Hollywood Academy of Music

I went to the first guitar class @ the N, Hollywood location, the“teacher” totally jumping straight to the music signs telling me to play them when I got no idea what they are. He was in a hurry and the front desk guy had a terrible flu/​alergy that got to me too. I’m not going back.

Hollywood Academy of Music is the beginning foundation for my Daughter music career. She started taking Piano Lessons at 5 yrs old and learn how to read music at this school. They have recitals in the year to let your child or yourself get that stage presence. My Daughter took Piano, Electric Guitar, Pro-​Tools, and Bass Guitar Lessons at Hollywood Academy of Music. It also helped her get into beginning band at her elementary school when she was in the 2^nd Grade due to her learning how to read music, which she used that skill to learn how to start playing the Alto Saxophone. Anyone that is complaining about Hollywood Academy of Music are people that wants someone to hold their hand and spoon feed them. They are not their for that, if you want to learn how to play and read music, you have to put the time in, and for those that miss classes, read your contract rule book, they are not in the business to hold your hand. I give Hollywood Academy of Music a A+ and a 10 +…with their excellent teaching staff to go along with it. Thank You Hollywood Academy of Music for starting my Daughter Music Career in teaching her music and instrument playing. Comments are made by Louis Swan II (Father) and Swati Swan (My Daughter and previous student at Hollywood Academy of Music) …P.S. By the way my Daughter is playing Tenor Saxophone in her Advance Band in her elementary school and will be going to middle school Sept 2014. In Sept 2015, she will be moving on to playing the Baritone Saxophone. For those that would like to view her musical talent photo’s starting from Hollywood Academy of Music you can go to our joint fb (Facebook Page) and type in Louis Swan II or Swati Swan… Thank You. :)

Wow, my first Unilocal review, I don’t write reviews, but after seeing all of the negatives, I felt that I had to.
I found the school thru the deal site, didn’t have high expectations, the deal was good. So I have two boys 9 and 12, both love music, older one loves guitar, and 9 year old wanted to learn piano. My 12 year old wasn’t a beginner, he had been taking private lessons for a couple of months with an amazing teacher, but we had been having scheduling difficulties, I’m saying all of that because I was concerned that guitar teacher in school would pail in comparison, my son ended up loving that teacher, Alex is great, so if you take guitar, ask for Alex
Our piano teacher is Nona, she is terrific, my 9 year old adores her, he is looking forward to his lesson, we had a birthday party conflict, he asked me to make sure to reschedule, but not to cancel. I don’t have to tell him to practice at home, he plays every time, often I’m running late in the morning because my little one is playing his piano.
I didn’t intend to sign up with the school, the prices are way too high, but that’s exactly what we are doing. Unfortunately we won’t continue with guitar, my kid is not serious enough, but piano, we are staying. We also had tried another piano teacher, Dave (when Nona wasn’t available), were not impressed, he focused too much on technic and theory and not that much on playing, my kid was disappointed, refused to go to anybody beside Nona.
We were lucky to get great teachers, no disappointment there, I’m still stressing about the cost, but hey if kid loves it that much, what you gonna do.
Now about the lady that is running the school, I have nothing but pleasant experience. She is always polite and professional, quick in responds. All the negative reviews about scheduling and make up, commitment people! You’d expect to be paid when you show up for work but prevented to do your job because of no fault of yours. Should school loose money?
The only negative is the fee, teachers, location, and school, overweight that point.

Great place to go if you want AFFORDABLE MUSIC LESSONS. I am blown away by the rude Unilocalers. Go somewhere else! Seriously. This place is so nice and accommodating for me on my limited budget. They are great teachers who are down to earth and EXTREMELY KIND! I love it and I feel a very cozy vibe whenever I walk in. Christine at the front desk is a doll and Hannah is the best Vocal and Piano teacher ever. She’s so encouraging and I really learn from her!

Hollywood Academy of Music isn’t the worst and isn’t the best for an ordinary no frills music lesson… but you can’t beat the Groupon deals associated with this place. Though you can’t exercise back to back Groupons/​Living Socials (there’s a waiting period of 6 months between usage), HAM makes it affordable and simple to return. Courtney handles the scheduling with a professional sweetness and gets you right back in with ease.
I’ve taken guitar at both the West Hollywood and North Hollywood locations. West Hollywood is better ala cleaner, safer. Some of the guitar teachers are better suited to students who have been playing a while (they throw you in there without teaching the basics), but there are a few, like Justin and Adam, that seem to understand exactly how much technical you need to advance forward into the more creative songs.
I recommend going to Hollywood Academy of Music if you want on-​going affordable classes. Just don’t believe you’ll become a savant by schooling here… but then again, that’s purely up to you and how much you actually practice. ;)

