This family-run stringed musical instrument store/stringed musical instrument museum is a real…read moretreasure, and a throwback to the 70s for me. Amidst an extensive collection of lutes, balalaikas, sitars, and other instruments hanging from the wall are face masks from around the world. Tucked slightly away are all sorts of mysterious instruments in their cases. Here's where you can find a harmonium, and it wouldn't surprise me if there was a theremin in their inventory. There are a lot of small whistles and kazoos and things like that for the children, or the children at heart. Check out the spinning "Leave a Poem" post outside. What a fun place!

It's been a decade since I have been here and I am so jazzed that it is still the quirky,…read morelove-filled music mecca that I remember.

My children have been taking multiple music lessons at CCSM for several years. Previously, we had…read moretaken lessons at a variety of different schools across different states and countries. Our experience with CCSM has been the best in all respects. If you are looking for reasonable fees, CCSM checks this box. It is a non-profit that was established in the 70s in response to cuts to music education budget in our local public schools. Their main mission is to make music education accessible to as many people in the community as possible. Hence, their fees are very reasonable and much lower than music schools of similar caliber in the area. Since we're talking caliber, I have to say the school has an excellent faculty from a variety of musical fields. Many teachers have graduated from top music programs, performed with top orchestras, and/or produced generations of excellent musicians who are either professional musicians or just regular folk who really love music and continue to support the arts. My boys love their teachers, and they have different teachers even though they learn the same instruments. Since the chemistry between each student/teacher pair is important, you can trial with different teachers and figure out which teacher fits your child best. As for facilities/infrastructure, you won't find state of the art, fancy facilities (see point about it being a non-profit), but they are very good facilities and instruments, many of the pianos have been generously donated by families or the community. There are two formal recital halls, with a Steinway grand (paid for by donations), that allow students to have the opportunity to perform on an almost monthly basis. This helps them build confidence, develop performance skills and share their musical growth with their friends and family. CCSM actively contributes to the community through a scholarship fund that pays for students in financial difficulty to have lessons. There are a few big fundraisers for the scholarship fund held each year and all students are invited (never any pressure) to help raise funds for this, either through actual donations or performing at fundraising events. This helps the kids look beyond their own needs to the needs of others. Finally, since it is a community-based organization, there's a warm familial atmosphere at the school. There's no snooty arrogance you might get at other music schools. Everyone here is really friendly and supportive. This is an amazing school, it's no wonder that students travel all the way from Riverside or Orange Counties to have lessons here! If you're thinking about music lessons, you have to consider CCSM. It was the best decision our family made.

This school is GREAT. More like a conservatory than a regular music school…read more The teachers are all professionals, a large number are also professional players in addition to being professional teachers. I'm not sure how many studio rooms they have...I think about 25 or so, and they all have pianos. They have two performance halls, and have student recitals every month (usually several recitals - hour long recitals- every month). They have pros teaching every instrument. The office staff is great If I could give them 10 stars I would!!!

Great Place. Real, Honest. And has a little attitude! Love you guys keep rocking!…read moreYou can get basic musical instruments or dive into great selection of higher priced parts and gear! Thanks Again Team!

Great music shop. Been there for a long time. Owners know what they are doing. I go to them for…read moretech work on my Strat and other guitars. They have a great selection of guitars, amps, keyboards, basses, etc. highly recommend you drop by.

Smooth process. Rented a violin for 2 years and will be back for this school year. Very helpful and…read morethey take the time to make sure sizing is correct.

