This is a great spot in Noe Valley to study music. I have been taking 30-minute piano lessons once a week with Oliver Levy since January. For the previous two years, I had been relearning piano on my own after a couple decade hiatus. But getting back into study mode with a teacher launched my playing further than I ever expected. Oliver put challenging pieces in front of me to learn that I probably wouldn't have sought out on my own. In particular, he turned me onto Chopin's Nocturnes, and helped me go from "there's no way I'll ever be able to play this" to "is it considered obsessive to play this seven times a day because I'm addicted to the way it gives me chills every time?" 5/5, would recommend. PS: There are some pretty harsh reviews for this business, but I never once experienced any negative vibes. All around great experience for this guy, a happy customer excited to continue growing into the best musician I can be. read more

Please be aware of the ongoing fraudulent activity from Russo Music School. They have deducted money constantly and I Have lodged an official Better Business Complaint. Next step: Complaint with Consumer Affairs California to Shut your business down permanently. For all those who have had ratings like mine do not hesitate to act on the spot and take legal action as you see fit. Thieving behavior that was reported as fraudulently changing the business information and retaining financial information to deduct money long after the cessation of classes is called Theft in broad daylight. This is in addition to her persistent efforts to disparage my son not that she's anything worth paying for! She failed at her job as a music teacher the only skill set she has she cannot perform properly and cannot inspire students to learn. What she is good at however as are the remainder of the chosen music teachers is to act uptight and rude and baseless and change their identity to commit financial theft. This is despite the blocks I put on my bank end and they advised me that Nicole Russo mostly changed a few details so that the information she had saved about my card she deducted on an erratic basis in exorbitant disproportionate amounts. Please refer to the files or evidence to support my review. I am sure those of you out there who experienced this can relate to me. Also, be sure to collaboratively issue complaints with BBB and Consumer Affairs California and I am sure if they see a red flag, Russo Music School Should be permanentlY SHUT DOWN for theft, misrepresentation, identity tampering, abusive work environment, and the barrage of violations that are being committed. Looks more like the Russo School of Theft to me! I Have the evidence to back that up (attached) and more! NOTE TO OWNER: ANY REPEAT OFFENSE AT ATTEMPTING TO STEAL MONEY WILL BE MET WITH ME ISSUING A POLICE COMPLAINT OF THEFT. read more

Russo Music - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - San Francisco, California

Nicole is amazing !!!! I recently purchased an acoustic guitar and snapped one of the strings while tuning it. I remembered meeting Nicole at a restaurant and hearing all about her store! she gave me her number to call in case i ever needed help with fixing instruments. i texted her and in the same day she helped me fix my new guitar and replaced the string all for free! she's very kind and i will definitely be going back if i break another instrument! read more

I just rented a piano from this terrific Noe Valley business. Super smooth, friendly and accommodating service, and very reasonable rates. They have a really enormous array of music method books and song books, guitars, violins, and other musical instruments and accessories for sale. A great, community oriented place to get lessons for children or adults. A bright spot in a world of disappearing retail, and in person interactions. Tom H read more

I love to rent keyboard from Russo Music. Nicole is always super helpful and nice! Absolutely love this place, it has such fair rent prices compared to other places in SF. 10/10 experience!!! :) read more

