Discover the top 16 music shops in North Barrington

I bought a trumpet from PJLA Music a PHAETON Trumpet PHT-2040 Black Chrome Onyx plated finish with 24 K Gold Plated finger buttons, top/bottom caps & water keys. I have been playing trumpet for 40 years and I have never had a better horn then this. I got it and starting playing and it played freely and was open and the horn allowed me to do as i wished with it and truly went over the top with its performance.. Thank you for my Horn!

Great quality music education, we highly recommend Knight Music Academy. Our child began guitar lessons 5 years ago and is making great progress. Her teacher Mrs. Laura is very knowledgeable, makes lessons fun and most importantly, enjoys what she does. We are so appreciative of this gem in our neighborhood!

My both children has been going to Knight Music Academy for last six years and we had nothing but great experience. Academy has wonderful, Knowledgable, and experienced teachers.

We have gone to Knight Music Academy for 6 years and we absolutely love it. Laura is wonderful with my kids and it makes me so happy to not only have my kids develop such a love for music, but also to have an excellent musical education. We highly recommend this music school.

Disappointing Experience for my Child

I enrolled my 6-year-old child at Knight Music Academy with high hopes for a positive learning experience. Unfortunately, my experience with the owner, and the piano instructor, left much to be desired.

On multiple occasions, I observed displaying rudeness and impatience towards both students and parents. This behavior created a tense atmosphere that was far from conducive to a productive learning environment.

Moreover, demonstrated a lack of patience when working with my child. Instead of providing gentle guidance and encouragement, there were instances where my child felt discouraged and hesitant to continue with lessons.

These experiences had a notable impact on my child’s enthusiasm for learning piano. What should have been a joyful exploration of music turned into a source of anxiety and reluctance.

Expectations vs. Reality
When I initially enrolled my child, I anticipated a nurturing and supportive environment where a love for music would flourish. Unfortunately, the reality fell far short of these expectations.

Suggestions for Improvement:
I strongly recommend that Knight Music Academy invest in training for their staff, particularly in areas of effective communication, patience, and professionalism. Creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere should be a priority.

Conclusion
In sum, my experience at Knight Music Academy was disappointing, primarily due to the demeanor of the owner and instructor. While there may be positive aspects to the school, they were overshadowed by these significant shortcomings.

Sign Off:
Thank you for taking the time to consider my feedback. I hope this review serves as constructive feedback for Knight Music Academy to improve and provide a better experience for future students.

For almost five decades, Consolidated Music under its owner Jeff has provided everything customers want in a serious local music shop: a solid variety of instruments and equipment for rent or purchase, with an exceptional guitar section; a knowledgeable staff of working musicians; private music and voice lessons; attentive familiarity with its clients; and so much more, always with an air of genuine professionalism.

For six years, before our son headed off to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Consolidated Music was his second family. During his years at one of the finest music schools in the country, our son still traveled home to purchase his guitar needs from Jeff, instead of across the street from school at the Guitar Center on Massachusetts Avenue. Our son is still in touch with his longtime guitar teacher, although neither of them still lives in Barrington—one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast.

Our son met another of that same teacher’s students at a local songwriters’ circle hosted by Consolidated. Years ago, that young girl moved to Nashville, where she pursues her singing career, yet she too remains in touch—they continue to collaborate on projects and produce music together.

Over the years, we have recommended Consolidated Music to many of our friends whose sons exhibit a special interest in playing guitar or working with a band. Consolidated Music has always been much more than a local music shop—it serves as an artistic space, a gathering place for budding musicians.

I think I’ve purchased five guitars from Jeff and Consolidated Music. The service is top-notch and Jeff couldn’t be a nicer, more honest person. My only complaint is, the guitars sound so much better when someone else is playing it. I get a lot of requests when I play but I continue to play anyway.

Love these guys! Great service and very friendly staff. Highly recommend.

I have been visiting Offbeat and have been getting advice and equipment from Jim for over 20 years. I love their selection of musical instruments and peripherals and they have an incredible repair facility.

This past weekend I had a gig in Highland Park and brought my Strat in for a tune up and new strings. I was running late and failed to get to the store in time to pick up the guitar on Saturday. As I pulled into the Offbeat parking lot, Nick happened to notice me and turned around to come back to the store. Nick was kind enough to reopen the store and let me get the guitar. I was able to make it to the gig and the guitar played so very nicely.

Thanks so much to Offbeat and to Jim and Nick for their great service!

P.S. – Offbeat also offers beginner, intermediate & advance music lessons.

Great used vinyl selection.

Went in yesterday to check out some guitars.Very comfortable and cool atmosphere. Nick greeted me and took the time to go over different options (Electric Guitars) comparing the brands and different styles.

I finally found the one I liked most that was within my budget and with great sound. Nick was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable on the products. Would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for lessons or purchasing music accessories

I will be back and thanks again Nick for all the help!

Music store with a nice selection of instruments. Some vinyl and CDs too, although it has very few, if any, hidden treasures. 2 stars removed because the one employee and 2 of the customers were not wearing masks when I visited. I would have spent more time and money here if they were. Stay safe, everyone.

Friendly people

I was very dissatisfied with this location as they don’t offer any instruments that would allow the user to produce the sounds of Echolocation

Our son loves learning from Stephanie! She is patient with him and he is making great progress on the piano!

Stephanie is an excellent instructor. Both my girls, ages 12 and 13, have taken lessons with Stephanie for a couple years. They are inspired by her musical ability and love for music. They have reached a skill level where they enjoy practice – I don’t need to harp on them to get in their piano time. Throughout the day the piano calls to them and I hear them practicing new and old pieces they’ve learned. Stephanie has helped make piano fun while challenging them to grow their abilities.