For a few years now, I had been wanting to either get my viola bow re-haired (if possible) or…read morepurchase a new viola bow - and had called a few music stores around for pricing for a possible re-hair of the bow. Since I have had my viola for quite awhile now, it was a first for me since I only played in school orchestras. Been wanting to get back into just practicing, but then the pandemic happened and I just put this thought off to the side. A few weeks ago, I called up a few of the same stores, where I had gotten quotes a few years ago, and my fav one seemed to have closed down during the pandemic. I found contact information again for J. Brown Violin Maker and called to inquire and to reserve a time to come into the store. Debbie picked up the phone and provided lots of valuable information and I quickly set up a time, as I know from personal experience, always better to set up a reservation. Good thing I did as well, because they were in and out for the month of July and were also busy with school instrument repairs. When I arrived to the shop, I did not know there was a small parking lot up front, so I drove around the building (due to the one-way street on the side) and then parked in a "J. Brown Violin Maker" Reserved parking spot. I was a few minutes early, but knocked on the door to announce my arrival. Good thing I made a reservation as 2 more families (without a reservation) came in after me! The second family after me probably had to wait over an hour since I was just a few minutes into my reserved time and the family after me needed to look into renting a viola. Debbie explained and showed me that my current bow was unable to be re-haired and also showed me a few areas where I could "repair" for better sounds and etc. I opted to get new strings along with a new carbon composite bow. Yes, prices online may be cheaper, but I love supporting local businesses! Since they know that they cannot beat online prices, Debbie did restring my viola for me, and even helped lubricate the viola pegs! I learned a lot that day, especially since I have never had private lessons. For one of the families after me, Debbie even said that they had just made the viola for the student's viola teacher the year before. I love how connected they are to the community and I even asked for recs for a piano tuner. The second family after me seemed to have purchased multiple violins from here as well. The store certainly keeps busy, and I hope that they continue to do so, as one does not usually see many Master Luthiers around anymore.

My 2 daughters go to Moultrie academy. Carlie and her team are just so amazing and caring! One of…read moremy girls has cerebral palsy and special efforts have gone into including her in the classes so she could enjoy incredible experiences too! I cannot recommend more to anyone to come and have a look. It is simply a very very special place, filled with love and a team that helps kids build confidence and make them realize of their immense potential. Louis

My daughter just signed up for classes here for the first time since we moved to the area and she…read moreloves her ballet, tap and singing lessons. They train to help build confidence in public performance at a young age. Great place to have your kids learn to develop their skills and foster their talents.

Wow, well I'm not sure what Jerome was trying to achieve with his retort, which comes a full 2…read moreyears after my initial review. After thinking about what he wrote, he's quite right about a couple of things. Yes, not all of his students will be happy with the way he teaches. As mentioned, there were several times where he showed up to my lessons unprepared & where he used my instruction time as his own personal practice time. I don't imagine too many paying students would be happy with such an arrangement. So, yes, it was hard to see eye-to-eye when that became his approach to teaching. And, yes, our friendship & student/teacher relationship ended on a sour note as a result & because he also constantly tried to discourage me from taking on challenges to help me grow. I'm not sure what he expected when that became his teaching style. It's sad he chose to revisit this after 2 years. The last I heard from him was actually in the form of an apology about 1 1/2 years ago. At that time, he told me he had just been diagnosed with cancer & used that as his rationale for his attitude & behavior. He then said he'd reach back out in a few months, after his cancer treatment was over, in hopes we could patch things up. I gave him the time & space he asked for but he never reached out until a few days ago via his response here. Jerome claims to be Christian, so I suppose only he & his deity know, for sure, what his intent here is or if that cancer diagnosis was ever even real. Two years after he chose to end my lessons, after he got a bunch of his friends to write all those positive reviews for him here, after speaking ill of me to anyone who'd listen this all just comes across as sad & gives off needy ex vibes on his part. I wish the man peace & hope to finally put this issue to rest. Time to move on, Jerome. There's no reason or need to reach out or revisit things after all this time.

I highly recommend Jerome for anyone looking to start or take guitar lessons. I took up the bass…read moreguitar a few years ago and Jerome has been amazing guiding me in music theory, creativity and technique. Jerome caters lessons so I feel like I'm moving forward skill wise while still having fun. You can tell Jerome is very passionate about music and has a wealth of knowledge to share. My musical journey has soared greatly because of Jerome, thank you!

Dr. G is incredible! He's a very talented instructor who is really passionate about teaching…read moreguitar. I'd highly recommend anyone looking to learn to consult with Dr. G first!