So, Yelp removed my original review because the store manager I described didn't like how I pointed out some glaring features about her. So I'll repost most of my original review and mention her in another way. What an absolutely horrible experience I had with the store manager of Russo music. I visited with the intent to rent a bass guitar and inquire about lessons. I reached out by phone to get details before visiting. Rather than answer the phone I received a text that they were busy. I replied about my interest and got a short answer on price. I waited for the advertised store hours and made the 45min drive to the shop. I stepped inside and there was NO assistance. While I waited some woman came prancing in. I thought she might be a parent because she didn't engage with any of the customers in the waiting area. After waiting 15min for someone to attend the counter I decided to step out for a quick walk on the street because I attended the junior high around the corner. Being in the neighborhood was very nostalgic for me. I returned 15min later to find this woman was not a parent but an employee. Later I learned she's one of the store managers! Her demeanor and attitude towards me was rude and uninviting. With a flick of her head she said that the bass was on the wall and that she was busy with a music lesson. So I sat down to wait for her to finish. Then she spoke to me in a demeaning manner stating that I had two minutes to fill out a rental form. I told her that I wanted to inquire on lessons. She condescendingly told me that only does business by appointment. I told her that it would have been nice if she had mentioned that in the original text. Her smug-comeback remark was that I should have told her that I would be going in today. I thought it had to be the most unprofessional and lamest response from a small business manager. Their website does NOT state that it conducts business by appointment only! No where to be found at the time of this review! She chose to be unprofessional and a rude person when I tried to give her my business. I had looked forward to the opportunity to start music lessons at 50yrs old. And this was the experience I got for trying to give to a small business in my old neighborhood? Her management style absolutely sucks. I can see them going out of business just because of her attitude. If you want respectable service and music lessons check out Manor Music in Pacifica. Plenty of parking. They are awesome. They do not rent music equipment otherwise I would have been using them. My son took drum lessons with them. That's how I know. read more

This place has incompetent staff and what seems like a rude owner. After emailing for a month and leaving messages, I got told to come by and get pick up a keyboard. When I arrived, the woman at the counter had no idea what they had or how much they cost. I asked what I should look at in deciding to rent and she said honestly I should just Google it. So I told her what I wanted and the owner said well I'm not going to rent you that, I am renting it to someone else. I wanted to give a neighborhood store a chance but frankly it was a waste of my time. read more

Had a wonderful experience renting an electric guitar and amp from Russo Music!! When I was picking up the instrument, a teacher at the school showed me how to tune the guitar, hold it correctly, and even play some beginner chords. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. This is also the only place in San Francisco that allowed me to rent the guitar month to month with no minimum months. The process of renting the guitar was quick and easy. After renting the guitar for several months and practicing, I feel confident going to a guitar store and buying a guitar that works for me! I am excited to come back to Russo Music to rent again or take music lessons! read more

Great school to attend as a student! I had a great time learning under the staff here as a substitute teacher! The energy and environment in the store is refreshing and inspiring to walk into everyday! I had a lot of fun under Nicole's management, helping me out as a young teacher! I highly recommend for taking lessons and applying for a position here ! read more

We enrolled our 5 year old in one week summer camp here for a whopping $550/wk ( some stellar & far more responsive places charge atleast a $100 less for a much greater experience). It was a complete disappointment. Few things: 1) Started with 0 emails leading up to camp ( what to expect) etc. I called the evening before to confirm the camp was still on. 2) 0 email updates during the week 3) Friday I went to pick up my child only to find they were all glued to a big screen watching someone play video games, really?! All other camps we have gone to throw some kind of performance or end of camp event. 4) My 5 year old tells me Ms. Nicole didnt even show up on Friday. On the whole, really nothing to show for the $$$. I wouldnt be returning and this is a warning to others. Plus the space is cramped and doesn't look fun. read more

The purpose of this email is to warn other families to find another place for music lessons for your child. I should start with saying that our child really liked her teacher. He seemed nice, knowledge and enthusiastic. He left though. My concern is with the management and front office team. Yes, they are completely disorganized, send contradicting emails, make promises with schedules/refunds that are ignored and/or don't respond to emails. All of this I was able to deal with. The two main problems are consistently being overcharged and now two months later still trying to get a refund. Who has time to deal with this? I just sent yet another email requesting a refund and giving our termination notice and the response I received was as follows (copied and pasted): "It may surprise you to learn that administrative labor costs money. We have few admin hours because we have kept our rates the same for nearly a decade. No business keeps prices the same for a decade and offers spectacular service. Our staff worked the entire holiday period - no breaks - for the sake of serving our students (and adjusting your January bill to $64.99) We have to wait for that payment to post - once it does well reverse the charge. None of the negativity or criticism of our staff which you tried to serve up in that email is received" (For your reference, this was the email I sent: We will no longer be attending Russo Music. Sadly, our experience with the front office has been extremely disappointing and frustrating.We have been owed money for months and I've Yet to be refunded. Please accept this as our termination as well as a request. For all money owed me to be processed no later than the end of the day Friday , Jan 3.) ZERO ownership and still no word when I will receive my money from November and December. An unfortunate part here is that I own a neighboring business which has advertised for Russo Music for years. Jokes on me. I'll update this review if I ever get my money back. read more

