The Yellow Room is a school owned by Monty Macalino of Mayonnaise. Originally, this spot was a…read morerehearsals and recording studio which he moved to a house in Ayala Alabang Village around a year or two ago. Today, The Yellow Room is a school for all ages. Anyone who would like to learn an instrument or learn how to sing, this is the place to be. Just give the place a call and fix a schedule and you're all set! And the results are splendid. Last year, they had their first ever recital wherein all the students played a song or two. So to all you frustrated musicians out there, remember that The Yellow Room is the place to be!

Cool guitar store - Filipino made by Ramon Jacinto (RJ) . Limited selection of nylon string…read moreguitars though but I really love the game workmanship and beauty of the mahogany wood and appliqués of the steel string guitars that RJ made.

RJ Guitars is the place to go if you are looking for affordable musical instruments. Last year, I…read morechanced upon RJ's birthday sale in Robinson's Galleria with my girlfriend. They had this promo where every hour, from opening until closing, the discount gets bigger. Since we were there near closing, the discount was already at a whopping 40%. She didn't think twice to fall in line and choose among the instruments propped up against the wall. Although the selection was a bit limited because they were almost closing, they still had a few items that were worth lining up for. The line wasn't that bad, by the way, and the salespeople tried their best to help out everyone even if the store was a bit crowded. In the end, we were able to buy a pretty decent ukulele that was imported from Korea for around 3,000 Pesos. For starter musicians, I suggest putting RJ's birthday on your calendar because the sale definitely worth it.

According to store staffs, it's a first Gibson guitar store in Philippines. There are famous "Les…read morePaul", "ES335 B.B.King signature model" acoustic guitars, and Epiphone guitars as lower price range products. For guitar freaks it's a paradise! Unfortunately, the retail prices are almost double on Gibson HP catalog prices, and other than that, selected models are all good.

As far as luthiers here in the Philippines go, Max Rufo is among the household names you should…read moredefinitely consider when taking your guitar for repairs, or if you would like him to modify an existing one, or customise you one from scratch. He's very popular in the local music industry and known for his work on electric guitars for several personalities in the music industry. He's also known internationally for creating his own, patented, noiseless pickups for guitars. His shop is quite a challenge to find, as Mang Max doesn't exactly do marketing and he's a bit under the radar. Here's a landmark: it's a small, small shop that's located on the corner of one of the subdivisions on Victoneta Avenue. If you get lost, ask around the area as he's quite known. Being inside his shop was definitely a new experience, as I've never set foot in an actual guitar workshop, seeing deconstructed guitars, jars of paint, work-in-progress guitars, and guitar encyclopedias. You can tell how this place has served him for many, many years. Just tell him what kind of guitar you have in mind, and he will create it for you (at reasonable prices, too). Very nice and accommodating fella.

I used to take piano lessons here! That was several years ago, when the school still occupied most…read moreof the building. And my sister's been going to ballet here even before the building had been renovated and the dimly lit ground floor waiting area had a cake shop. Good times. Now, even though Academy One only has one large dance studio left upstairs, a couple of instrument lesson rooms at the back, and a small waiting area in front, they still provide top notch education. They offer jazz, classical and modern ballet, piano, voice, and guitar lessons. It's affiliated with the Australian Conservatory of Ballet and the London-based Royal Academy of Dance so for sure the ballet classes are excellent. (Only complaint is the schedule can be erratic at times - sometimes ending surprisingly early, other times extending for half an hour.) They have an annual recital in CCP at the end of the summer program to showcase the growing talent not just in the dance students, but also those who learn various instruments. I think it's a good way to get kids used to the performance side of performing arts.

Manila has a growing community of Ukulele players, groups, and clubs, and most of them congregate…read moreat Ukulele Philippines. One of the last bastions of cool in the increasingly declining Collective, Ukulele Philippines has everything a Ukulele player could ask for. Whether you're a beginner, an enthusiast, or a pro, this is the shop for you. Aside from Ukes and gear, Ukulele Philippines is also an organization that does a lot of Ukulele-related stuff (Obviously). If you're timing is right, they usually do incredible jamming sessions in their shop. It's worth checking out, if only for that. Brilliant place. Almost wish I could play a Uke.

As a teenager, I was preoccupied with the guitar. In my younger days, I even took lessons from a…read morenoted guitar maestro of his time. One of my early jobs was marketing light musical instruments, specially guitars for the Yamaha Music Corp. It was a nice if shortlived gig As some kind of not-so-hot guitarist, I have always looked down at ukuleles as some kind of poor cousin of the classic Spanish guitar. I thought ukes were little more than toys. Cheap toys. How wrong I was. It turns out that there is a ukulele culture in the Philippines and Ukulele Phils sells all types of this instrument from all over the world. The one thing they do not sell are those cheap ukes sold at the tourist shops and in some public markets like Baguio. I was stunned to find out that a simple, good uke sells for around P4,500 if it;s made of mango wood. One top-of-the-line brand Martin goes for a heady P25,000! This makes them even more expensive than the good brands of guitars. I can only wonder why Yamaha doesn't manufacture ukuleles. The place not only sells ukes, but there are also teachers who give lessons at P200 per hour.

While looking for a violin to buy, my bestfriend and I chanced upon this store at Cash & Carry…read moremall. I have never seen a shop carry sporting goods and musical instruments in one place before (is it that rare? I'm not sure) but anyway, I can say it was the place to be for my favorite gal, because apart from being a violin enthusiast, she is also a fitness healthtard! Maybe this will be her favorite shop soon enough! They actually sell a treadmill for the price of a cheap laptop! If I had space at home, I would seriously get my dad (and myself) one machine. Oh, and they also offer music classes. They told me that it's only for Saturdays these days because June has come, and students are only available for weekends now (and possibly the teachers too). Maybe one of these days, I'll rekindle the piano-loving high school girl in me with the help of this shop!

In The Neighborhood,…read more In the neighborhood, it's sometimes difficult to find a music store with reliable supply of sturdy strings. Sometimes you find yourself missing a D string but don't exactly have a spare. I tried checking out the supply in RFC because theirs is the nearest, to no avail. RFC is great, don't get me wrong. But most of their stock is a blast from the past and most definitely outdated. I tried looking at the SM Center nearby, but they didn't have a music store at all. So I went and looked around the Las Pinas Starmall area. Lucky me, the Feelmore had some good enough stock of nylon strings. And they were on discount! I bought 2sets of course.