Personable, kind, a great communicator…read more Seth was very on top of everything he contacted me right away to figure out exactly what it was I'm looking for. He was adaptable to wherever he needed to set up. Very personable, he stayed & chatted for a while after. He had nothing but great reviews and he lived up to them. Thank you again (:

I'm so so happy I found this place! I am taking voice and guitar here with Kevin and so far have…read morejust been focusing on voice. I have had many voice lessons in the past, and I can tell Kevin really a) knows what he's talking about b) gets the most possible done with me in the lesson minutes (timely and efficient) c) is very fun and upbeat d) such an amazing musician e) highly qualified, having majored in music pedagogy in university, and traveled the world performing f) communicates clearly and effectively! I chose a random song, "Peaches" from Super Mario Bros and he knew it, and was able to play it in the correct key on the keyboard for me to sing to. I had so much fun and I surprised myself when following his modeling. He used his voice so skillfully and brings the passion through the dynamics. Such a good price for how much I'm getting out of it! I know voice lessons in general aren't cheap. I hope he gets nicely compensated, because he deserves it.

My time spent in this studio was epic. Each person was truly a thrill to play with, I wouldn't…read morechange a thing. Thanks Guys

Visited this location a couple of times recently. Their guitar selection is good but rather…read morelimited. The problem is with the staff, very unfriendly! They make no effort to greet you or to ask if you need assistance. When I visited the 2nd time, they acted as though I was invisible. The only service they provided was processing my cash purchase for books. That's it! As such, I decided to purchase my guitar at another guitar store.

My relationship started ok...I ordered a double French horn. I gave me a single and had to re-order…read morea double. So it took like 2 weeks to get that sorted out. Not a big deal.... Upon return of the instrument, I was supposed to get a refund for the deposit. I've wasted hours and many calls to not get a refund. It's been nearly a month...they are holding my $1000 deposit. Good luck dealing with customer service! I will never use them again and will not recommend them.

Deborah was great with my child, but unfortunately she is moving out of the SLO county area and…read morewill only offer online lessons as of August 2023. Just an FYI to anyone looking for a piano teacher.

I note that no reviews have been posted on Ms. Marcus since the Covid pandemic has come and gone,…read moreso I feel compelled to comment. Ms Marcus seems like a very competent piano teacher, but in my opinion she is possessed by an almost Howard Hughes-like irrational paranoia over Covid "germs." Following her demands, I wore a normal mask during my first two sessions with her (more than a year after the CDC advice that this was no longer necessary, but not wanting to cause a fight), but on the third time I saw her, she was in a tizzy because she had just heard an NPR story about the dangers of "long Covid." She now demanded that I wear an N95 mask, which she had a supply of. And when that was too small for my face (the straps kept snapping off my ears), she hauled out some kind of medical mask that covered my entire face from eyes to chin, with straps around the back of my head, and insisted that I wear it. I told her that I found it very unpleasant, not to mention interfering with my concentration on the music I was trying to play. At that point she dismissed me and said she no longer wanted me as a student. So I suggest that potential students form their own opinions about this kind of policy. Ms Marcus explicitly rejects the advice of the CDC and other public health agencies, and demands mask-wearing, even in these times when stadia, arenas, and concert venues are packed with people sitting literally inches from one another, and when NO authorities consider such close contact dangerous. She believes that merely two people, sitting several feet apart in a room, pose a dangerous health threat to one another, and insists that her students wear extremely tight-fitting masks, even when this interferes with their concentration when trying to play the piano (obviously, if this is the only time they have to wear them in normal society.) Frankly, I think Ms Marcus is a health crank, and has a scientifically unjustified attitude about whatever threats there are in these days since the CDC has declared the pandemic over. Her insistence on masking requires that her students play along with her hypochondriac attitude. She may be a fine teacher for submissive children who follow her masking demands, but I think that most adults who take the advice of the public health authorities will find that her very extreme attitudes interfere with their piano-playing experience. I spent weeks trying to prepare for meeting with her only to be rejected because I simply follow the recommendations of the public health authorities. Accordingly, despite her obvious skills as a piano teacher, I can't recommend her.