My 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son take piano and guitar here and they absolutely love it. The teachers are patient and do a wonderful job of encouraging the kids and making the lessons fun. My kids actually like sitting down at home and practicing what they learned! We did a week of summer camp this past summer and they equally loved that. It is true that their space is small, but the kids loved going into break-out rooms and working on music together and getting a chance to try all the instruments in the store. They also take the kids to the park for run around time. They told me they can't wait to go back next summer. read more

So, this is really just a place to take lessons, don't be fooled. There are some instruments and some sheet music but for someone like myself, who's played self taught guitar for over 20 years, there's little here to be had (though I hear you can also rent sound proof booths for recording, which is pretty cool). It's not that I'm against having a shop for lessons, but the instruments in here are all super basic and entry level. I asked questions about the Ukuleles they had hanging on the wall...they couldn't answer them. Simple questions like "What kind of wood is this top made out of?" or "Is it laminate?" Eventually, someone had to go pull out their supplier's catalog and look it up. From what I hear, the lessons are really good here. But if you need a guitar, hit up Noe Valley Music up the street. If you want a Ukulele, go to Aloha Warehose in Japantown. I guess if you need a clarinet or a violin, this might be a place to go get one, but, I'm doubtful, any shop selling instruments that can't answer questions makes me wonder. read more

Teacher Nicole, is bomb, yo. Found this spot on a Little Lane, and the little and I jetted off to find this magical music shop, nestled in the middle of Noe Valley. We walked in, plopped down in the middle of the shop on a mat, along with the rest of the mamas and kiddos, and then teacher Nicole laid it down. Effortlessly. She was fun, animated, cheerful, interactive, engaging, relatable. Just adorable. Need I say more?! My little was captivated, entranced, amazed, and instantly a fan. The Eennsy Weensy spider, old McDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle, you name it. 45 min-1 hour of nonstop muzik. So worth it. Whattagem! read more

This review is for the music camp, which our kindergarten student just finished. It was terrible! The staff arrived about 30m late each of the two days I dropped off. More importantly, the program seemed disjointed and under stimulating. In essence, you pay lots of $$$ to have them let your kid hang out at their store. Looking forward to our kid having many more structured / fulfilling experiences elsewhere. read more

Take Rita away from Russo, and what remains is an empty ZERO. I took a guitar to Russo Music to sell on consignment 4 months ago. Not having ever heard back from there, I went in to get the scoop. This led me to one of the most miserable service experiences with the most pathetic store representative-let me introduce you to "Becks". The woman without a smile and an inaptitude for customer service. After explaining I had been there 4 months ago, she lazily looked around, didn't see the guitar, and said it was sold already. Well thanks for the call, can I have my check? She didn't have one for me, and wasn't really bothered that it had been so long with no communication. After insisting she needed to provide me more information, she hesitantly made a call, and then said she still didn't know how much it sold for. I was pretty irked by the fact that there had been no attempt to inform me of the sale, and that the horrible attendant was making no effort to help. She took my number and said the owner would call me. A week later and still no call. Today I followed-up and spoke to Rita. I mentioned the whole situation, and Rita was on it! She called me back in a few hours and said I had a check waiting for me. When I went to pick it up, I thought of buying a ukelele from her but unfortunately it wasn't Rita's area of expertise so she asked Becks for her help. Becks walked over recommended a package deal that they offer and walked away, just like that. No concern if it worked for me, if I wanted other recommendations... Rita still made an effort to smooth things over, but at this point I had no incentive to spend any money there. I certainly do not want to seem like some negative dude that uses yelp to shaft businesses, so I want to share some statistics with you...I have written 200+ reviews, and only about 5% of those reviews have been awarded a star. Oh and on a final note, the check that I got was precisely the lowest amount that I had specified in my range (to the penny). If I had not followed up with them, I am reasonably confident that they would have just pocketed the money. That's my opinion; you too probably see how I could rationally come to that conclusion. I do have Rita to thank however for a job nicely done! read more

