Read My Reviews…

-Tom C. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is a great guitar teacher. She is very flexible with her lesson times… allowing you to cancel/change if life pulls you away every now and then. But more importantly, she is flexible and adaptive in her instruction. She adapts her lessons to fit your personal musical interests and strengths and limitations. She even lets you pick the music you will learn, and she learns it for you even if she was not familiar with it. She is upbeat and positive… keeping your spirits up when you are struggling… and she is always getting you to constantly improve. If you are struggling with an area, she intelligently skips it (until later) or dives in and focuses on it- depending on what makes sense. A big benefit she provides comes from her being in several bands… so she can let you know the tricks and “cheats” used by every real musician… making you smarter in each lesson. Monica is a star teacher for anyone of any age… she gets my full recommendation.”

-Lois ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“As an adult guitar student of Monica's (at Happy Strummimg), I am very pleased with her teaching methods. She offers clear and detailed explanations of the lesson and is always patient and encouraging. The lessons are challenging, but always fun. And I like the way she carefully listens to my problems and always seems to come up with suggestions to resolve my issue. I highly recommend her as a guitar teacher.”

-Lidija ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica with Happy Strumming has been teaching guitar to our second grade daughter for the past several months. From our experience, Monica is a phenomenal instructor and role model! She is very kind, patient, and creative. She does a fantastic job of breaking down musical concepts to make them more digestible and entertaining for young learners. Our daughter is engaged the entire lesson and looks forward to seeing Monica each week. Monica also creates a very relaxed learning environment and is always open to questions. Her passion for music is inspiring to all! Her lesson approach is a wonderful balance of slowing down when certain techniques need extra attention and challenging the student to push ahead for continued learning and progression. We are very grateful that we found Monica to guide our daughter in her musical interests and journey!”

-Stella ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I have wanted to play the ukulele for about a year now. I am taking beginner lessons as an adult and was nervous about getting started. I have had lessons for a month now, and my experience with Monica has been nothing but EXCELLENT!! I feel seriously fortunate to have found her. If you are looking to start lessons, look no further, Happy Strumming is definitely the place!! Monica provides such a comfortable learning space and she is absolutely amazing, attentive, kind, patient and encouraging. It’s awesome to be learning to play the ukulele while actually leaning to play a song I love. I always feel good when I come to a lesson, and even better when I leave. Monica’s instructions and suggestions are helping me grow, even in a short time. I can’t wait for that lesson, somewhere in my future, when I’m ready to jam with her. 🤩 Happy Strumming deserves more than 5 ⭐️.”

-Kevin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Very enjoyable laid back lessons. Monica is Very patient and perfect for adult students. I would rather spend my time learning an instrument than sitting in front of the TV!”

-Shyam ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“My daughter had been training ukulele at Happy Strumming with Monica for several months. She likes the lessons as Monica shows patience with her students and takes the time to teach at a pace that matches her students. Monica is an always prompt, professional, and easy to work with. I highly recommend her and Happy Strumming to any potential students.”

-Susan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is AWESOME! She is an experienced classroom teacher so she knows how to break learning into manageable steps so that I can understand exactly what to do. I have basically no experience in musical instruments of any kind but after just four weeks (1 lesson a week), I have learned how to hold my hands and guitar correctly, how to play notes on four strings, and I am now beginning to strum and play chords. What is great about her teaching is that she watches you play and gives feedback on your technique. She is super positive and encouraging. As a teacher myself, I know that Monica’s experience as a classroom teacher makes her an outstanding teacher for guitar. I’ve had a lot of fun and I plan to continue my lessons!”

-Busy bees ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica with Happy Strumming has been wonderful. Her knowledge, experience and passion for music is reflected in every lesson. My son enjoys and looks forward to every guitar lesson. We are extremely satisfied and would highly recommend for lessons.”

-Balanced light yoga ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“FANTASTIC ukulele teacher! Monica taught me how to play the ukulele over the holidays and I was able to play several songs. Would highly recommend her for guitar and ukulele lessons. SO much better than trying to learn on YouTube!”

-Arthur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A perfect name for this business! I am a 77 year old guitar player thanks to Monica’s instruction. She is patient, professional and genuinely concerned with my progress.”

