I have been teaching myself some basic guitar and have now decided to move forward and get an instructor. I am an adult (49 years old) and looking for someone who has been teaching adults for awhile. What questions should I ask a potential instructor when first meeting them (e.g., references, style, etc.)? I'm also interested in knowing from instructors what questions they wished their new students had asked them when first starting.
That's a tough one. I've had about five different teachers. The firsttwo only lasted one or two lessons because they quit so I don't know how they would have worked out. Then I took a break for awhile and found a new teacher. He was a nice guy, great player easy to get along with but in the end I didn't feel I was doing much with him. Took some more time off and searched around and got a recommendation from a music director at a university. This good had a system, learn his way. Which in a way wasn't bad. The first thing he told me was that he didn't want me bringing in music to learn he would pick the songs. He kinda loosened up on that a bit after awhile. I definitely made progress with him even though I didn't learn much of the music I wanted to, but at the time it was good.
I moved again and started looking for a new teacher. Got a recommendation on a guy who had about a 6 month waiting list. He's definitely the one for me. He usually gives me a technical exercise as part of the lesson and then we work on a song that I want to learn. He has a music degree and an exceptional ear and he can tab pretty much anything out note for note in no time. For some reason it 's so much easier for me to learn a song that he has tabbed then getting the actual sheet music even if it's the exact same notes. Alot of the books make the songs look so indimidating.
So I guess I didn't answer your questiopn well, but I think the only thing you can do is ask about how he plans on teaching the material and then decide if you think that will get you where you want. After that you really won't kno wif you connect unless you actually take some lessons to get a feel for each other.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
I don't expect potential students to ask questions. I ask them questions.
If they're adults, I ask them questions such as:
What styles are you interested in studying?
How long have you been playing?
Are you self taught?
Have you followed any instruction courses previously, such as Mel Bay?
Will your job and other commitments allow you to devote enough time for practising between lessons and also attend lessons regularly, without frequent cancellations?
Both you and the instructor need the right information in order to begin teaching you successfully what you want to learn. The instructor will be better equipped than you are at getting the necessary information as it's his or her job. A good instructor will ensure that you know exactly what is required of you and will outline roughly a proposed teaching plan. The instructor will also make sure you are completely happy with that arrangement before agreeing to teach you.
At that stage I'll ask if they have any questions and when we begin the lessons I encourage them to ask as many questions as they like.
If your instructor doesn't ask any questions, then you should suspect that this isn't an instructor - just someone who knows how to play but not how to teach. Not what you're looking for at all.
An exception to this is if you are already an advanced player wanting to learn from someone even more advanced than you are. In that case it doesn't matter if they are a teacher or not, as you will know exactly what questions to ask to get what you need. I mean, if you're an experienced player and a non teacher such as BB King offers to show you how he approaches blues - Don't hesitate, get in there before he changes his mind.
Both Fretsource and Cnev have summed it up really well though I would also tell the teacher what you what to achived from taking lesson i.e write your own songs, playing in a band etc etc, this would give them a better idea on what to include in your lesson.
Will your job and other commitments allow you to devote enough time for practising between lessons and also attend lessons regularly, without frequent cancellations?
I'd ask something similar of the instructor. My ex- guitar teacher frequently rescheduled lessons because of out-of-town commitments, and my ex- bass instructor one day told me "by the way, I won't be here for the next two months, as I've got an out-of-state job lined up." Thanks for the advanced notice. :evil:
These were both "student teachers" not the primary instructors at these facilities, and I would not take lessons again unless it was with someone who was fully committed to teaching. (The exception would be what Fretsource describes; if Geddy Lee offered me a single 1/2-hour session, you know I'd be there!)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Thanks for all of the great suggestions! I just want to be sure to get as much information exchanged up front so I'm not switching teachers in a matter of months.
-- Rob
Hi,
There's lots of things that you could look for, in theory. But in real life it's never that simple, and pure luck will play a large part. There are many different types of teachers and student, and styles of music. Some will fit well and some won't. Some students only progress with a lot of structure and discipline, provided by the teacher. Yet others will find that claustrophic and dull and need to find a more laid back mentor.
Unfortunately, you just can't suss all this out in advance. Recommendations from trusted sources may help. But you still pretty much have to go on your initial feelings when you meet a prospective teacher, and then hope to develop a good working relationship. In my experience, the most important thing is to find somebody who you can talk to, and who you feel comfortable with. You won't learn well if you're permanently tense in lessons.
When you take lessons you are generally looking at spending a fair bit of money over at least a few months. If I'm going to be paying somebody's wages (for any job )over a period of time I expect them to at least talk to me beforehand and give me some idea of what their style and approach is. So I certainly do ask questions of prospective teachers - not necessarily to get answers on any particular topic, but to gauge what their general personal style is, and how we might mesh as teacher and student. I'd try and weed out the ones who can play but not teach, the know-alls and control freaks, the overly rigid, and the ones who might have all the skills but simply not find you or me to be the right kind of student for them. Personally, I don't care much for 'Guru' types either - the ones who expect you to flatter their egos as well as pay their wages. :wink:
Good hunting. :)
Cheers,
Chris