DO NOT GO HERE! I AGREE WITH ALL THE OTHER NEGATIVE COMMENTS !
*CHARGE YOU WHETHER YOU COME TO A LESSON OR NOT
*CHARGE YOU A WEEK BEFORE YOUR LESSON IS DUE, NOT AFTER*
*CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE
*SEEMS LIKE ONLY TWO PEOPLE RUN THIS SCHOOL
My brother got into a car accident so I was not able to cancel. I was at the hospital. i called a day later to the school to explain the situation. i wanted to try the school out first then have my kids learn how to play the piano. I called many times but i was told that they open at 2pm? Why would a «music school» open at 2pm? Anyways i called to reschedule my instrument lesson and I was told i would be rescheduled. I immediately saw a charge on my card. I called back and asked why was i being charged twice and i haven’t even stepped into the school yet. The «office manager» Christine Terrisse told me that because i missed a lesson (I WAS AT THE HOSPITAL WITH MY BROTHER Because HE GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT 3 HOURS BEFORE MY LESSON) I would be charged again. She was extremely rude telling me that the teacher are there waiting for you so they need to be paid. She said «did you think the teacher is not going to be paid because you don’t come in».She kept telling me to call 24 hours in advance to cancel otherwise i would be charged. The crazy part is that they charge you when you make the appointment. No even after you are done with the lesson. i made my appointment for another week and they charged me. So I was charged twice without ever stepping into the school. So I asked for her manager then i got a call back from the school’s director. I explain the situation and he kept on saying sarcastically «so how can i help you».i finally said if you can find out how you can help me after you manager telling you the situation then having me just explain it then i guess you cannot help me. THE NERVE OF THE GUY! He then changed the subject and asked so did you wanna be rescheduled. He then offered me a free lesson after playing dumb for 5 minutes but it was not a free lesson I paid twice for not even stepping into the school. Then he asked me sarcastically if i even wanted to come. He repeatedly asked me as if he did not wanted me to come. I finally said just refund the money and forget everything.
THESE PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE THAT A CUSTOMER IS FIRST AND THAT THINGS HAPPEN IN LIFE LIKE CAR ACC9IDENTS AND VISITS TO HOSPITALS
THEY HAVE NO HEART AND THEY SPEAK TO CUSTOMER AS IF THEY WERE VERY UNIMPORTANT

My daughter has been taking voice lessons here for the last few months. After the first lesson she said it was «GREAT, but too short!», so we switched to hour long lessons. We found out about this place from a couple of friends who are also taking lessons here.
We have a busy schedule — like most Angelinos but the school has been pretty flexible with us. She is having a great time and progressing in her music ability — and of course, that’s what really counts in a music school!

I’m not really sure why this place has such negative reviews. I’ve only had a really great experience there. I started taking drum lessons about 6 months ago and have loved it. David, my instructor, does a great mix between songs and technique.
I don’t mind having a regular time every week because really how else would it work? I’ve had to cancel my lesson a few times and they have always been great about rescheduling. The only time I haven’t been able to reschedule was when I had to cancel three hours before the lesson.
I don’t know if it’s different for children but as an adult, I’ve had a great time.

I recently got a Groupon as a gift and have only used one of the four sessions so far. I didnt realize so many children took lessons there until my first session. I have no problems with that at all. My voice instructor is Nicole and so far I enjoy her lessons and the way she approaches things. I also like that she plays piano and guitar so when i find tabs for songs she can play them. The rooms we practice in are very very small, we are talking arm span here. they also didnt have a CD player in the room which is weird and sucked because i brought a CD of songs, ipod and sheet music and could only use the shee music. either way, im excited for my next three courses, although i called and they said they didnt book the Groupon students more than a week in advance. guess i will have to call back after the new year since they close for two weeks for the holidays. sucky because i have time off and would have liked to take a lesson now. :(

My boys (ages 9 and 11) have been taking piano lessons at Hollywood Academy of Music for a little over 3 years. They started out as beginners, and have now achieved a level of play that exceeds my expectations. They both love their lessons and look forward to them each week. We have had 4 different piano teachers in all. The two newest ones have only been teaching my sons for a little more than a month, so I don’t feel I can rate them fairly yet, but their two previous teachers, Chad and Cindy (Cindy is no longer with the school) really took the time to get to know my kids’ interests and skill levels, and worked with them to find music that both matched their skill set and motivated them to move forward.
The reason I give the school 4 instead of 5 stars is that I agree with previous reviewers that their scheduling policies are rather inflexible. I am sure the scheduling system was created to deal with what I am assuming are many flakey clients who don’t pay or flake at the last minute for lessons, but it’s unfortunate that consistent clients who have been with the school for years are subjected to the same rules. I will say that Christine, the receptionist/​office manager, has always tried to accommodate us on the rare occasions we’ve had to reschedule lessons. She is delightful to deal with; a professional, patient, and friendly «face of the business.» Regarding parking – I have never had to park more than a block away (and usually closer) – but our lessons are during the week, not on the weekend. Lastly, the lessons are pricey, but from what I have observed talking to other parents about private and music school lessons elsewhere, they are priced competitively. I would (and have) recommended the school to other families.

