What do you look for in a teacher – or in a student?

AS A STUDENT, I HOPE TO GET THIS FROM MY TEACHER:

1. Respect

I am employing the teacher and paying their wages. I do not want to be patronised, or belittled for my lack of skill.

2. Patience

I want the teacher to be good at concealing the incredible boredom that must creep in watching the hundredth set of inept fingers grind away at the instrument.

3. Modesty

I want the teacher to pick up his guitar only if it is necessary to demonstrate something. I don't wish to pay to watch someone else show off. I also want them to understand that when they demonstrate something: a) their fingers are upside down and back to front in relation to the way I see my fingers, b) that their hands are obscuring my view of the strings, and that c) As a beginner, I can't possibly follow all the detail at normal playing speed.

EDIT: NoteBoat, and other good teachers, will sit beside the student for this reason. So if your teacher doesn't - and you think it would help - don't be afraid to ask. :)

4. Enthusiasm

I want to feel that my teacher not only has a love of music that they want to pass on, but I want to feel that they can still get genuine pleasure from seeing their students progress. I don't want some bullying drill sergeant who couldn't really give a stuff about the troops and is only there for the money.

5. A Grasp of Reality.

I want a teacher to be realistic about what I can do and how long it will take to be able to do it. Whilst I expect to have bad habits discouraged and corrected I also hope to find some realistic balance. If I want to play rock and roll then I don't expect to have the standards and techniques of Segovia tyrannically applied. I also want them to understand that the next day I won't remember all the details of sound, technique, rhythm, etc so I don't want to leave the lesson without adequate written notation to enable me to reproduce what I was taught.

EDIT: Jester makes the point that some student may need (or expect) to have more discipline imposed by the teacher.

6. Flexibility.

I would hope that a teacher could mould their approach to suit the style, personality and ability of each student and not just have a “One Size Fits All” course that they ground relentlessly through, no matter what.

EDIT:
7. Organisation

NoteBoat makes the very good point that a good teacher should be organised enough to have some brief individual notes on each student. Organisation would be a good trait for students too - organise your lesson notes, your practice, etc. Read any of NoteBoat's posts for top drawer info from an experienced teacher.

AS A TEACHER I'D HOPE FOR:

1. Respect

No respect, no lesson. I'm not a music teacher but if I was that would be a basic requirement.

2. Diligence

I'd be disappointed to see a student waste their lesson time and money through not putting enough effort in and not putting enough time or care into practising .

3. Courage to ask.

I'd hope that a student would be open enough to keep saying “I didn't get that”, “Could I see that again, please” , “Could I tape that bit and listen to it during the week” “I still don't understand” or whatever.

4. Enthusiasm.

If a student stops being interested in learning then progress will be minimal. If the spark has gone out, or failed to ignite in the first place, the lessons could be a fairly fruitless experience all round.

5. A Grasp of Reality

I'd expect a student to be able to drop the “rock and roll star by the end of the month” dream fairly quickly and start preparing for a much longer (but deeply enjoyable) journey.

6. Flexibility.

I'd hope that a student could meet me at least half way when it came to those “I don't wanna do that” versus “well, it will be good for you in the long run” situations!

What do you all reckon? And do you have either some horror stories or some great teacher/student moments to share? :shock: :D

Thanks.

Great question.

I dont have a perfect teacher but I do have one that works very well for me. Lets just say that I dont mind paying him each month.

My teacher brings alot of humor to our lessons. It helps me to relax and just be myself around him. He is an incredible player so I already feel a bit inexperienced but his relaxed nature, his jokes, his conversation is very comforting for me. Its like playing with a friend.

We had some problems in the beginning and I actually had quit taking lessons from him. He missed two of our lessons, for whatever reason, but we talked it out and he more than made up for it. He changed my lesson to a time that was easier for the two of us.

He lets me control the pace of my learning. If I want to learn theory then he is more than competent to teach it, but if I just want to learn to play a new song.. then he pretty quickly figures it out and teaches it to me.

He is reassuing and is very good at communicating what my pluses and minus' are.

That said, I wish he was a little bit better at time managment. There are times that I would prefer him to be more in control of the lessons instead of asking me what I want to learn.

I think thats about it.

Geoo

Chris, those are excellent lists on both sides!

You've covered all the basics, I think. There's one more I'd add from personal experience: a sense of organization.

When I was a guitar student, every teacher I had began each lesson with the same question:

"What were we working on?"