Stephanie is so patient and she keeps our daughter engaged. We have been taking piano lessons for years now from a beginner and our daughter looks forward to her lessons every week! (though practice is still another story 🙂 )

Been dealing with Shel and Alan for 13 years.
Hands down the best distributor I’ve ever worked with.
By far, the highest margins for the retailer in the business.
I used to buy a lot of smalls from Musicorp (doesn’t everybody?).
Increased my margins substantially by switching to Perfektion.
Same quality products for much, much less.
Credit terms are flexible and available. All you have to do is keep your word and pay, and the possibilities are endless.
I’d give Perfektion 6 stars if I could.

Awesome store! Would visit again!

I have been dealing with Black Mountain Music for over 4 years now and I guess Scott Johnson the owner of Black Mountain Music closed and switched over to Perfektion Music as a representative at some time last year. And now I guess Scott Johnson is no longer representing Perfektion Music either. Now the truth is that I have never dealt with Perfektion Music directly and I understand if they do not know me nor my store. I guess the strange part of this is that when I asked if I could get a 30 day net. payment plan like I had with Black Mountain I was told they couldn’t find where I had done business with Scott Johnson before. Then the person on the phone asked me if I could call his grandfather in Texas as he is down there for the Winter. I find it strange that a company would need me to call their grandfather, who essentially is on vacation to find out if I can get credit with them. I would think they would have denied me or had me fill out some paperwork. I am not sure I want to do business with a company that has no one at the helm on a regular basis and has to ask a customer to call someone not on the premises. I would think they would have at least called the grandfather himself and had him call me, but it sounded more like he wanted me to ask permission for him to do business with me. Interesting!!!

Great record store. Love chatting with John while I am browsing. He has eclectic tastes and it shows in the collection. I was pleasantly surprised to find an Edith Piaf record there today.

Stopped in today for the first time to look for a Celtic Rock and/or Traditional Irish album and was able to find a still wrapped Chieftans album pressed in the 80s. Good selection of used and new records – not the biggest but a nice variety. Chatted with the owner for a while – real nice guy who knows his music. He asked me to let him know if there was anything I wanted for Record Store Day which is coming up in a month and he’d try to order it for me. Definitely going to be stopping in here on a regular basis.

Great selection of vinyl… Friendly and knowledgeable employees!

Gotta say it looked good from the window, open Saturdays only. To be updated with in store experience

Nice old school record store

Great little vinyl shop! Took my daughter (15 yrs old) to let her browse and she found a couple Christmas albums she bought. Wonderful vibe and a place you can’t just hang out.

I used to go to Rainbow Records often and Loved It!!! John was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and the place exuded the love of music. Scratched Vinyl doesn’t have that vibe; it’s more of an overpriced music boutique than a true “record store;” selling good condition used vinyl at the price you could find it new and playing music that once would expect to hear in a trendy clothing store. I really think it’s a shame that Rainbow Records’ legacy wasn’t carried on with the new ownership and location but all good things must come to an end.

– Lots of product
– Super clean store.
– Unfortunately this place has a very boutique feel to it, and that includes the prices. Used records are definitely over priced.
– Could benefit from more proper/accurate labeling/organization
– Lady at the counter was more interested in her phone than anything else.

Amazing inventory and fabulous staff led my Shawna.

Oboe Chicago is the best place to buy oboes, and even oboe accessories. Shawna is extremely knowledgeable and super super helpful, in helping you find the right oboe for you. She spends quality time making sure the oboe is the correct one for you. Shawna also goes above and beyond about explaining the process of getting the oboe. She is also an amazing musician and an incredible teacher. 5 STARS ALL THE WAY!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Shawna is the best! Very helpful and knowledgeable, and made the process seamless and smooth!

Very qualified luthier and player. Have had alot of work done, repair and custom. Detail oriented.

Great guitar repair and custom shop. Ken is a class act. I highly recommend his customer service oriented guitar repair and custom shop. Ken is always ready to repair, re-string, or customize your acoustic or electric guitar. He takes great pride in his work, and it shows. Ken also puts allot of fine detail into his work by scrutinizing every minutia of finite calibrations and settings whether its for you electric guitar or fine adjustments to your acoustic guitar. I highly recommend his services . Five stars from me to ken at resolutions Guitar Repair

Fantastic local resource – Ken was very generous with his time explaining how he would set up my beginner acoustic, gave me lots of tips for getting started, and I’m sure he did extra work without charging more. Thanks for all the help!

Great facility and amazing staff!

Great staff…so happy my daughter found this place as her new home for rock n roll! I Highly recommend them! Bring your kids and jump start their careers in music!

Fantastic place for kids to learn an instrument in a fun environment. The teachers and staff are all excellent and excited to work with kids. They love music but they love kids too. We’ve been to other School of Rock locations and Barrington has been our best experience. I wouldn’t have my son go anywhere else. High quality of lessons, performance experience, and overall atmosphere.

This school is only for approved white rich people. Horrible experience with the instructors playing favorites. If I could give zero stars I would. All of these five star ratings are from the parents that have been given preferential treatment. Don’t waste your time, and YOUR MONEY if you’re a hardworking middle class family in this school.

Not really impressed with this school. We went for a trial lesson with every intention of signing up for regular classes. The instructor really had nothing to say to me after my son’s class. I had to approach him myself as he was walking away and still he barely said a thing after I inquired about how everything went. Say something man. Anything. The front desk attendant educated me more than the actual teacher. Just left w a bleh feeling. Not signing up.