Musical Instruments & Teachers near Santa Monica

“I’ve wanted to learn an instrument my whole life, but I never seemed to have the time. Now that my daughter is 18 months old, I noticed how much she enjoys listening to the guitar, so I decided it was finally time to learn.
I’m so glad I found Jonathan! He makes learning guitar feel simple, approachable, and genuinely fun. Even after my very first lesson, I was able to play a nursery song for my daughter and sing along with it, which was such a special feeling.
If you live in the West LA or Santa Monica area, have a busy schedule, and want to learn guitar in a different, enjoyable way, I highly recommend Jonathan. He is very professional, patient, easygoing, and has a wonderful manner. I’m really looking forward to continuing my guitar journey with him!“

“I highly recommend Elemental Music to any child who wants to expand their musical opportunities. My older son has been in the Elemental guitar program since 4th grade. He is now in 8th grade and participates in the Chamber Music Institute. He originally started guitar in private solo lessons, and Elemental guitar gave him the chance to enjoy making music with other kids his age. I had no idea a program like this existed for guitar. He didn’t start as a classical guitarist, but he has learned so much by exploring a new genre of music. My younger son has also enjoyed playing in the Elemental guitar group and I hope one day he’ll be able to join his older brother in the Chamber Music Institute!“

“I can’t recommend him enough. From the very first lesson, he has been incredibly attentive and genuinely takes the time to understand you as both a person and an artist. Rather than just teaching technique, he intentionally gets to know your creative style, interests, and goals so he can help you choose songs and music that matter to you. That personalized approach has made learning so much more enjoyable.

He is patient, encouraging, and creates an environment where you feel comfortable growing and trying new things. Beyond being an exceptional guitar and voice teacher, he is simply a wonderful person. Some of the life advice he’s shared with me has honestly been some of the best I’ve ever received, and it’s had an impact far beyond music.

One of my favorite experiences was bringing my mom to a lesson so we could learn together. He made it such a fun, welcoming, and memorable experience for both of us. It was something we’ll always remember, and it really showed how gifted he is at connecting with people of all ages and experience levels.

He has a rare ability to inspire confidence while challenging you to become better, and it’s clear that he genuinely cares about his students’ success both inside and outside of lessons. If you’re looking for someone who is talented, thoughtful, and truly invested in helping you grow, I would recommend him to absolutely anyone. He’s been incredible in every way, and I’m so grateful to be learning from him!“

“Danny at Rose Coast Music School has been such a gift as a guitar teacher for our 7-year-old son. He is incredibly warm, patient, and engaging, and somehow manages to make every lesson feel both fun and meaningful. Our son genuinely looks forward to his time with Danny each week, which says everything.

We have also seen real progress in our son’s playing, which has been so rewarding and is a true testament to Danny’s approach. Danny really sees kids for who they are. He meets our son exactly where he is, keeps things light and encouraging, and builds confidence in such a natural way. You can truly tell how attentive and thoughtful Danny is.

We were first introduced to Danny through a very talented young teen who had studied with him for years and his whole family spoke about Danny with such genuine enthusiasm. That strong recommendation immediately stood out to us, and our experience has far exceeded our expectations. I truly could not recommend him more highly and we feel so lucky to have found Danny.“

“I took private adult guitar lessons from instructor Kai Hagen and the experience was amazing. He is a great instructor and very passionate. I would recommend his classes for sure.“

“Roger is a pleasure to work with, I have been a customer for over 25 years and have never had a bad experience. Very knowledgeable staff.“

“Fantastic experience. I had a great time learning as an adult student and would highly recommend to any adult students interested!“

“We’ve really enjoyed having our two kids learn piano with Devin. They are now learning guitar from Mr Poursaee who is very experienced and knowledgeable. Our kids love this place as the teachers are superb. The staff is friendly and it’s a warm and inviting atmosphere. Highly recommend!“

“Amazing music school! Both my kids just started getting lessons from HAMA instructors via online and both learned so much within one class. Instructors are incredibly nice and patient. Everyone working at HAMA are also incredibly helpful, kind, and fast at responding emails. My children are very exited to continue learning from HAMA.“

“Jeff is a great guy and clearly an expert in his trade - did a quick soundpost and bridge repair for my violin right on the spot (for free, I might add!). Would have been happy to pay him for his work, and look forward to bringing my instruments to him again in the future.“

“My 8 year old daughter went to camp at Coast Music this summer and loved it! She wasn't very familiar with most instruments but the classes taught her and her band 3 of their favorite songs and they performed so beautifully! We brought friends and family to the show and everyone was blown away. We're starting keys next week! What a positive and warm experience!“

“I did four one-on-one and 3 group lessons with Markus. My playing advanced by leaps and bounds. Markus is a patient, friendly, professional, and excellent teacher. He opened up barre chords and the fret board for me and introduced me to Spanish guitar style and some Jazz. Legitimately unforgettable sessions. I am incredibly grateful I treated myself to these lessons.“

“I’ve been playing guitar for about 10 years but never had formal instruction. I wanted to become a better bandmate for my local garage jam band, and Drew has been exactly what I was looking for. He helped me fill in the gaps, sharpen fundamentals, and focus on what actually matters in real‑world playing. Drew is patient, knowledgeable, and takes a very personal approach—your experience and skill level truly don’t matter. He meets you where you are and focuses on what’s most helpful at the time. Highly recommend Guitar Lessons By Drew.“

“She is amazing! 5 stars highly recommend her services to anyone working to emprove their voice“

“I am posting this review without having been asked to, under only the inspiration of the rush I just got from the magic of Shoshana’s concepts clicking for me… I have only been training with her for ONE MONTH, and I’m already singing songs I could never sing before with ease. I’m reaching my high voices without straining my throat, I’m mixing between voices more effortlessly, I get a “natural vibrato” every now and then. It’s amazing. I can even do it while I have a flu and a sore throat… I regularly sing karaoke and people have definitely noticed the improvement!

Keep in mind, these are songs I simply couldn’t sing before, notes that I thought weren’t even there…

Her secret is that she doesn’t TELL you what to do, she CONNECTS what she knows from her world into yours. You can only do this if you truly understand what you’re teaching and if you have lots of experience teaching different kinds of people from a diverse population like LA.

All this has allowed me to focus on the right things, make them muscle memory, and enter a state of performance flow, one of, if not the greatest feelings in the world to me.

Thank you Shoshana, with all my heart ??“

“Ms. Marianna is an amazing music teacher and so kind. We love, love her! Student is now in college.

The first music teacher we checked out when he was around seven years old, kicked us out in less than 20 minutes of our trial lesson. She complained that he was too hyper for her.
A few days later, we met Ms. Marianna She connected with him right away, saying that he was adorable & brilliant.

She used a strength-based approach to nurture his talent, helping him to flourish yeah after year. She later dubbed him one of her most musically inclined students. She was absolutely. GOLDEN!“

“Performance Bass is fantastic one of the best in the business. Yaz is a master builder and made me a fantastic 5 string bass.“

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“I highly recommend studying with Ted. Ted's musicianship is unparalleled (check out his Ellington CD!), and his teaching matches that. He takes things that are very complicated and turns them into something much more digestible. It's so worth it; I've improved so much. Thank you Ted!“