Teaching philosophy

My Philosophy on Teaching Guitar

I believe that playing the guitar should be a fun and rewarding experience for each student.  My goal is to show my each student how to make his/her instrument sound good. It is also to help each student achieve his/her goals for learning the guitar.  I use a variety of teaching methods that depend on the goals of each student and each student’s way of learning.  In other words, there is no “one size fits all.” 

I think that part of learning an instrument is the ability to play with other musicians.  So whenever possible, I encourage my students to get that experience and part of my teaching is to show the student how to play with others.  When I can, I try to provide this experience.  For example, if I have students at the same skill level, I try to arrange them to play together if possible.

I teach improvisation as well, basic music theory. I also teach my students how to learn music by ear as well as understand how music works in terms of reading a lead sheet.

I encourage my students to listen to various guitarists of various styles of music. I believe in working with technology(the internet, GarageBand, metronomes and rhythm machines) whenever possible, using it as a tool for creating and playing.

Practicing:  Following each lesson, I give the student a practice sheet with their practice assignments.  It is up to the student to practice what is assigned for each class.  What is done in between each lesson is just as important as what goes on in each lesson. 

Student recommended practice times

Each student should practice a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. The practice can be broken up in increments of 10-15 minutes. For those students under 8 years old, 10 to 15 minutes a day 5 days a week is recommended.