San Marino Music Center is a wonderful and welcoming place. We've been to both SMMC locations…read more(Mission and Huntington), the staff are very friendly and both facilities are nice and clean. My son Sebastian started taking piano lessons at the Huntington location back in September 2023 with Mrs. Sisilia (owner). First, we enrolled him in the "Tiny Finger Piano" group program for 5-6yo, which Sebastian really enjoyed and HIGHLY RECOMMEND as an introduction to piano for little ones. When he completed the program with Mrs. Sisilia, he started private piano lessons with Dr. Melody Lin and currently with Ms. Alexandra Engen. Both teachers are amazing and I can tell Sebastian has learned and improved so much! Thank you to all the SMMC staff and Mrs. Sisilia.

We have been taking our son to San Marino Music Center for piano lessons since he was 5 years old…read more Now 15, he has become quite an impressive pianist and budding music composer! I do not exaggerate to say that we owe it all to the kind, caring people at the San Marino Music Center. They are always quick to answer the phone and friendly when helping us with any of our needs. Our son has now been studying with Dr. Cameron for several years. He is always kind and constructive in his feedback, and something we love is that in addition to teaching our son out of the many piano books they have available he is also open to helping our son learn songs that our son wants to learn for fun! I will note for first time visitors that the Mission location is the main location and the Huntington location is more of a satellite location for lessons. So, for your first visit, I recommend going to the Mission location. I simply can't recommend the San Marino Music Center highly enough. Owners John and Sisillia are lovely people who not only care about running a top-notch music school, but they genuinely care about the people who come into their business and the community it is based in. They have done so many wonderful things for the community over the years, and what was so meaningful to us was that when our son premiered two of his compositions with a musical group in Pasadena they and Dr. Cameron all came out to show their support. So amazing!

My family has been coming to Encore for a few years. First at a local church, and now at their…read moreFair Oaks location. We started with piano for my oldest, then we included my youngest, then me... and we've added violin, and now cello. 5 lessons a week! We weren't a "music family", but Victor & Daniel have helped us to become a music family. So much joy. Absolutely worth exploring.

Encore is a great music school, with a wonderful staff and amazing instructors. Maddy, the main…read moreadmin staff, is always very friendly, professional, and attentive to our needs and accommodations. Couldn't recommend this place enough.

My daughter has been studying piano with Mr. Armin at the San Marino Music Center since she was…read morefour years old, now over three years. Mr. Armin is a wonderful teacher, treating young children with exceptional patience and kindness. My daughter thoroughly enjoys her piano lessons, and each week, mastering one or two pieces instills in her a sense of accomplishment and confidence. The center also hosts recitals, providing opportunities for students to showcase their talents in front of a supportive audience. John and Sisilia, the owners, are a fantastic couple who exude a genuine passion for music and wholeheartedly support musical education. I highly recommend this music center to anyone interested in nurturing their musical talents.

My children have been taking piano lessons here since they were in kindergarten with a number of…read moreexcellent teachers over the years. They make it easy for families with multiple children to juggle multiple lessons and schedule make-up lessons. My kids aren't naturally gifted in music but recently my youngest played "Amazing Grace" while our family sang along and it was amazing (and a grace!) to see how far he has come. Both kids have learned a lot about themselves and the importance of practice and perseverance especially when pieces might be hard for them... not just piano lessons, life lessons!

Came here to buy a black folder for choral music after being referred by the Pasadena Conservatory…read more I called in advance to ask if they had any in stock and staff were prompt and professional in picking up to answer my request. Good variety of inventory from what I could see. Found out later my mom buys all her violin + piano sheet music here. It's tucked inside a strip mall off an out-of -the-way portion of Foothill. Would have loved to have seen this store in Old Town, but the current location is very convenient for quick in-and-out errands - and a short distance from the Conservatory. If I need to use something for music practice, I hate to buy online without knowing if it will work for me or not. Brick and mortar music stores like this are essential, and I'm glad Bertrands is so close by!

I was waiting at the front of the line for approximately 10 minutes without being acknowledged or…read moreoffered assistance. During that time, another family walked in and was immediately greeted by Mike, who asked how he could help them, even though I had been waiting there first. I found this treatment upsetting and felt overlooked and unfairly treated. I was also concerned to find used N95 masks inside the trumpet case of the instrument we rented, particularly because we had been assured that the trumpet had been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before rental. Finding used items inside the case made me question whether the instrument and case had actually been properly cleaned. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience. Based on what I experienced, I would not recommend or support this business.

We love PMA! My older son who is 11 has had Sam as his drum teacher for the last few years and…read morereally loves him. Sam strikes a nice balance between being approachable and easygoing, but also knowing how to challenge and motivate my son. My younger 9 year old son just switched to Gabriel for piano because his previous teacher cut back her hours. As a pianist myself, I really appreciate how Gabriel breaks down how to practice a song to make it easier to learn. He also takes into account my son's interest when choosing a song. We strongly recommend PMA!

Only good things at PMA! My daughter began taking lessons in the late spring with Marcella and has…read moremade such tremendous progress, not only with her vocals but also stage presence and performance. A few weeks into lessons, Marcella recommended my daughter sign up for the recital. On the day of the recital our family was shocked at the progress made - she received a standing ovation! All thanks to Marcella! My daughter really enjoys having her as a vocal coach/instructor and looks forward to each session. She's patient, engaging and has built up my daughter's confidence, all while teaching technique, developing vocal skills. The front desk at PMA are also incredibly helpful and easy to contact, whether by phone, text or email. I appreciate how easy it is to book makeup lessons and change schedules online. My daughter also enjoys seeing Marcella's feedback and thoughtful comments posted after each lesson.

