Chicago Music Exchange (CME) is massive. There is a lot of ground to cover and many instruments to…read moresee. I accompanied my husband to CME during our weeklong trip to Chicago this summer. We took the L to Paulina, and the music store is a short walk from the train station. So many guitars on the street-level part of the shop. Drums, basses, and the repair shop are found on the lower-level. Aside from all the guitars displayed on the walls, there are also so many canvased photos of musicians and groups who visited CME over the years. There are a number of comfortable spots where you can sit and play. There's also a cushy couch area with Gucci pillows where you can sit, especially if you're waiting for your significant other :)

I used to be able to play a little. Love guitars and amps, everyone should…read more Walking in here: I'm not Worthy. I'm NOT Worthy. Beautiful guitars in many different price ranges. From classic American Fenders, to Paul Reed Smiths, Gibson, and a full fledged acoustic guitar room with beautiful acoustics. The people working there are helpful and not elitists cooler than thou musicians. The folks I encountered were warm and welcoming. Really positive and fun.

I tested several digital pianos and my decision came down between the Roland FP-30X and Yamaha…read moreP255. The Roland won due to its superb key weight which feels exactly like playing a grand piano. In addition, I felt that the Roland's sound is better since its built upon a Steinway grand piano's sound. The P255's sound is built upon Yamaha's CFX grand piano. The P255 sounded a bit muddled in the middle to my ears. Staff is friendly and helpful.

I drove quite a distance to look at a used PA system. Freddy Villagomez was nothing short of…read moreAMAZING. He tested the whole system out channel by channel before the purchase to make sure this used system worked properly. The agreed upon price was very fair. I picked up a couple of speakers stands as well while I was there. Worth the drive for me. I will be back!! Highly recommended!!

Great old timey vibe. Lots of vintage pedals. Nifty other stuff like quality cables.read more

Several month ago I had an Elektron Digitakt serviced at this store. There was a small mix up…read moreduring the repair, manager Andrew Marrah went above and beyond to ensure the device was returned to me in perfect working condition. I cannot overstate the professionalism of Andrew Marrah and everyone at Synth City. I would trust this store with anything regarding my gear, they will make sure to treat you well and with respect. 10 out of 10 hands down.

Alex's Music Studio has been a great place for my son to start his piano journey. Our experience…read morehas been wonderful from Car at reception to Ian, his teacher, who has been encouraging and kind. Alex sure does have a gem of a studio! Thank you!!

I've never been to the studio and I don't have any clue about the classes they teach…read more But once a week I get a video from my 2 year olds daycare class where Helen is leading the class in interactive singing and dancing. It is the highlight of my workday when I get that video! Watching the joy and pleasure he gets from clapping, stomping and following her cues warms my heart. When he first started at daycare he was a bit shy and reserved and would often just stare at Helen not really participating. But now he's blossomed into a dancing & singing machine. Helen's warm, engaging and supporting spirit have helped him build his confidence and allowed personality his personality to shine! Seeing his development in the last 2-3 months has been amazing and fun. And I attribute a lot of that development to music class with Ms Helen. Now if only she could teach Mommy and Daddy some rhythm so we could keep up with him!

This is an excellent music school. I've studied with a lot of voice teachers over the past 30 years…read moreand have performed in a lot of musical theatre productions across the country. I moved to Chicago and got away from performing and singing while I focused on my corporate day job. I missed the arts. My voice was out of shape. I googled voice lessons near me. Cantabile School of Voice and Piano popped up, so, I reached out. The owner, Erica, is very responsive and organized. She paired me with my first choice voice teacher, Matthew Recio. Matthew is an outstanding teacher. He listens. He challenges me. He communicates very clearly. He's honest with me. He plays piano very well, too. It's been just a few months and I can feel and hear very positive differences in my singing. Lessons are fun and rewarding. I'm impressed. Prices are very reasonable, considering the level of training I'm receiving. The location of the school is convenient. I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon this school. If you're thinking of finding a new music teacher, consider this review a firm push to reach out to Erica. See for yourself if Cantabile School of Voice and Piano is the right choice for you. I'm very happy that I did!