It really ticked me off. I mean, I knew I was one student of 50 or 70, but it seemed to me such a simple thing. When I started teaching, I got a spiral notebook, set up a page for each student, and jotted down a few words about what we'd just done. It only takes a few seconds - I can usually do it as one student is leaving and the next is opening his/her case. One side of one page is good for about 20 lessons... looking over some of the entries in my current notebook, I've got entries like:

"Blackbird"
"Bm & F#7"
"E&B string PIMAMI, D-G7, C-AM"

Not much, but enough so I'll remember exactly where we left off. The next week, I have a nice, simple way to let the student know I care about them - because I remember them.

That said, I wish he was a little bit better at time management. There are times that I would prefer him to be more in control of the lessons instead of asking me what I want to learn.

The time thing would drive me nuts too! But it sounds as if you've got a good relationship working now. Relaxing as a student was incredibly hard for me as an old beginner, and initially the teacher only had to glance in my direction to freeze me up. :shock: My fault, not his - he was very good all round.

The balance of who is in control seems to be quite a crucial one. I'd like a teacher with psychic powers who can just "tell" when I need to be pushed and told what to do, and when I should be given the opportunity to set the agenda!! Ha ha :wink: I think that a student should ultimately always be prepared to grant control to the teacher though, and the teacher should be prepared to show strong leadership when it's needed. :)
Not much, but enough so I'll remember exactly where we left off. The next week, I have a nice, simple way to let the student know I care about them - because I remember them.

That's great to hear NoteBoat, it's so simple but worth its weight in gold. :D The first teacher I went to (and hope to get back to) was a little like you in that regard. He seemed to either have notes, or the knack of remembering where we were (or else faking it in a very believable way.. :) ). It made a huge difference to my feeling about the lessons and the student/teacher relationship.

He was also very good at hand writing clear and easy to follow material for me to take away. He used a felt pen with a strong, clear and very assured style - it was a pleasure to watch him write out a turnaround or some chord shapes, or whatever we were working on. I expect the action of hand writing, rather than only handing out photocopies, probably also helped him connect the student to the lesson.

Thanks for your reply and your support of the basic ideas. Much appreciated.

As a student, I expected my teacher to come up with a ready flow of good quality instruction with interesting music and to want me to succeed. A teacher has also got to be able to pull the occasional rabbit out of the hat, so when Brown Eyed Girl isn't sinking in they can switch to Wherever You Will Go (complete with Capo and the CD playing) - or something like that.

As a teacher, I expect my students to practice between lessons, to say when they don't understand something, and to look forward to lessons. I also expect them to mention songs they'd like to cover from time to time - it's their lesson and their money after all.

Best,

A :-)

hey Chris

I have only been learning since late last year and I m already on my second Teacher / Tutor , I am in my 40's and from my youth I have had broken fingers dislocated fingers ( just painting a picture ) my fingers are no way straight .Physically can not straighten my index finger on left hand which makes it bloody hard to bar but my new teacher is a fairly old gent who has simular problems with his hands , and he is showing me a few short cuts .

My first Tutor/Teacher was a fantastic player and I would go and listen to his band , unfortuneatly he was not much of a communicator . He could play bloody fantasticly but could not explain things

The answer to your question I don't know

hilch

Hi Hilch,

Great to hear you've found a teacher who is sympathetic to your needs. It makes a big difference. :)

My hands are not as bad as your, but I'm nearly 60 so they were pretty stiff, and I had a very painful 'arthritic' joint in my left pinky. Fortunately, the guitar practice has made the hands better not worse, and the pain and stiffness in the pinky has pretty much disappeared.

Alan,

I liked your "rabbit out of a hat" thing. One of the things that I liked about the good teacher that I had was that he was able to switch like that. He seemed to know when to keep pushing, and when to just let something go and switch over. Further down the track I could go back and usually master what I'd 'hit the wall' on. :)

3. Modesty

I also want them to understand that when they demonstrate something: a) their fingers are upside down and back to front in relation to the way I see my fingers, b) that their hands are obscuring my view of the strings

I can totally understand that could be a problem for a beginner but IMO it's also a good thing to get used to watching somebody opposite you and try to follow them. It's easy to be in situations at gigs and jams where you might not know a song and just play by following another guitarist (or bass player).

Lee

I absolutely agree Lee N,

But learning music is all about trying to acquire a big range of desirable skills - and it's a pretty long list. :) Students can only master them bit by bit.

