If you are looking for a full breakdown of the local music scene in Kansas City you are in the right place. The best instrument stores in your area including some different sections for where to buy guitars and the best drum shops in town will also be covered.
There will definitely be a lot of crossover between some lists but we have done our best to get the right spots in the right sections for you. Up next we will get into quality instrument repair shops near you because some reading this may need a piano tuned, a guitar repaired, or work done on other band instruments and there is somebody out there that can assist.
Contents
Then it will be time to pivot to the best music lessons for kids or adults. Following that we will give a shout out to the top stores for music lovers that sell vintage CD’s and records here.
We also think many of you will want to know about the best concert halls and live music venues while some others may prefer to visit bars and restaurants that have free live music around the city.
And we will get you out of here with the best festivals on the Kansas City music calendar. Stay with us til the end where you will find a map with the wide variety of stores and venues we are discussing pointed out.
Everyone reading this is welcome to look through more of our blogs on the region at that link.
Kansas City Musical Instrument Stores
Some of the best musical instrument stores near you would be:
- Big Dude’s Music City at 3817 Broadway Blvd
- Meyer Music at 6312 NW Barry Rd #14
- Music Gear at 121 W Lexington Ave
- Kansas City Piano at 7316 W 119th St, Overland Park
- Meyer Music at 11890 W 135th St, Overland Park
- United Teachers of Music at 2866 Rte 291, Independence
- Kawai Piano Gallery at 4804 W 119th St, Leawood
- Shining Light Music at 616 SW 3rd St, Lee’s Summit
Big Dude’s Music City carries a large selection of electric and acoustic guitars, drums, keyboards, basses, and accessories from well known manufacturers such as Fender, Shure, Hosa, and D’Addario.
One of the prime sources for middle and high school band instruments in Kansas City including Yamaha and other fine brand pianos is Meyer Music who has locations downtown, in Overland Park, and Blue Springs.
Kansas City Piano sells acoustic and digital pianos from top brands like Yamaha, Seiler, Schimmel, Pearl River, Brodmann, Ritmuller along with used Steinway and other Yamaha instruments.
United Teachers of Music in Independence provides top quality instruments including violins, violas, cellos, and bass for beginners and professionals.
Acoustic uprights, grands, hybrid,digital uprights, and player pianos are available at Kawai Piano Gallery in Leawood.
Shining Light Music in Lee’s Summit sells guitars, folk instruments, digital pianos, drums, percussion equipment, band and orchestra instruments, ukuleles, accessories, and more. They also offer instrument rentals and private music classes.
Where To Buy Guitars
For all the guitars and accessories you need check out:
- Bentley Guitar Studios at 7 Main St
- Brookside Guitars at 6217 Oak St
- Guitar Center at 9188 N Skyview Ave
In addition to selling guitars, basses, banjos, ukuleles, mandolins, amplifiers, accessories, and other musical instruments in your area Bentley Guitar Studios also offers lessons on all fretted instruments, pianos, drums, and voice.
Brookside Guitars is a boutique studio offering private music lessons with experienced personnel that have extensive knowledge in teaching and playing music.
Guitar Center also has locations in Overland Park and North KC and offers a vast collection of guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, recording gear, DJ equipment, lighting, and other accessories from top brands like Fender, Gibson, and others.
Earlier we linked you to Big Dude’s Music City and Shining Light Music but we also need to mention them here in the best guitar stores near you section.
Drum Shops Near You
Another great place to buy drums is at Big Dude’s Music City.
Instrument Repairs
Instrument repairs in Kansas City are available at:
- Heritage Music Repair at 3119 Gillham Rd
- Integrity Woodwind & Brass Works at 9316 Pawnee Ln
- Bill’s Violin Shop at 4838 N Smalley Ave
- Fountain City Guitarworks at 3617 Virginia Ave
- Music & Arts Olathe KS at 14162 W 119th St, Olathe
- Integrity Woodwind & Brass Works at 9316 Pawnee Ln, Leawood
- Stone Hound Sound at 100 SE 16th St #B, Lee’s Summit
Heritage provides high quality local repairs and restorations of musical instruments including woodwind, brasswind, guitars, and other stringed instruments plus they sell cases, strings, and guitar accessories too.
A variety of services ranging from complete tear downs and rebuilds to repads and minor repairs of instruments as well as ultrasonic and technician guided cleaning are provided at Integrity Woodwind and Brass Works.
Bill’s Violin Shop specializes in the repair and restoration of violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
Music and Arts in Olathe excels at musical instrument sales, rentals, and repairs plus they offer music lessons in your area for all ages, background, and skill levels.
For 20 years Integrity Woodwind and Brass Works in Leawood has been providing care and precision in repairing brass and woodwind musical instruments from rebuilds to repads and minor repairs.