Hollywood Academy of Music has been an amazing experience for our 8 year old daughter. She has been taking classes there since she was 5. Her lessons consist of piano and voice. The instructors are amazing with kids. She was immediately welcomed with enthusiasm from the moment she walked through the door. They really took the time to ask about our daughter and her interests in order to match her up with the right instructors for her. It has been a perfect fit! She looks forward to her lesson every week. They also offer a low key, no pressure chance to perform twice a year. The office is well managed and organized. In the three years we’ve been at the school, they’ve had the same instructors, which gives consistency to the kids and also shows that they treat their employees well. I recommend this school to anyone I know interested in music lessons.
Annie D

I usually don’t write Unilocal reviews but I truly had a difficult experience at Hollywood Academy of Music. Beware the contract as it specifies that you will have to pay for lessons that you cannot make. You are locked into a particular day/​time. The academy attempts to reschedule you for days that you cannot make a lesson but I found the rescheduling process difficult. Parking is difficult given the location. And the guitar instructor, while pleasant, did not start out with the basics. My daughter has a different instructor now and is progressing as she was taken back to learning fundamentals (reading music, the scale etc) before getting into songs.

Update: After writing this review, they contacted me and offered to let me make-​up my 2 missed classes and even said they would throw in another class for free, which I thought was very nice of them. However, I turned it down as I don’t really feel like the school itself was a good fit for me (and I have recommendations for other instructors that will be a better fit). I told them they should really consider revising their company policy on make-​ups and tell their receptionist to be nicer to potential students in the future. Hopefully this helps them and anyone else considering taking classes there.

I took voice lessons from a great instructor named Aubrey. She helped me work on my falsetto, upper register, and break. She was ambitious without being demanding.
The school itself was a pain. There make up policy is strict, the rates are high, and they allow substitute teachers without giving a heads up.
Aubrey was great, the school, not so much.

My son (now 14), me (his father) and the rest of the family (Mom and his fans) LOVE this music school!!!
I found them a little over a year ago (after months of reseach) and chose them for #1: The Quality, #2: Affordability. #3: The Reviews, #4: Their Concern for the Students, #5 Results, #6 Fun Rewarding Learning… I could go on forever… I have yet to be dissapointed by anyone at this place. I’ve been commuting my son and I from Palmdale to Hollywood every Saturday to attend drum class with the very professional Eric Jones (instructor) who is a great person and an EXCELLENT DRUM INSTRUCTOR. Not only an MI (Musicians Institute) Grad, he’s also a Professional Musician. My son has gone from knowing nothing but the fact that he «…just wanted to play drums more than anything else… EVER…» to being a professional drummer in a very creative band of his own in less than 2 years. This school, along with my son’s willingness and desire to learn and make his dreams a reality, has helped make that dream come true and is currently prepping him for MI. Not only do they offer individual classes (Guitar, Bass, Piano, Voice etc.) but also offer such classes as «School of Rock» and «Recording» PLUS, FREE recitals every session, live School of Rock performances in a no-​pressure environment.
The Director of this establishment is a real pro with real solutions for real people. He REALLY does a GREAT JOB at providing the BEST for everyone (regardless of level of ability) who wants to be a part of the music world. Everyone’s Invited and Encouraged :)
A REAL Music School for REAL People :) and no, I’m not and employee, friend of shareholder, just a Very Satisfied Parent of one VERY HAPPY Student/​Customer :)

Our experience was pretty bad. My 9 year old son wanted to learn drums, and it turns out he is really good at it. But he would have hated the drums had we continued at this school. The teacher had little to no personality, and was not very friendly or funny (necessary qualities in my opinion for a children’s music teacher). Worse, he focused only on incredibly boring minutiae like how to hold the sticks. While this is important in the long run, you have to get a kid’s attention, help them love music, and make it relevant to them. This teacher did none of that. Fortunately, we eventually found an excellent private drum teacher, Jimmy Hutchinson, who is really making the music come alive for my son. I also found that the Hollywood Academy is more expensive than comparable private lessons, less flexible about scheduling, and generally a pain to deal with. Perhaps others have had better experiences (and better teachers). I personally would never go back here.