The first Music & Arts was located in a small house in Bethesda, MD and run by founder Benjamin O’Brien. When Music & Arts opened its doors in 1952, we offered printed music, music lessons, dance lessons, and art supplies. Ben decided shortly after opening his business that he wanted to focus on music to better serve his customers – a decision that remains intact to this day.

Since the 1990’s, Music & Arts has expanded nationwide through organic growth and a series of acquisitions and mergers with other music dealers. In 2005, Music & Arts joined forces with American Music to become the largest band and orchestra instrument retailer in the United States.

Music & Arts now comprises 200+ retail stores, 120+ educational representatives, and 300+ affiliate locations. Based in Frederick, MD, the company of trained musicians offers friendly service and everything musical for students, parents, and educators. We are proud to be your neighborhood choice for music!

MusicArts.com – Boasting one of the largest product offerings in the world, MusicArts.com is the home of music education. We offer educator approved band instruments and accessories like clarinets, saxophones, and the largest selection of reeds anywhere - with top brands like Rico and Vandoren. We also offer a wide variety of Violins, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Mouthpieces and Accessories, and every method book or songbook you could ever need; including the best prices on Band Method Books!

Rental Program

Our instrument rental program is the largest in the country – serving both individual schools with our educational services team and parents all over the country with our online rental program. Online we offer the following rental products: flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, French horn, baritone, percussion kit, bell kit, drum kit, violin, viola, and cello. To learn more, click Rentals at the top of the page or visit our Instrument Rental Guide.

Lesson Program

Teaching over 1.5 million lessons per year, Music & Arts is the largest private lesson provider in the country. Students love learning here and the lesson teachers love teaching here.

Are you a student interested in taking lessons? Visit our lessons page. Are you a teacher interested in teaching with us? Learn more about teaching.

Repair Program

With the largest instrument repair network in the United States, we’re ready to make your instrument playable again. To learn more about repairs, visit our Repair Shop and be sure to watch the video!

To further our music education mission, we’ve created a resource site to answer any question you might have about instruments, lessons, rentals, or repairs! Enter the Vault.

Commitment to Community

Music & Arts has a longstanding commitment to supporting its local communities with contributions to a variety of nonprofit organizations, including beneficiaries ranging from school-based gifting programs to specific cause-related initiatives, both nationwide and in many of the local areas Music & Arts serves.

Source: https://www.musicarts.com/