Erica is a wonderful and truly gifted teacher! I decided to start voice lessons as an adult (which…read moreis slightly terrifying), and am so glad I did. I've improved my voice, gained confidence, learned some life lessons, and had a lot of fun along the way. Two things that stand out to me about Erica: (1) She is an EDUCATOR. Erica has a degree in Vocal Performance AND Music Education, and it's very clear she is an expert in both content (voice) and process (learning pedagogy). She is incredibly intentional in her selection and pacing of vocal exercises, concepts, and techniques to ensure they meet me where I'm at as a singer and learner. She encourages open dialogue about the learning process and we make adjustments to meet my learning needs and style along the way. I have confidence that she could teach anyone at any level. (2) She creates the perfect environment and conditions for learning. Singing in front of others is scary for me, but I feel totally comfortable trying new things, making mistakes, asking questions, and expressing how I'm feeling about the learning process with Erica. She makes it fun, interesting, and infuses a lot of joy into our lessons. Very highly recommend Erica and the Cantabile School (I hear the other instructors are fabulous too)!

As a musician and music educator (harp), music education for my girls is one of my top priorities…read more I've worked at many schools from early education to Loyola University and continuing adult education. The staff at Bucktown Music is unbeatable for all ages. The programs offered here are the best in the city with easily applicable curriculum, clear assignments for home, developmentally appropriate challenges, and fun for parents too! My daughters love music class. They are delighted every time we step into the room. From the courtesy at the front desk to the parking options and surrounding activities; the fully stocked bookshelf to the bathroom with diapers available; the clean kitchen to foster community to the shower to support the active staff, they've thought of everything at Bucktown. Thank you for your beautiful resource to our musical city!

Everything about Bucktown Music is fantastic! The people& the program. And the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE…read moreclass so much.

I started learning piano as a young child, and after a (20 year) break, decided to seriously study…read morepiano again. I interviewed several teachers in Chicago and Betsy was the only one who came prepared with a propose course of study. That said, while she takes the lessons seriously, she is unfailingly kind. I've been taking lessons with her for five years now, and while we've often taken detours from the original lesson plan, I've improved greatly. What's more, I have a rekindled joy from the piano and music generally. Betsy loves teaching piano, and you'll love taking lessons from her!

Betsy is an incredible piano instructor. Our 6 year old daughter has learned several songs on the…read morepiano and gained some great knowledge. Our daughter looks forward to her lessons every week and Betsy is always very welcoming and kind.

I love the concept of the Music Playhouse of Chicago. I love music and wasn't sure how to expose my…read moredaughter to it since I don't want to force her into Suzuki strings or something, and the Wiggleworms program at Old Town School appears to be geared toward slightly older babies (mine is just two months). In the newsletter for Family Picnic there was an advertisement for the fall term of The Music Class for Babies, which is led by an employee of Music Playhouse at various locations. I was a bit on the fence about going (why is everything for babies/small children in the early hours of the morning--have some sympathy for those of us who aren't early birds!). Luckily Family Picnic is only a few blocks away and I'm so glad went. At this weeks' session there were two other families in attendance and the children ranged from two to six months. This particular class is geared toward children aged 0 to 18 months. It was led by Miss Juliet, who had a variety songs to sing; rhythmic patterns to explore; as well as shakers, sticks, and scarves to dance and play with. We did activities whilst standing and sitting, including various songs and dances. It was great fun and my little one seemed to enjoy it as well. After leaving, we signed up for two more drop-in sessions; though the term is 10 weeks long, I unfortunately have to return to work in a couple weeks so I won't be able to attend a Friday morning class. I wish they had late afternoon or weekend sessions so that we could participate more often. The only negative thing I have to say is that the class took place sitting on the floor or standing. I am not the most limber and I was able to get up and down but it was really uncomfortable for me, both sitting on the floor and trying to get up from it (and I'm not sure how it would work if there were many more people there). I didn't really feel as though I had the option to sit on a chair as opposed to the floor. I'm not sure how it would work for someone who, unlike me, truly cannot sit on the floor for whatever reason, so I'm not sure if it's fully accessible.