Stone Hound Sound is a pro audio equipment repair company in Lee’s Summit for vacuum tubes, solid state guitar and bass amplifiers, keyboards, synthesizers, and PA equipment.
Music Lessons
Level up by taking lessons at a music school in your area:
- Rock Band & Guitar School of Music at 1414 E 103rd St
- TR Music & Voice Lessons at 7728 N Nodaway Ave
- School of Rock at 1315 East St
- Village Music Academy at 15 On The Mall, Prairie Village
- Music House School of Music Overland Park at 7465 W 161st St, Overland Park
- Music Academy at 9339 W 87th St, Overland Park
- Learn Piano Online at 516 S Liberty St, Independence
- Studio Venable Simmons at 10500 E 27th Terrace S, Independence
- Olathe Music Academy at 14028 W 135th St, Olathe
- Darin Parker Music at 16517 W 133rd St, Olathe
- Bach to Rock at 3630 W 135th St, Leawood
- Pei-In & Alec Violin & Piano Studios at 3200 W 122nd St, Leawood
- School of Rock at 1121 NE Rice Rd, Lee’s Summit
- Summit Guitar School at 202 NE Oak Tree Ln, Lee’s Summit
- Larissa’s Music Studio at 109 NE Gaslight Ln, Blue Springs
Rock Band and Guitar School of Music in KC provides private piano, voice, guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, saxophone, flute, and clarinet lessons to students of all ages and abilities.
TR Music and Voice Lessons offers private in person and online lessons in guitar, voice, piano, percussion, bass guitar, violin, and other instruments.
You can also take in person and online music lessons in drums, bass, keyboard, vocal, and guitar lessons with group rehearsals at School of Rock.
The Village Music Academy is composed of teachers who previously taught at studios run by the Toon Shop music store which have been providing music lessons, classes, and performances near you for over seven decades.
There’s a diverse catalog of free weekend music classes and group lessons for rock and other specialized musical ensembles at Music House School of Music in Overland Park.
Music Academy is one of the largest local music schools offering piano, violin, guitar, cello, voice, and drum lessons for students of all ages.
Private singing lessons are offered at Studio Venable Simmons with a professional opera singer and voice teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience.
Olathe Music Academy offers group and private music lessons for toddlers, kids, and adults to include piano, guitar, and ukulele through online or in person as well as summer camps.
Apart from music instruction on all styles and instruments Darin Parker also offers sales and repair services as well as full recording studio production plus live music venue.
Bach to Rock Leawood provides private and semi private music lessons for small groups of 2 to 3 students with expert musicians on weekly sessions.
Pei-In and Alec Violin and Piano Studios is committed to offering a variety of music lessons in leawood for all skill levels.
Students can learn popular local styles in rock, blues, jazz, R and B, and hip hop at School of Rock plus lessons in pinao, bass guitar, drums, and ukulele as well as singing.
Summit Guitar School provides some of the highest quality guitar, bass, music theory, and songwriting classes through one on one lessons, group, and online classes.
At Larissa’s Music Studio in Blue Springs children learn music from an experienced performer of 20 years in lead and harmony singing, piano, fiddle, and ukulele.
Some other great places to take local music lessons are Shining Light Music, Music and Arts, and Brookside Guitars from some of the previous lists.
CD & Record Stores
Check out all kinds of vintage CD’s and records at these local stores for music lovers:
- The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven at 7621 Troost Ave
- Josey Records at 1814 Oak St
- Mills Record Company at 4045 Broadway Blvd
- Revolution Records at 1830 Locust St
- Vinyl Renaissance & Audio at 9038 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park
- Vinyl Heaven at 9411 W 87th St, Overland Park
Vinyl Renaissance offers over 50,000 new and used vinyl records in Kansas City and Overland Park along with CD’s and reel to reel tapes.
One of the premier vinyl stores selling new and used vinyl records in your area as well as concert tickets, lowbrows, and poster arts as well as antique stereo equipment is The Vinyl Underground.
Josey Records is one of the major independent record stores in the United States that offers vinyl records, CD’s, cassettes, memorabilia, turntables, and music posters.
You can also visit Mills Record Company where they buy and sell used and new records, CD’s, cassettes, books, and other items.
Revolution Records is an old school local record and book store that buys and sells records, books, CD’s, cassettes, VHS’s, and DVD’s as well as equipment.
Vinyl Heaven in Overland Park buys, sells, and trades new and used vinyl, LP’s, 45’s, 78’s, CD’s, record sleeves, and mailers.