I'm trying to learn that skill - honest!! :wink:

I'm better than I was, but my skills in that department are still like a Swiss cheese (full of holes). At this point there's still more holes than cheese. :? Recognising things I can doing well myself is much easier now, it's new stuff that's a lot harder to pick up.

I actually like it when my teacher just takes off and starts playing. Kind of showing of. But he doesnt do it in such a way that I am left sitting there wondering why I am watching him. It inspires me for what I can become. Afterall, if he learned to play that well then I should be able to eventually learn it from him. However, he doesnt take alot of time from my session to do it.
When I was a guitar student, every teacher I had began each lesson with the same question:

"What were we working on?"

It really ticked me off.

I am so glad that you brought up this point Noteboat. Probably my teachers biggest fault is that he doesnt keep a notebook of what his students are doing, so every week we go through a conversation about "what were we working on?" This bothers me to no end.

But yes, we have a great relationship which allows me to overlook some things.

Geoo

hi chris, started my lessons last feb ended them in june due to work and travel. my teacher has a music degree and is a classical player. i remember on lesson 1 he (in a nice way) put down my $400.00 fender ascoustic, granted not a gibson dove but good enough for a rookie. we work straight out of a book learning notes on the strings , he would through in finger exersises amd arrpeggios . no chords or strumming. in june i stopped lessons went back to the mid west for a month ,i hooked up with my cousin who sings for a country/ rock band he had me playing songs in just a few days , pretty easy 3 chord country type songs but it has got me excited about playing and i felt like i made some head way . and i totaly agree on the sitting oppisite of someone thing. its like holding abook up to mirror and trying to read it. oh and like a lot of these guys i'm in my mid 40s.... great topic

When I was a guitar student, every teacher I had began each lesson with the same question:

"What were we working on?"

It really ticked me off. I mean, I knew I was one student of 50 or 70, but it seemed to me such a simple thing. When I started teaching, I got a spiral notebook, set up a page for each student, and jotted down a few words about what we'd just done. It only takes a few seconds - I can usually do it as one student is leaving and the next is opening his/her case.

Well, that certainly caught my eye. Too bad I don't live in Illinois. I've had two guitar instructors in my very short time of playing (Been about six months) and both of them did this. My current teacher I see once a week and everytime this happens.

"So, where'd we leave off last week?"

Or sometimes he'll go through my pack of sheets he and I have both made from the lessons and he'll grab a particular sheet and ask ... 'we do this yet?' I initially thought I'm one of a handful, cut him some slack. However, like it's been mentioned ... it's a reoccuring theme. Good to see it pointed out by others as well so now I know it's not just an overbearing pet peeve of mine. I'll communicate this to him and we'll probably be better for it.

My additions to this thread; a good student, above all, needs to have fun! Practice is very important. Slow. Practice s l o w l y. Then speed it up. Also, a good student is not satisfied. A thirst for knowledge, I believe, is a sign of a good student. Go out and find additional information on your own. If you're teaching yourself than maybe this is a moot point. But if you have an instructor who's been teaching you the 12 bar blues or a couple penatonic scales I'd suggest you go beyond that and learn something on your own. Something not in the rigid confines of your teachers lesson plans.

For a teacher? I am paying you to teach me, to listen and instruct. As mentioned, I'm the student. I don't need you bending, sliding, and soloing over Am penatonic scale for five minutes. Approach the student realistically. What has worked for me in the early going was this approach; teacher shows me certain things he deems important to learn first; power chords, E A D triads, G & C triads, etc; and we incorporate that into something I like. So when I first started taking lessons I learned those essential chords. Then I learned 'My My Hey Hey' and 'Good Riddance'. I picked one and the teacher picked one (song) using what I had learned. I get to do something I enjoy (My My) so as not to kill my 'spark' while learning important skills I can build upon. It works for me.

Great topic, Chris.

Here's one thing that I want from a teacher, that I'm surprised no one has mentioned so far: discipline. There are a lot of things I might want to learn--I want to play the solo from this! I want to play that song! I want to shred!--but these might not be the things that will best help me develop as a player. Yes, the teacher should listen to my desires, and help me achieve them. But he should also push me to do the things I need to do, whether it's practicing scales or changes, or memorizing the fretboard, or understanding theory. I'd like him to remember where we were last week, but he's got to do more than just say, "Great, let's keep working on 'Purple Haze'."

My ideal teacher will work with me on the music I want to learn, but he'll also make sure that I learn the things I need to know to be a good guitarist.