I study piano with Tom Hulse, and have enjoyed it thoroughly. He works mostly with adults, including adult beginners. Tom maintains a positive, can-do approach, making the whole experience fun and low-stress. He charges very reasonable rates, and works with you to make progress achievable regardless of how much time you have to devote outside of lessons. I can tell I've made substantial improvement in just a few months.

Highly recommend Anna Adamov as a Violin instructor. She is absolutely wonderful. From setup of the instrument, to the basic left and right hand movements--muscle memory, to reading music, order of sharps and flats, emphasis on tone, ...

The Pease Conservatory is located in a really cute restored victorian in downtown Sac. They have music instructors, drama instructors - but one of the best things about this place is they've built a theatre in the basement. There's a cute little stage with a 100 year old grand piano on it. The theatre seats about 50 people - there's a full light rig and video capabilities - it's really quaint and the perfect size for small productions. The owners are really nice people - I've been to a few productions here and have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

PROS: Theatre
CONS: parking