Yeah. This makes sense. I travel constantly. Because of the travel, it's hard for me to: - Do basic chores - Workout consistently - Eat healthy - Watch my Giants A simple solution would be to cut back on activities so that when I am home I can concentrate on the basics. Nah...let's take on the Cello. Lucky for me Russo rents so I can play without a huge financial leap. Super friendly staff who even hooked me up with lessons. Why the Cello you ask? Why not? Strings. read more

Me and my family went in yesterday after a nice lunch in Noe Valley. The sign on the door still said closed. The 2 young people behind the desk couldn't seem to be bothered to even say hi. I picked up a guitar and started to check it out. My son has playing with the piano in the main room. The blonde girl behind the desk screeched "you guys should go in the other room as we are trying to deal with emails and stuff" This sort of thing happened once when I was checking out ukuleles a few months ago...and I was relegated to a lesson room. No help. No nothing. So after i hung up their overpriced off brand guitar we left. This is the last time I will even set foot in their crappy store. Music stores are about customer service. I feel I would probably be treated better at Guitar Center.....and I hate that place. read more

Nick is my son's guitar teacher and he's great. Russo is always very flexible about lessons and we've been really happy with the progress our son had made. Overall, I highly recommend! read more

Russo Music has been a wonderful place for my 8 year old daughter. She has been studying violin with Chloe Allen for one year. Under Chloe's guidance, my daughter's knowledge of music and love for playing the violin has blossomed. Chloe is a talented musician and a patient and encouraging instructor. She shares her passion for violin in a way that is approachable and contagious. We are grateful to have such an incredible resource in our neighborhood. Thanks Chloe and thanks Russo! read more

Glad there's a place to get sheet music in a fun part of town. They're always friendly and every time I go I manage to find something new. They actually have a decently wide selection for a tiny shop, and they'll order or download and print anything else you might want. However, I just tried to access the website and it gave me a malware warning (!). So... I think I'll stick to going in person to see what they have in stock. read more

I was interested in violin lessons in Noe Valley and was so excited when Russo Music opened up, right down the block from my house! It's a super cozy store and the staff are so nice. The first time I stopped by, I ended up singing pop songs with one for the owners -- just for the heck of it! Later, I met their violin teacher Suzanne Schwind and I can't say enough about her! She's really fun and just an all around great teacher. She teaches kids and adults, and I got to hear her play too, which was amazing. I'm so happy there's finally a place like this in Noe Valley! read more

This place is awful with a capital A. My kids have gone there on and off for years and have attended camps there. These guys are disorganized (can't get them on the phone or via email), dishonest (they make you sign up for auto pay, supposedly track if you miss classes but don't, then don't return the money unless you've tracked them), and rude (the dude at the main desk is awful). Various teachers have left with a vengeance sending crazy accusatory emails to all the parents. Various teachers are incredibly mean to the kids. Also, the shop keeps changing configuration, the instruments are way overpriced and scarce in variety. read more

Affordable monthly rental. Pleasant staff. read more

Russo Music Refunded all of the money for the lessons based on our miscommunication. I appreciate the customer service in this instance. The music lessons were always good. Thank you for caring enough to do the right thing read more

If I could add another star, I would! I started piano lesson at Russo Music in December 2013. My teacher is Rita and I wish she would have been my teacher when I was 12. I probably would have never stopped and now I'm 50. She really brings back music into my heart. Rita is so positive, engaged and encouraging, practicing on my own at home has become so enjoyable and I feel I'm learning more in 3 month than I did in 2 years when I was 12. Russo music was recommended by my friend who's daughter is taking piano lesson with Dominic and she loves it. I find everybody working there very friendly and I look forward to my next lesson on Monday. Thank You Rita !! read more

