We are so lucky to have this shop in St. Charles! It is the perfect place to go for when your kid's…read moreinstrument needs repair or you need something for it. Jon has a great depth of knowledge and he's super friendly!

As always amazing staff, as soon as I entered I was greeted. The store was clean and organized…read more David checked me out as I was in store to buy an amp. He was happy and helpful and ready to answer all the questions. All in all a good experience. Definitely recommended.

Needed dulcimer work/repair - owner was completely uninterested in helping with this…read more Selection is small amounts of acoustic guitars and band/orchestra school instruments. Talked a bit too much about trains for our liking when we wanted to discuss almost anything music related in the music shop, while we were just trying to leave. Felt trapped by the layout and operator. Looked like a good place for your kids school needs and things, not for professional instruments as much

My husband and I discovered this wonderful shop, when we needed to trade in our granddaughter's…read more3/4 size violin for an adult 4/4 size violin within two days. We were referred by our daughter, who had frequented the store. We walked into this Batavia Music store not knowing anything about violins beside the basic stuff, and left with a wealth of knowledge. Tom (owner) is very pleasant; we enjoyed doing business with him. We were quite surprised that he bought an old violin from us, before we settled on anything he had in his inventory. He helped us make the right decision quality and price. It was a joy to be in the presence of so many beautiful instruments and an owner who really cares about his work. We will be back for lessons and care of a couple of other instruments.

Purchased a violin and kit from StringWorks. Customer service was world class, let that simmer a…read morebit. Communication, input, presence, packaging, delivery, followup, there is a stew going there that will have me coming back for needs. Every expectation was met with a step above, they worked for it and deserve it, thank you for your time and patience StringWorks and the Maestro Violin that is finely tuned with care.

The Stringworks Artist cello sounded really nice. It looks very beautiful, too. It was delivered on…read moretime from the online shop.

This place is definitely worth the hype! Their customer service and repair is super fast and…read moreaffordable! The shop has an amazing selection of guitars and rare collections. Lastly their vast knowledge really helps you feel comfortable about your decision if you choose to buy.

the very best guitar shop I have ever dealt with ! and I've been around and had many other places…read moreto compare to. Paul and his people are superb. I couldn't be happier. honest people with fair prices and perfect service. you can't say more than that. Susan from Prescott Az

My son has been taking guitar classes for a couple months in St. Charles. Originally we signed him…read moreup more for fun. Didn't realize how impressed I'd be with how much he's grown in his playing ability. He loves his teacher and looks forward to his lessons every week. Really cool to see his progress, can't recommend enough

Literally the most unprofessional business I have ever dealt with. Zero or actually negative…read morestars. While my oldest daughter worked with Kaitlyn for voice lessons for a few years and had a great experience with her, the business is so poorly run, and they will just take your money and run. About a year ago, we were informed that we owed over $2000 in back pay due to their lack of proper accounting. It took me hours to go over records and verify that what they were claiming was correct. And in the end, I still wasn't sure if there was some inflation of charges since it was over a year's worth of billing that I had no invoices to keep track of. After this blunder on their part, they changed their accounting and billing policy and actually started sending invoices monthly. But the invoices reflected payments for 2 months in advance. So essentially if you decide to quit, they have 2 months worth of your money. My daughter's voice teacher, Kaitlyn, decided to leave AMI, and we were only given 1 week's notice prior to her leaving. In fact Kaitlyn said she was instructed NOT to say anything up until one week before. And my daughter is about to go to college, so switching now to a new teacher made no sense. So now we are left with over $800 in credits that we will never use. I asked several times for them to reconsider and reimburse our money. In the medical field where I work, it is customary to give patients 90 days notice if you are leaving so they can find a new provider. And we have worked with other music related businesses and none of them were crooks like AMI. Look elsewhere.

Awesome services. Not only do they teach guitars and other instruments, and voice lessons, but they…read morealso have student workstations set up to teach producing your tracks using iMacs and Apple's Logic Pro X music editing software - which by the way is both known as the software to have, because it's great with medium and pros, but with a little learning curve, also with beginners. It's a great value for parents to get their kids someday, it won't break the bank, and Logic was wisely chosen as the program to teach at this place. They're a great value financially, but the main reason why you'd want to take lessons is because of their very talented teachers. They're all 20s and 30s, so they don't teach the old school Led Zeppelin school of rock oldies. They are more in this day and age of music like hip hop, pop, and electronic EDM. Their sound booths are super large, and their production studios are also very large, loaded with multiple instruments, and super cool. Again, it's cool that they know how to record and produce your music, and that they can add other instruments to your tracks, but in my opinion, what I think is the coolest, is that they have a dozen computers with affordable software parents could buy so that their kids could produce their music on their own. They're really good at showing off, but what got my kid really excited was that she could do things, like copy and paste harmonies of her voice, and as piano and drums, etc herself to her own music (which was great as her vocals and her guitar, but it's truly professional and sellable by electronically/programmatically adding much much more to her basic songs. Excitement in your kid - that's where they really Excel. But holy cow, these guys will take your semi-talented teenager and turn them into the next Taylor Swift or Calvin Harris or Beyonce. Absolute Music Academy is way better than any other place we've been, and we've been to 3 vocal coaches, a guitar coach, and SoR. There's no comparison if your kid wants to play today's music and honestly, quite possibly, turn pro. Good luck. Very affordable. Have fun!

