in making the decisions as to which classes where best for each child. It is really a wonderful place for kids who are interested in music and offers a lot of variety of opportunities to have them perform and recital in front of the wide audience. My kids want to learn it all, from Singing, Piano, Guitar, Violin, you name it they have it and if find a class they don't offer, I won't be surprise Ms. Zoe will go an extra mile to find the right teacher just for you. I highly recommend this place for any parents because they do offers a first class facility, outstanding value, numerous courses, well educated and experienced teaching professionals who care and performing opportunities for your children. Lastly, the location is very convenient (right inside the Chino Spectrum) where you can do lots of errant while they learn. read more