They never answer the phone and on several occasions I've walked by there during business hours and the door is locked. Really disorganized and not a reliable business practice. read more

I have ordered from these people online... a gift for a 14 year old boy whos birthday is next week.,.. They took my credit card info, and now will not process my order , nor discuss the transaction with me...I have called left messages sent emails...but they will not reply...I just wish to know if they will either send me what i ordered or cancel my request, but they will not even tell me that...I just get " oh we will get back to you" but they never do.... now the 14 year old , I have to explain why I was late with his birthday gift...... Way to go Russo Music! I really have a hard time accepting these people are legitimate in any way..... do not order from them online! read more

This review is for Nicole Russo, not the store. I wrote to her to ask if my child and I could meet her and see if my child is ready for music lessons. She arrived late, no apology and charged me for a full lesson ($60) although there were no prior agreement/information regarding payment. And we weren't there for a full hour because a. She was late b.it took less than 30 mins to determine that my child was too young and therefore wasn't ready. If she had mentioned the cost in one of our many email exchanges, I would have been happy to pay the "fee". Anyway, the whole experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I will not go back in the future. Nor will I recommend Nicole to anyone. read more

My 13YO son has been playing Saxophone for three years He started lessons at Russo just a few months ago. Nicole has been amazing. After just two sessions she recommended a new "more advanced" mouthpiece and a change of reeds. This upgraded his control and sound immensely. His school Band teacher has noticed with positive comments. But the story gets better: Recently my son had a chance for a scholarship to a summer music program/camp. He/we needed to submit an audition recording. To show his range and ability Nicole helped select the appropriate music. She then coached and encouraged my son. And now ... this is where Russo Music went above and beyond: Nicole and one of her staff Oscar; spent 2.5 hours to record, edit and burn a 12 minute DVD for his submission. Their patience, assistance and professionalism has exceeded all expectations. read more

Russo Music is a delightful place with great service. My two children have been taking lessons here for about a year and a half and are already making such a great progress. The environment is lovely and the staff are wonderful. Nicole and Dominic are the friendliest people you could ever meet and their new employee is really polite and helpful. I couldn't recommend anywhere else. read more

I was greeted by an incredibly enthusiastic fellow who was nothing but helpful the whole time I was at the shop. The guitar picks are at a great price. read more

I would not recommend Russo Music. It started out fine, but our experience quickly went down hill. Our son's instructor was good, but the management of the shop was not. read more

What an amazing music school! Brilliant teachers! Wonderful staff! Unlimited resources! This is THE place for music education!

My daughter has been taking music lessons here now for two years. They have been very flexible with our schedule when we cannot make it. Russo just needs a heads up and they will credit your account appropriatelly. We are grateful that this place is convenient for us. Also, my daughter is enjoying her lessons. read more

I went here and purchased one hour of time of recording in a sound-proof studio. They really did a good job on the sound-proofing, you close the door and you can't hear anything on the other side. Dominic helped me and he is very professional and has a wonderful smile. The 'cashier' was cool too. I like the floors also and the place really has been remodeled to perfection. Big thumbs up for Russo Music. read more

These folks are fabulous and make the entire process so easy and professional. My granddaughter loves going to Russo.

Russo Music is a great place for music lessons. The teachers here are passionate about what they do and the store always has the books, and other items students need. read more

I live in the neighborhood and Russo Music is top notch! They have a great selection of instruments, and they are so helpful! The owners are a joy to talk to, and Rita is always so helpful. I know people who take lessons here and always have positive things to say. Stop by if youre in the neighborhood! read more

I LOVE RUSSO MUSIC.. Dominic is my daughters vocal coach. He is wonderful and has helped her to improve in her singing, confidence, and over all knowledge.. This is most def your one stop music shop. read more