-Jerry S. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I believe this is an excellent program to start to learn to play a guitar.  Monica (the teacher) is flexible and listens to my hopes and desires.  She is patient and very supportive.  She is always offering very down to earth suggestions and helpful hints to improve my learning and technique.  She is flexible in terms of scheduling and believes that life happens which can complicate a normal rigid schedule. I am very happy with the classes and my progress.  I would heartily recommend Happy Strumming to anyone new to guitar and wanting to start a program in which you can make progress in learning to play guitar in a challenging but relaxed and supportive manner.”

-Carmen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar, but I never took the time to learn. Now that my kids are grown, I bought an electric and an acoustic guitar and started to play around with them. Then I decided pray to find a teacher. I am very blessed to have Monica as my guitar instructor. She has a music theory background combined with exceptional guitar skills. She is always pleasant, personable, patient and enthusiastic and I am amazed by what I have learned in just a few months! She meets her students on their level by giving great examples and explanations, which make me feel relaxed and comfortable. Therefore, I am more motivated to practice. I highly recommend Monica for beginners, intermediate, or advanced aspiring musicians. Whatever you want to learn or whatever inspires you the most, Monica can work with you to achieve that goal. She always makes accommodations to meet her students needs when it comes to scheduling. I am so impressed, within a few months I’m learning strumming patterns, a few chords, and a song!”

-Sherry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is a fantastic teacher. She explains the fundamentals of guitar so I can properly play. By Monica’s teaching style, I know that I’m capable of achieving my guitar goals. Every week I look forward to working with her. She’s an awesome teacher who is gifted and passionate about teaching.”

-Kop ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is very patient and supporting during my daughter’s lessons. My daughter said that she loves Monica’s lessons. Monica’s support boosts my daughter’s confidence with playing the guitar and since my daughter is a total beginner, she loves hearing the support! We are so glad that we found a great teacher. :)”

-M W ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I'm a total beginner and feel lucky to have found Happy Strumming. Monica is patient and friendly, and she's generous with her knowledge and time. Highly recommend!”

-Mike ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Good teaching. Monica does a great job teaching the fundamentals to help get to the next level no matter where you are. Highly recommended.”

-Jay ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Most guitar teachers can teach the acoustic guitar itself, but it was the strumming part that is hard to find someone that fully understands the technique. With Monica I'm finally able to really understand and move forward with strumming.”

— Sharon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is very patient with my 8-year old who wanted to learn the ukulele. She makes it fun with sticker rewards and questions to check his learning. She is a great teacher and we are enjoying the weekly, affordable private lessons with her.”

— Dan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“My daughter has been taking lessons for about a month and loves it. Monica is so nice and patient with her. My daughter is usually very shy and timid and she feels right at home. Communication and appointment bookings have been great. Overall A+”

— Spencer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I had been trying to learn how to play guitar online for over a year and had found that my progress had slowed. Monica pointed out changes to my technique and provided music theory background that has helped me move forward again. Lessons with Monica are both enjoyable and productive.”

— Isabella ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I like her because she is kind, listens and adheres to your wants and needs, and is overall a great teacher. She is so helpful, and knows what she’s talking about. I’m so excited to keep learning from her!

— Meredith ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Monica is a great instructor. I had almost zero knowledge of how to play the guitar, and she has patiently walked me through everything I need to know, from how to hold the guitar, proper finger position, timing, etc. She has tailored the sessions so that I am working toward playing a song that I like, which is super motivating. Really enjoying taking lessons!”

— Bruce ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I would highly recommend Monica for guitar lessons. She is very patient and explains music concepts in a manner that non-musicians like myself can understand.
Monica is very positive but will challenge you to bring out your best.”

— Margaret ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is a very helpful ukulele teacher. She explains how to play in a way that is creative and easy to understand. When she sees what I am doing incorrectly she has many visual and auditory examples/tips to look at playing in a different way.”

— Katie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica has been the best fit for our family for a ukulele teacher. She runs her lessons on time and they’re very affordable. She is working with both myself and my six year old daughter and she always is prepared fo the the lesson and goes above and beyond to help my daughter when she’s having difficulty. I appreciate her attention to detail and making this a positive experience for us both! We look forward to the lesson each week and look forward to continuing our business with her!”