My son took a one day DJ class at Absolute Music Academy and it was extermely helpful. As a novice…read more/ aspiring DJ, my son really appreciated the individual time they provided to him, even in a class with a few other students. Also, the time spent on the "theory" of music (mix on the 8, 16, etc beats) was invaluable. Thank you!

My son took piano lessons here for over 3 years until we moved out of state. They give you a…read morediscount for paying with a check. After all, credit card fees are ridiculous. We never had a problem with make up sessions and they were more than accommodating when we had to cancel. There is a groupon for 1/2 price on a month of lessons. My son had Robert for a teacher and I can't say enough good things about him. My son excelled with him and at age 7 wrote his own song that he actually entered Into a contest and got 1st place. Robert transcribed it and emailed it to me. I would definitely recommend this location (st Charles) to anyone looking for lessons.

Do not be fooled by the slick first meet you will have with the owner…read more.. Firstly, the teachers here are fantastic! Well trained and excellent with children. The owner is also very nice and knowledgeable. With that said, some of the policies like their sporadic hours which they rarely are even ever on time with, their fees to make payments, and the sick cancellation policy, are not "standard" in the industry no matter what they try to tell you. The recitals for mostly children, when they aren't cancelled, are hosted in bars and local casinos. As far as I'm aware, it's actually illegal to have children in a casino... I have not met the management in the other locations, however I have spoken with them, as it is the only way to get a message to the owner. The manager in the St. Charles location, is frequently unkempt with her unwashed hair and dirt under her fingernails. She insists on blaring loud and distracting music through the entire studio. The customer has to work unnecessarily hard through a lesson to play over the loud music. The studios also have 3 inch gaps between the door and the floor so there is no sound insulation. So the lesson has to compete with the ongoing loud music and then also other adjacent lessons going on. This facility was not intended to be a place for musical lessons and the owners haven't and won't make an effort to make the studios more conducive to musical lessons. When you speak with the owner or manager on your first visit, they will go on and on about how they have recording capabilities and how up to date they are so that the children can take cd's of their lessons home to review and practice to. After several years, we have NEVER seen this even be attempted. Do not be fooled. You will also find that after your initial low enticement lesson price, the price will go up without mention; until you go to pay for the next installment. Ask what the regular lesson price is. Not what the introductory lesson prices are. They won't tell you this unless you press for the information. I would not recommend this place for lessons unless you like hidden fees, double talk and broken promises.

I was looking for a Piano tutor for my 9 year old when I came across the Music Education Center…read more(MECA) in South Elgin. It is conveniently located for me, and the website is very informative. When I called, the staff was kind and helpful. The price for tutoring is VERY reasonable, and my son LOVES his piano teacher. He is excited to go to lessons every week, which is more than I can say about his previous piano tutor. I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking at learning an instrument.

From the owner: At Music Education Center (MECA), we offer the best in private music lessons, group classes, band…read moreand orchestra rentals and sales, print music and accessories, musical gifts, scholarship opportunities, and consignment re-sales. With so much to offer, it's easy to choose MECA for all of your musical needs. With a focus on education, we strive to provide a studio where anyone, regardless of age or experience, can learn to make music in both a comfortable and affordable environment. Our goal is to provide the highest quality of musical instruction, while simultaneously offering the services and products to support how each student learns best. We're excited you're here and can't wait to become part of your musical journey!

Craig Elliott has been tuning our piano and working with our kids for years! he's good humored,…read morepatient, super skilled and just a pleasure to have in our home. i would recommend.

We had a very bad experience with Craig Elliott at A&A Music Academy in Hanover Park, IL. After…read moreteaching my child the Ukelele for two months, Mr. Elliott, the music instructor, decided that teaching this instrument to young children was outside of his expertise as a music teacher and thus canceled the rest of our classes for the month, which by the way, had been paid in advance. In addition, there was an incident where he grabbed and yanked my six year old child to try to keep the child from standing up from the child's chair (this we learned later!). The list of incidents goes on. To top things off, during the last class that Craig taught my child, Craig seemed to be be sick and coughing with a cold. As a result. my child contracted RSV after this last lesson with Mr. Ellilott. These are just a few examples of our experience with Craig's lack of professional acumen as a music teacher. First, children should not be grabbed or yanked under any circumstances. Second, it is very unprofessional to not have completed his commitment of teaching after having been paid for the classes in advance. Thirdly, one should not have close contact with anyone while sick! At the very least, Mr. Elliott could have informed us and/or wore a mask to prevent spread of disease. Unfortunately, sharing our story here will not keep you all from experiencing the same at this school with Mr. Elliott. However, if we can save one person from experiencing abuse in the way of poor professionalism that we have experienced, then sharing our bad experience with Mr. Craig Elliott is worthwhile.

Let me tell you... hidden gem! My experience with my own child has been nothing but amazing! They…read moreworked with me any time I was in a pinch schedule wise, Laura (Driving Instructor) ease my daughter's anxiety with driving, which meant going above and beyond the normal hour driving limitations at times, and I even call at 7:30AM and get to talk to someone directly when I just have questions. I am extremely happy I went this route (20minutes away) vs the competitor across the street.

Do not use this service. I was cut off by one of their cars at a construction merge and they sped…read moreup to go past everyone waiting in the right lane and then cut off a semi truck. When I later caught up to the car I noticed only one person in the vehicle. If this is how the owner or instructor drives, this is the last person to teach children how to drive safely. I got a few hand gestures from the driver and when I called the number on the vehicle sign it was answered by a man that was driving a car - the background noise was obvious. The same person who was driving unsafe earlier was now operating a phone while driving. I had reached my destination and called from a parked car.