Kansas City Live Music Venues
Seeing a concert at Kansas City live music venues is always a good time:
- KC Live at 13 Grand Blvd
- Knuckleheads Saloon at 2715 Rochester Ave
- The Social Club at 6301A W 135th St, Overland Park
- Wright Place Event Space at 13912 E Noland Ct #B, Independence
- The Pavilion at John Knox Village at 520 NW Murray Rd, Lee’s Summit
KC Live is one of the leading entertainment venues with a full concert stage for weekly performances during summer by the country’s renowned performers and bands as well as during special events all year.
Knuckleheads Saloon is the second largest indoor venue in KC with a classic honky tonk vibe offering live music ranging from rock to Elvis tributes to gospel plus burgers and drinks in biker bar digs.
The Pavilion at John Knox Village features a capacity of 150 and 600 banquet style seats for guests or 1,500 for theatre style seating.
Fun Restaurants With Entertainment
You can take a date or a group of friends to these restaurants with live music:
- The Phoenix at 302 W 8th St
- Chaz on the Plaza at 325 Ward Pkwy
- Majestic at 931 Broadway Blvd
- The Brick at 1727 McGee St
- B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ at 1205 E 85th St
- The Brew Top Pub & Patio at 6601 W 135th St, Overland Park
- Pinstripes at 13500 Nall Ave, Overland Park
- The Other Place Olathe at 16590 W 135th St, Olathe
- Konrad’s Kitchen & Tap House at 302 SW Main St, Lee’s Summit
- Brick’s Pub & Grub at 18 SE 3rd St, Lee’s Summit
The Phoenix is one of the oldest jazz and blues clubs near you offering good food along with live jazz, blues, soul, folk, and R and B.
Majestic boasts an old school ambience with amazing food, beverages, and world class jazz in a historic setting.
You can have savory barbecue options while listening live music at B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ.
The Brew Top Pub and Patio offers pub grub, a large beer selection, and live music in Overland Park.
The Other Place Olathe serves great homemade pizza, oven baked subs, sandwiches, pastas, salads, and more along with live local music in a sports themed setting.
You can enjoy live music in Lee’s Summit at Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House while digging in for their pizza, pub grub, and local draft beer.
Brick’s Pub and Grub provides craft brews on tap, pub eats, specialty cocktails, game nights, karaoke, and live music.
Bars With Live Music
There are also some bars that play live music around town:
- Green Lady Lounge at 1809 Grand Blvd
- Record Bar at 1520 Grand Blvd
- The Kill Devil Club at 31 E 14th St
- The Ship at 1217 Union Ave
- The Well Bar Grill & Rooftop at 7421 Broadway
- The Piano Room at 8410 Wornall Rd
- McGuire’s Tavern at 9148 Santa Fe Dr, Overland Park
- Score Sports Bar & Grill at 9100 East 35th St S, Independence
- Double Nickel at 189 Rogers Rd, Olathe
- The Bar Olathe at 14871 W 151st St, Olathe
- Blue Moon at 2001 NW Hwy 7, Blue Springs
Record Bar is a live music venue featuring the best local, regional, national, and international bands on most nights.
Besides live music, small meals, artisan drinks, and tastings The Kill Devil Club offers a plush atmosphere with a variety of layouts to accommodate meetings and other events.
The Piano Room offers nightly entertainment which includes live piano and voice performances as well as open mic nights.
Be entertained by live music at McGuire’s Tavern in Overland Park along with draft beer, pub grub, happy hour, and Saturday brunch.
Score Sports Bar and Grill provides great food, ice cold drinks, wonderful live music, karaoke, and great service in Independence from their wonderful bartenders.
Lunch and dinner specials and other fresh menu options are offered at Double Nickel where they have karaoke and live music in your area 3 days a week.
The Bar Olathe hosts live music to bring more delight to your sports bar experience.
Blue Moon brings you a unique combination of fine arts, live jazz music, crafty cocktails, and gourmet food.
Music Festivals
A high energy Music and Camping Festival Dancefestopia that takes place in September in the rolling hills just south of Kansas City giving an enchanted and fun vibe to the music enthusiasts.
In the past we have also discussed:
- Live Music Venues In STL
- Live Music Venues In Omaha
- Live Music Venues In Wichita
- Live Music Venues In Oklahoma City
Enjoy The Kansas City Local Music Scene
We tried to cover everything as quickly and as well as possible for you on this page. After reading about the best musical instrument stores, drum and guitar shops, instrument repair services, classes and lessons, vintage CD and record stores, concert halls and other live music venues near you like bars and restaurants, and the best festivals in the region you should have a much better understanding of what is available.
And anyone that made it this far might just know a little bit about the local music scene themself and if so feel free to tell us what we got wrong in the comments or share your own thoughts. Now it is time for you to go enjoy the music in Kansas City.