— Steve ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I've written a review before regarding my excellent experience with Monica as a ukulele teacher. That experience has been further enhanced recently by her willingness to continue her lessons with me virtually during the current pandemic. Monica has been able to bring her excellent teaching skills across the internet! She continues to supply me with her insights and helpful tips as I improve. I find her abilities to provide me with such valuable lessons remarkable - and I believe that it goes to show how talented a teacher she really is!”

— Deb ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica loves music and you can tell. If you are thinking of taking lessons I would recommend working with Monica. She's a great teacher and can break playing an instrument down into easy steps. She is technology savvy and will walk you through your lessons. I was worried I couldn't learn an instrument over the internet but she is able to share the screen with me, write on the music virtually so I can see what to do and make notes on my own music, as well as play music with me. In case you are wondering how a lesson may look we both log into zoom. During the lesson we work on a variety of songs and strum patterns. When I'm having difficulty she splits the screen so I can see the music, her face and/or her ukulele. Happy strumming :)”

— Karri ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I love how Monica teaches you what you want to learn. The first lesson she asked if I was looking to learn notes, chords, or both and has structured each lesson towards what I’m looking to get out of it. She asked before my first lesson what type of music I wanted to learn to play so I can learn songs that are exciting to me! It’s also so much fun to go to each lesson and have her play with me. I would absolutely recommend Monica to anyone looking to learn guitar.”

— Jessica ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I’m fulfilling a lifelong dream to learn to play the guitar! I am grateful to have found Monica Kaplan (of Happy Strumming) as she’s a terrific teacher. Some things to know about Monica: She makes learning fun! She asked what I wanted to learn, so I’m learning to play songs that I love; She sets realistic goals and assigns weekly homework (that challenges, but doesn’t overwhelm) to ensure I’m making progress; She gives clear, creative explanations and helps correct when I’m doing something wrong; She has a clear love of music and teaching; She is a great musician and inspires me to want to play like she can play; Her prices are fair and she makes payment convenient (Zelle / Chase QuickPay); Lessons are at her lovely home If you want to learn to play the guitar, don’t wait! Reach out to Monica.”

— Demi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I have taken ukulele classes with Monica for a month now. She is really nice and knowledgable about ukulele. She is also flexible when I need to reschedule and she is always reachable through text and always gets back to me. She also suggested resources like uku fest and practice sessions in front of an audience when I asked. From her patience that I see, I imagine she would be great for kids as well. Her cat Oscar is also very cute and friendly to me. It was overall a relaxing learning experience every time I go. I plan on taking lessons with her for years and I will recommend her to other people.”

— David ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I am a retired guy who has strummed a little most of my life, but never really learned to play the guitar. I decided to take lessons with some trepidation and had the good fortune to find Monica. Monica is very knowledgeable, very patient and mixes in musical theory while also teaching me ways to embellish the various favorite songs I have been simply strumming all these years. In the time I have been under Monica’s tutelage my knowledge and confidence has grown substantially. Monica has exceeded my expectations in every possible way so far.  If you are looking for a guitar instructor to take you to the next level, give Monica a try.”

— Robert ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica is exactly what you want in a teacher. She is extremely knowledgeable, observant, encouraging, patient and treats you with respect. She is a great listener and tailors the lessons to your speed. If your looking for someone to teach and encourage you to play guitar, you won’t find anyone better than Monica!”

- Kiran ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica Kaplan is no doubt one of the most humble, approachable, and skillful guitar teachers you can find in West Chicagoland. I have been studying with her for the past few months. I have been learning guitar for some years now and Monica was not the first music instructor I had. Monica is however, the best one so far by a large margin. Since the first lesson, she has been extremely professional and organized in her teaching methods. She is able to quickly identify my strengths and weaknesses as a player, tailor her lessons to fit my capabilities, and help me improve in great effectiveness. I am a professional with a busy schedule both on and off work, and really don’t get much time to practice but with Monica I am able to greatly improve nonetheless and can see noticeable improvements. Thank you Monica, you are the best!”

— Stephanie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Monica's approach to teaching has really struck the right chord with my 15 year old daughter! Rather than starting with basic sheet music, she selects music my daughter likes and what she wants to play. The result is great enthusiasm and practicing without being asked. My daughter is already playing some songs after just a month of weekly lessons. Her home is pleasant and comfy. Her prices are fair and she accepts Zelle.”