I know negative about guitars. I have a nephew graduating from high school this spring and I…read morewanted to get him something meaningful and useful. He plays bass in one of those School of Rock type places and is passionate about it. I called my sister to see if there was anything he could use and she sent me a blurry photo of some kind of board he uses and told me he needs a carrying case. I went to Bananas at Large because of their reputation for being kind and knowledgeable. Their reputation is well deserved. I was greeted right when I walked in, I decided to look around a bit before asking for help because while I don't know anything about guitars, some of the instruments they had on the wall were works of art and I enjoy looking at art. When I was ready, I found the first employee, showed him the photo and explained the situation. He knew exactly what it was and where to find what I was looking for. He then took the case over to where they had the exact thing in the photo to show me how well it fit and other features of the case. He explained the 14-day return policy if it turned out to be the wrong thing and let me decide what I wanted to do. I wound up purchasing the case. I loved that I was nicely greeted when I walked in but left alone to browse. I loved that I didn't have to hunt down someone to help me when I was ready. I loved the general vibe of the place. I loved that they had what I needed and clearly a ton of things I might need if I ever decide to get into playing. I loved that parking was easy. I loved that they were excited to help someone who had no idea what they were doing in a guitar shop, were in no hurry to get me out of the store and patient enough to answer all my questions. I even loved that they accept Venmo for payments. Great place to go if you don't know anything about guitars but love someone who does.

This place is everything a music store should be. Yes they have great selection, and yes their…read moreprices match anything you can find online (even Reverb, often) but it's their service and relationships they build with you that's special. True stories of what they've done for me even in just the last month: My guitar needed some repairs before a gig, and they fast tracked the service and ordered an uber to bring the guitar to my house! I wanted a tuner pedal that was out of stock basically everywhere in the country, and they took their last one from Santa Rosa and shipped it to San Rafael store for free for me to pick up the next day. Best of all, I was unhappy with my guitar tone and Dan spent nearly 2 hours sitting with me trying different pedals and setups, before settling on showing me some different settings on my own amp, some different plectrums and swapping a pedal I'd bought recently for only a $10 difference! It would have been so easy to have sold me another pedal or 2 that I didn't really need, but the fact he didn't builds complete trust and makes me a customer for life!

Saved By The Magic Flute!…read more My newish Nord Electro 6 took a major tumble and several of the lower keys were mangled, ugh..I thought I needed to plan a keyboard funeral. Needless to say, I was DEVASTATED when I discovered my baby at the beginning of a gig.. The Magic Flute repair rep didn't guarantee a successful fix, BUT TOTALLY DELIVERED IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!! My keyboard funeral was canceled. THANKS MAGIC FLUTE!

The Magic Flute has been providing solid instruction for a myriad of instruments for decades…read more Currently, Chris Collins is an insanely talented musician who is a wonderful piano teacher. He is able to tailor his lessons so the material is relevant and age-appropriate and engaging. His ability to not only play music by ear but to create sheet music from that is brilliant. Highly recommend!

Excellent, unique and personal shop for all things stringed, with a master luthier at the helm and…read moresome beautiful instruments and many happy clients. This shop epitomizes what I love about Marin county, the vibe, the personality and the specialness....

John has a wealth of experience and some beautiful instruments. I highly recommend this shop,…read moreespecially if you are looking for high end vintage instruments.

I can't say enough good things about MCMS. With no musical experience, I came to MCMS as an adult…read morebeginning cello student. My teacher, David, has patiently and thoughtfully worked with me as I very slowly progress. When I'm in the school before and after lessons I get to listen to other students, or all ages, with David and the other wonderful teachers. There is a great sense of community and the interest and enthusiasm the instructors have for each of their very different students is heartwarming. From talented mini-rock n' rollers to older students, everyone is treated with care.