Love, love, LOVE Ms. Erin!…read more We've been taking our son to Ms. Erin's classes on Saturday mornings and he loves the songs. Classes have been outdoors at Tuco and Blondie and they are socially distanced. Ms. Erin provides instruments or seating if you forget yours. Everything is cleaned before and after you use it. I would highly recommend the music classes for littles who love movement and singing.

My God, how we love OTS! We're here at least once a month for a concert: BeauSoleil this past…read moreSaturday; Cracker, Mariachi Herencia de México, and the Bygones in December and January; Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Destroyer, Suzanne Vega and Rufus Wainwright around the corner! Prices are beyond reasonable, there's not a bad seat in the house and beer and wine at the concession stand are affordable. Personable volunteers are both friendly and helpful. Insider tip: A very reasonably priced tax-deductible membership gives us an opportunity to nab tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

So excited to finally see this group after 20 years. They didn't disappoint. It's a great space.read more

I love making things with my hands; I love the sense of accomplishment it gives me. My grandmother…read moretook up upholstery in her 70's and made some beautiful pieces, one of which I inherited. The fabric on the piece isn't really my style and I decided that if it was going to be re-done, I wanted to be the one to do it. There aren't many places to learn upholstery. I am lucky to live a few blocks from the shop; my classmates weren't so lucky, they all lived at least 20 miles away. I wasn't sure what to expect with the beginner's class, so it's worth noting that in the beginner class you most likely won't work on an actual piece of furniture.* What you will do is complete four projects that give you the skills to move on to actual furniture. The class is very hands on, you will thread a machine and start sewing in your first class. There are no prerequisites for this class; half of us hadn't used a sewing machine before. Owning a garment machine, there were a few things that took getting used on upholstery machines. There are two instructors; Jeff, the owner, taught my class and one of his staff taught the other. I can't speak to the other teacher's style, but Jeff is very laid back and a firm believer of learning by doing. Jeff is very generous with his time, knowledge, tools and materials; many students don't finish all of the projects in the allotted class time, but you're welcome to come back and finish after your session is complete (provided there's room). You're always your harshest critic, but I was so flattered when the manfriend thought my final project was something I had bought. I really loved this class and can't wait to start the intermediate class. The intermediate is like an independent study, you bring the piece you want to work on. If you've meandered by and seen the work in the window on Lincoln, those are student pieces. * One project is a bar stool cover. If you've got a piece to work on, you can use it. TIP: There's a lot of close work in the class and it's easy to get into a groove. Wear comfortable clothes you wouldn't mind getting dirty and bring your glasses, water and a snack.

I just took the "Beginners' Upholstery Class" with Jeff Kraut and LOVED it!…read more The class covers upholstery techniques that can be applied to automotive upholstery, furniture upholstery, and bag making. It is taught on industrial sewing machines (no previous sewing experience necessary). I already knew basic sewing and I definitely picked up lots of new tricks/techniques. Some of the topics we covered: * setting up the machines and basic sewing. * quilted stitching on vinyl (like on the back of a car seat or stuffed chair) * adding piping trim * zipper installation and sewing a small case * stapling construction and making a panel (like recovering a chair seat or a car side panel) * beginning pattern making and making a seat cushion Projects might vary a little from class to class. I've posted photos of my work. The class was Mon & Wed, 7-9pm for 5 weeks. It's located just down the street from Trader Joe's on Lincoln. Easy parking & near the El. You can get more info from Jeff at canvasboss@yahoo.com. I'm looking forward to the advanced class!