I had my very first guitar lesson with Andrew the guitar teacher at the Wandering Minstrel Music…read moreSchool in Streetsville Square last Friday, April 15th 2016. It was interesting...I cant say that Im returning so its just a four star experience for me, but I learned all the parts of the guitar and the basic chords and where my fingers need to be placed on the strings to play 'Smoke on the Water' ha hah. Now I have another party trick. All in all it was a good guitar lesson taught by a very conscientious teacher and the place is real cozy, smells nice and has clean bathrooms. There are four pianos in four different rooms and a nice couch where i napped while my friend had her lesson; I was soon awoken by school kids come to better themselves and the place was instantly alive and buzzing with all four rooms filled with students making melodies.

From the owner: It's been over 30 years since we opened our music school in Streetsville, and our dedicated to…read moreproviding the best music lessons has never wavered. With that in mind, we invite you to come in and try a lesson with one of our amazing teachers. You can follow the Royal Conservatory of Music exam, or not. The RCM is focused on classical repertoire and is designed to develop each student's playing to a very high standard. The 10 exam levels and your teacher will guide you through each level and prepare you for the exam. Or you can play for fun in any style of music you like. We take care to provide a fun blend of songs that will improve your skills and get you playing better in no time.

hidden gem alert! this place is great, lovely staff and such a welcoming atmosphere, as someone who…read moreusually goes to long and mcquade for my music equipment I'm happy to find a business that actually cares for their customers as-well as is able to provide a service and not just in the corporate sense, they truly understand the meaning of caring for your people whether it's through lessons or just a random person walking into their store for the first time, This will now be my main place to go to for anything music related

I found Guitar Workshop Plus' owner Brian Murray to be *such* a bully and *so* unprofessional - it…read morewas a truly horrible experience to come in contact with someone behaving so dishonorably. Like other reviewers, I too feel like my hard-earned money was stolen from me. I had signed up for the Toronto workshop & then had to cancel due to a loved one's medical emergency. I had just signed up on a Friday night & sent electronic cancelation on a Sunday morning, receiving an email that he was out of the office for the weekend on both accounts. I had paid nearly $2900 USD. But when he came in on Monday, he told me he was still going to keep half my money! I was totally shocked! I mean, I understand that a business has third party fees to pay, but given that he received my application & cancelation at the very same time when he came into the office, there was no chance he could have processed the application & lost any money on it and so pocketing over $1500 for nothing seemed callous & awful. Additionally, his policy was VERY unclear - the only clear & obvious verbiage on the form about keeping 50% upon cancelation was concerning those who'd paid by check & I'd paid by Paypal! So I really take exception to his keeping my money! The form on his website did clearly state that the non-refundable portion of the total I paid was a $120 (Canadian dollars) registration fee so I was prepared to forfeit that for my emergency circumstance but was really shocked by the rest. The policy on his site required the unusual step of having to cancel in writing via snail mail - international mail in this case because I'm in the US & he's in Canada. He required that the cancellation be sent either by registered mail or courier. Since his deadline for cancelation was fast approaching & he was not accepting electronic cancelations, I had no choice but to pay FEDEX $85.64 to send my cancelation because the registered mail couldn't be guaranteed to arrive on time. If I didn't, he'd keep the whole thing! I was totally shocked by how bullying and beliigerent he was in his dealings with me - he was ruthless. He insisted he could just keep over $1500 of my money for absolutely nothing! He evaded answering the charges about the language in his policy, choosing to belittle me instead, going on verbal attack. I'm writing this review in the hopes that guitarists everywhere are forewarned to beware of financial dealings w/ this establishment. Brian really dug in on the insults so I encourage female guitarists especially not to let it get under your skin if, god forbid, this happens to you. He didn't seem to know how to resolve the matter maturely - instead just lashing out in personal attack. His insecure responses & gaslighting were completely inappropriate. Brian and I argued about what the words written in his policy actually say - I maintain that the clause 'if paying by check' is what's known in the English language as a conditional clause and thus pertains only to those who pay by check - but even if it *were* legal to pocket the money when I paid by Paypal, what's legal and what's ethical in such a circumstance are two very different things. Clearly this guy's principle motivation is not to care about musicians but just to make a buck. So I would like anyone considering this workshop to understand that GWP will take every penny from you regardless of circumstances & unless you are prepared to fight like I did, you could lose ALL of your money if you have to sign up and cancel. (It took me an entire month of hell to fight to get even half back - long 'him vs me' story about Paypal that I don't have time to write here). Suffice to say, I cannot recommend this establishment. Musicians are often strapped for cash so please, fellow guitarists, be aware before you sign up that you may never see the rightful amount of your money again if you have to cancel. I want every guitarist - from amateur to professional - to know of the treatment I received by GWP (which seems to be a 1-man operation!?) which is why I am writing this. It's a huge rarity for me to give a negative review, but I felt it would be remiss not to warn others of what could happen to them. I have no doubt that the teachers at this workshop are great - they are world class players, yes - but none of them rely on Guitar Workshop Plus for their sole living - they teach everywhere else, so go find them at other great workshops such as the Swannanoa Gathering where the people who take your money are kind and honest and would never ever treat their customers like this. BUYER BEWARE!

They advertised a beginner program. I spoke to them in advance and told them I was a beginner. I…read morewas assured they would take care of me, spent $3,000 to go, and they had no program for me. WAY too much . Sat me at a table in the corner by myself for ENTIRE DAYS with some papers with music and told me to practice. I talked to them multiple times and ended up with one hour total instruction. $3000 and not offered ONE CENT refund. Don't waste your time and money! I'm an honest guy and was completely up front when I spoke with them prior to the class. Never felt so taken advantage of in my life. Message me. I'll send you actual pictures of my "classroom setup". This was just this past summer.

A big shout out to Mike, who i believe is a floor supervisor…read moreHad this beauty shipped to me here in Ottawa & Mike made everything seemless & easy THANKS MIKE

It's been ten days since I purchased a Boss Katana 100W Gen 3. As a former Fender Princeton owner,…read moreI appreciate the Katana presents a learning curve. But the amp has great potential and I'm getting more familiar with it. The best part so far is just how well the Katana responds to playing dynamics. Special recognition goes to Long & McQuade sales associate Bryan Collie. Bryan was knowledgeable, low pressure and fully transparent on the trade-in value of my older tube amp. The entire process has been enjoyable.