Ms. Elisa has been an amazing piano teacher for my daughter over the past four months. After…read moreworking with other teachers, my daughter has made tremendous progress with Ms. Elisa. She can now read music notes and is much more independent with her practice at home. What sets Ms. Elisa apart is her ability to be both patient and firm. She knows when to encourage and when to challenge, helping my daughter build both confidence and skill. Her lessons are always personalized to my daughter's needs, and she has a unique way of making learning fun. Most importantly, Ms. Elisa has instilled a real love for music in my daughter. I'm so grateful for her kind and supportive approach, and I truly believe she's one of a kind!

My daughter has been receiving piano lessons at Andante Piano Studio with teacher Elisa and we are…read moreextremely happy with our experience. Elisa is a hard working teacher, kind and patient with her students. Not to mention, she has a doctorate in music. I appreciate Andante piano studio and gladly recommend it to others!

A friend recommended Arcadia Music and I'm so glad she did…read more I literally paying half of what I was at a different store for renting an instrument. The gentleman who helped us, (who I assume is the owner) took the time to properly measure my daughter for the correct size intrument as well as went over proper care. I recently renewed the instrument rental and it was so quick and easy. My daughter was even remeasured to make sure she has the correct size instrument. I was also told that if she happens to have a growth spurt, we can come back and change the size of the instrument at no additional charge. Payment is through Venmo or Zelle.

I do not recommend this business for its expertise or its business practices. I requested a viola…read morerental per instructions from my son's school. The instrument we were given was determined by the music program's director and assistant to be, instead, a violin. I obtained a third opinion at Encore Music, and was informed by the teacher there as well that the instrument we had been given is (i.e., was strung as) a violin. I brought it back today for a refund of pro-rated rental fee (from what I had paid upfront). Note that I asked the assistant at the store to identify the instrument for me before telling him the problem; he identified it as a violin. When I explained the reason for the return, he then said that it is a viola, and brought it to the proprietor, who insisted that it was a viola all along. I insisted on the return, but they did not refund me the tax I pre-paid, and also charged me for a full 3 months' payment instead of the 2.5 months it has been. Overall, this has been a frustrating waste of time and money. There are many other options for instrument rentals in the area and I recommend you use a different one.

I took weekly lessons from Hillary for a year remotely. She's great! She was always well organized…read moreand quick to respond to any questions I had outside of lessons. I was always impressed by how she managed to hear any mistakes I made playing a piece over Zoom. She did a great job of balancing adding new material to keep things interesting with focusing on specific pieces as needed. I suspect that starting piano as an adult has unique challenges; Hillary got me off to a great start and helped me to really embrace the instrument.

Can't say enough nice things about Dr Santoso! She's been…read moreteaching my 2 kids for the last 2 years and it's amazing how much she has developed them in such a short time. She's patient, professional, prepared and always comforting to my kids. I highly recommend her lessons to anyone.

A truly dedicated venue (as opposed to casual mom n me classes) for learning and appreciating…read moremusic. The overall experience was a step up from other local programs. For children closer to the 3 and a half year old range, in our experience one teacher was a miss (summer 2026)... While enthusiastic (but almost aggressively so), she had a very low threshold/low frustration tolerance if a child got off track in the slightest way. She would promptly single them out and suggest they sit in the "viewing area" (aka time out), effectively shaming the child and their parent by highlighting their inattentiveness etc. She may be a school teacher suitable for older kids, but also had an outdated style of excessively "managing" behavior which is not her domain, so long as the child is not majorly disrupting or in some way hurting others. I would also say she (not surprisingly) would play music too loudly and then claim some children are just more sensitive to noise without openness to her own contribution to the music volume. In sum, way too brusque to be teaching 3.5 year olds! Our care provider (who was herself a former preschool director) made the very same observations about this teacher that I had as a parent. Thank goodness this teacher left for vacation and her substitute was day/night more suitable for younger kids. So the experience can be rather teacher dependent...

Tonight, the second interlude of seasonal series, Pedagogues and Protégés by Nikolai…read moreRimsky-Korsakov was performed at the Barrett hall. Nothing short of mismerising performance. The sound and the vibe echoed throughout the hall was riveting to the bone. The duet by Mariné Ter-Kazaryan (soprano), and Gayane Simonyan (piano) was so surreal. The harmony between the two throughout the performance was seamless and truly a memorable event to be part of. This performance hall and venue is so unique and in par with the top performing halls elsewhere. The creator of the program is non other than Melissa Froehlich, the Director of Development at the center who meticulously produced tonight's flawless performance.

This is not a business that operates with honesty and integrity. My family had a very bad…read moreexperience during a trial class we paid for. We wrote a bad review here on yelp, so the business reached out to us and asked how they can help. They initially offered to re-take the class, but I did not want to waste my time. So i asked for a refund. They agreed. What I am realizing now, since I have not seen any credits on my account, is that the refund will only be given in exchange of the review being taken down. It's too bad, any business owner who thinks about future and about customer service would have refunded the charge immediately just because they know they screwed up. The many interruptions my kids had during their private lesson was reason enough for them to issue a refund. Very disappointed!

During my son's paid lesson the instructor steeped out to take phone calls and manage the front…read moredesk. This makes zero sense and not only is it a waste of time and money, but it's unfair to the student. You can't conduct a focused 30 min lesson while constantly leaving. Instructor did not ask one question. Not his age, level of experience. Nothing. My son is already in jazz band at school. Ownership should be ashamed and embarrassed. Save your time and money. Period.