Friday 24 September 2010

Why Teaching Guitar is Great

Playing guitar is without a doubt one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Music for me is all about expressing a mood or feelings through the use of sound. My preferred tool for making sounds we call music has always been guitar (something about the subtle nuances from an instrument with strings, and how they are so responsive to what happens internally.)

I never realised until I started teaching about 5 years ago how it would change my perspective of music and change my life. You see, there is an amazing paradox that you get back tenfold what you put out. I have learned as much from teaching as I have studying guitar and music, and I have been lucky enough to study with some very knowledgeable mentors (whilst I was studying my Music BA at Wolverhampton University and also the year before when I studied at A.C.M in Guildford).

My first teaching job was at a 6th form college in Fareham in 2004, coaching groups in preparation for their BTEC performances. Things that you may take for granted can be a big deal for musicians just starting out. Although some musicians were almost beginners, and some were quite advanced and I had to match to the level of the class I was teaching. I quickly realised that having the know how, the musical knowledge is only half the story, and learning how to relate to people, how to pass the knowledge on to them is a new skill in itself. I was a beginner, not to music, but to teaching. The role I had to fill seemed a bit daunting but I always like a challenge, and there was this incredible sense of satisfaction from seeing my students transform over a few weeks. Five years on I continue to feel a sense of satisfaction from seeing my students achievements that I haven't quite found in any other role that I've performed.

I have always had a fascination with how people learn, and how the human mind works. This natural curiosity keeps me growing as a person and musician, and leads me to explore new ways to help my current students to learn in ways that are engaging and empowering for them. The results from this are that many of my students achieved their musical goals and seen excellent results from grades that they've entered (see testimonials for examples).


The challenges of keeping people motivated and finding those ways to inspire them keeps you on your toes and keeps you growing. As I mentioned what you put out comes back to you ten fold, and teaching guitar is a great thing to do.






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