I am 66yo with long forgotten high school music experience and wanted, if I could, pick up were I…read moreleft off. What was I to do? I found MCMS and it was exactly my answer. This small but loaded school caters to the young and older alike. It has a bevy of accomplished and practicing musicians; teaching drums, guitars, piano, violin, cello. I see it as a place to perhaps learn to be a multi-instrumentalist. My first inquiry to the school was answered quickly and then put in touch with it's cello instructor (the instrument I wanted to learn). I was given a complementary hour of introduction and was sold after that. I appreciated the instructor's encouragement and that he did not sugar coat the road ahead to learn; I liked the challenge of that. This school has checked off all the boxes for me to learn. It is conveniently located in not quite down town San Anselmo and has a neighborhood feel about it. It is San Anselmo's very own School of Rock and Bach!

You cannot get better than the Ali Akbar College of Music for North Indian classical music. Maestro…read moreSwapan Chaudhuri is one of the living legends of tabla and to have direct access to learning from him is a treasure. Then Alam Khan, the son of the College's name sake, the great Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, is a gifted practitioner and teacher of the sarode. They also offer classes in vocal and sitar. All of the teachers are highly trained, knowledgeable and caring. I feel so lucky to live in the Bay Area and have access to this amazing institution. You can also see some of the best Indian classical music concerts anywhere in their intimate performance space.

From the owner: The leading institution of Indian Classical Music Since 1967read more

I bought a violin online, and took it to Dolce Violins for some quick repair work (tailgut…read morereplacement). Moses took the appointment quickly and was able to fix it on-site, and had excellent recommendations when I was looking for to change some of the pieces on the violin. Definitely knowledgeable about violins, all the vendors, and improving the sound quality of an existing instrument and keeping it in good order. All the payments were electronic and super easy. I ended up moving before the work was able to be done on the violin, and Moses went above and beyond in helping me. 100% recommend for any violin, viola, or cello needs!

Moses is wonderful and so knowledgeable on stringed instruments! He has not only violins but…read moreviolas and cellos too. He now has a store in San Francisco too!

Cristina is a brilliant piano teacher. She is very experienced and truly cares about the student;…read moreshe provides an enriching and instructional environment for learning piano. We adore her both as a professional and as a human. She is very communicative with parents as well!

Cristina is a magical and wonderful teacher. Her teaching is highly creative and fun -- she uses…read morethe piano to help you explore your own creativity and applies super innovative techniques that help you learn how to read music, feel the rhythm, listen to the colors of sound, and express your voice through the piano. While she is highly creative, she is also highly educated and went to USC for her degree, graduated magna cum laude and is on the faculty for San Domenico Music Conservatory. She is the perfect blend of creative thinking and hard core experienced, driven expert. I have been working with her for just about a year now, and as a 49 year old who stopped playing piano at 15, I never thought I could learn, or that it would be this fun! I know Cristina teaches adults, but she also teaches many kids too! She can come to your home -- but I visit her adorable home in San Anselmo where she has a glorious grand piano!

A Drummers Tradition is the last of a species, a one stop shop for all things DRUMS, something that…read morehas virtually ceased to exist in the SF Bay Area. As a full-time jazz drum pro and band leader, it's been my pleasure to shop there for many years. Robert and his staff are tremendously knowledgeable about everything from vintage drums to cymbal options. They even have obscure hardware from obsolete drum manufacturers that are hard to get anywhere. Plus the knowledge and wisdom that goes with that. ADT Is also a virtual "candy store" if you like drums, drummers, and our history. There's nothing more fun than to come in, hang out, and talk drums with other drummers! AND spend hours looking at the drum SETS and memorabilia on all four walls!

The little guy with the pony tail got nasty with me after finding out I could not afford his drum…read morelessons. Called me names and told me he couldn't care less about me if I wasn't paying his salary. Would not recommend.

Caroline's summer college essay group was a great way to get our student started early on college…read moreapplications. I would definitely recommend this to other parents to avoid the stress of last-minute essay writing. Especially for those early action college apps due Nov. 1.

College Prep: Caroline is AWESOME! She worked with our M.C. daughter on her college essays. She…read morewas adamant that the wording needed to be done in our daughter's voice, they had to be her experiences, and she worked and was able to bring the best examples and writing out of her. It was surprising how well our daughter's essays were, and the wording matched her grades. There were 3 colleges where our daughter had lower GPA and test scores, yet was accepted as others were not. Perhaps colleges are looking for the "entire" student, but with Caroline's guidance our daughter got there. My only regret, we should have used her for SAT/ACT prep.