Accessible Contemporary Music

We differed from our daughters teacher about the direction of her instruction and decided that we didn't want to continue lessons. We requested a refund for the remainder of the month and never heard back. No one said anything - not "sorry to see you go" or even an acknowledgment of our request for a partial refund.

Terrific, knowledgable teachers. My son has been very happy to be a student at ACM for years!

I love the school the staff is so nice. The school is a also a lovely school and they keep the school clean and really care for there students Keep up the great work

From my first interaction with ACM in 2016, the school has been nothing short of impressive when it comes to communication, acceptance, instructor skill, and meeting you were where you are at.

I have been taking adult piano lessons for about 1 years now with Christy Bennett with my only prior experience being from a few years of Flute in childhood. Christy has been a wonderful teacher and has helped me greatly improve my piano skills (way more than I would have thought I could do in such a short amount of time) and has also encouraged me to compose and present two pieces which I'm very proud of. I don't think I could have asked for a better teacher and I look forward to many more lessons with her.

Our daughter is 8 and has been taking private piano lessons at ACM since 2018. She came in with some basic music knowledge, but has flourished under Christy in the past 2.5 years and her piano playing has improved tremendously. The best part about Christy is that she is incredibly patient, teaches music theory while making it fun, and has been amazing at inspiring our daughter's creativity as she composes her own original songs.

Big shoutout to Trevor for his incredible management of the Ravenswood location as well. The transition from in person to virtual lessons has been seamless. Highly recommend.

Not your average music school! My son took piano lessons here for several years. He absolutely loved his teacher, Christy. All the teachers are very talented and provide individualized learning plans for their students. Prices are very affordable. Front desk staff are super friendly and helpful. Highly recommend this school!

Great place for children to learn piano! The teachers are patient and understanding to both my children ages 7 and 12. Both take piano and my older child takes piano and voice, she's gonna be a star whom can sing and play the piano! Trevor her piano and voice teacher is the best, guided her through with patience and understanding same thing with Desiree the piano teacher for my boy. He requires a lot of patience and understanding. Love it!

Excellent music school with very accommodating staff! ACM definitely has one of the cheapest prices for music lessons that I've seen in Chicago. I highly recommend this for people trying to learn an instrument on a crammed or changing schedule; the teachers are extremely flexible with scheduling!

Great place, with many different teachers to work with. Many are also very accomplished performers as well as teachers. My kids have worked with several teachers over the years and overall it has been a very, very positive experience. They have more flexibility and availability than other places when we started looking earlier: many of the school-based music programs fill up quickly, and the same goes with the Old Town.

The Ravenswood site, the one we use, has plenty of space and is located in an area where it is still pretty easy to get parking not too far (or bike there if you live nearby). It is satisfying to support real artists as you give your kids a true musical education with musicians interesting in "living" (breathing) classical music and other genres. One of the people who runs and manages this place, Seth Boustead, also has a great weekly podcast (broadcast on WFMT) as well that I've enjoyed listening to.

This company is doing some amazing things for music and music education. I attended Access Contemporary Music's street festival back in August and it was a fantastic event. They had a live ensemble, craft brews and dogs. Pretty much everything a girl could ask for. BUT THEN during the Ear Taxi festival I noticed ACM also performed a free concert at the Cultural Center. AND THEN!

My friends and I went to Open House Chicago and there was an ensemble playing in some of the buildings. IT WAS ACM. Basically everywhere in the city. It's insane. Seems like something in the universe is trying to tell me something; only, I have two left hands so I don't think I'll be learning to play an instrument anytime soon. TL;DR: Check out the website for events/cool way to impress people.

ACM music school is a wonderful school. My son has been taking piano lessons for the past three years and he has learned so much. He has participated in several concerts that are offered throughout the year. His teacher, Desiree, is a wonderful teacher. She is very dedicated, flexible, patient, and very talented. My son is always excited to come to his weekly lessons. I would definitely recommend ACM to anyone who wants to learn how to play an instrument.

I have the distinct pleasure of taking lessons as an adult student at ACM and couldn't be happier. My lessons are a bright spot in a busy week, and both the school and teachers are organized, professional, and help me to progress.

Be sure to read the fine print before purchasing any promotional packages, and pay attention to language that specifies time limitations. I dont think I was given any disclaomers on how an 8 pack of lessons had to be complered within 4 weeks, which would be difficult to do when the instructor has limited availability in her schedule, the adult student works, and both teacher and student have to reschedule lessons on occasion. In any case, Seth, the owner was extremely rude to me as a student customer, and I DID pay in full for the 8 lesson special promotion deal.

Access Contemporary Music is a really incredible place with a lot to offer anyone who has an interest in music. Not only do they offer really great piano lessons in a variety of styles for all ages and skill levels, they work to promote contemporary music, both local and international. Their concerts never fail to impress and bring exposure to a wide variety of composers and musicians. Seth, the head honcho and visionary extraordinaire of ACM, is a really great pianist, composer, director, and CEO.

He is willing to meet the needs of the students, instead of demanding that students meet his needs. He has told me in lessons before that his philosophy is to encourage musicians to grow in the ways that they choose, and not grow in the way that he demands. His methods pay off as I have grown a lot during the three years I have taken jazz piano lessons from him.

He is really great with small children and adults, and he works well with all skill levels. If you have any interest in taking lessons for yourself or your children, you really must check out ACM.

We love piano lessons at ACM. My son started lessons a year and a half ago when he was in Kindergarten. He was reluctant to try lessons at first, so I was a little nervous that he might have a bad experience and be turned off forever. But from the start, his lessons with Miss Theresa have been great. He has learned a lot so far, and really enjoys his lessons.

Often times, when we get home after a lesson, he'll go straight to the piano and practice what he's just learned. Theresa has a quiet presence that is very encouraging without being over the top. The owner, Seth, is very personable and accommodating. We're very glad we found the place.

I completely lucked out when I found this place. There was some piano music I'd heard that I really really wanted to learn to play, but could never find the sheet music. I literally walked in with my ipod and asked if they could transcribe it for me. They did and then gave me lessons to learn it! A month or so later, I was playing the music I had loved so much for so long.

This was pretty much a dream come true for me. Since then I've been taking weekly lessons. It's hard to describe how easy it was to start doing something so fulfilling. It takes a lot of practice, but it's fun and there's no pressure. Learn whatever you like to play at your own pace with super nice people. I would recommend ACM to anyone who's even thinking of learning piano. Treat yourself to lessons from passionate, talented, friendly people.