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Finding
The Right Teacher
By
Chris Standring
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Finding
a good teacher is not always easy, at any level. At the beginner
level it is important to get on the right foot and as an intermediate
player you need to know that your teacher really knows his or
her stuff if you want to move forward. What it really comes
down to is "Are you getting the right information?".
The big problem when it comes to music instruction is that it
is not necessary to have any diplomas or awards in order to
set up a teaching practice. Conversely, the best teacher may
not have a degree in music, just a phenomenal talent for teaching.
The first thing to understand when finding a good teacher is
that the best teachers are not necessarily the best players.
And it certainly goes that great players are invariably not
the best teachers, possibly because they are far too wrapped
up in their own playing to be concerned about anyone else. OK,
a generalization but a theory with legs.
So let's assume you are just starting out, an absolute beginner,
so what do you do? Well, the first resource I would use is your
own personal contacts. You may have a friend or cousin that
also took lessons and he or she may be able to recommend someone.
Music stores often provide instruction and you can also look
in your local paper for private instructors. Even do a Google
search. It's actually very easy to find a teacher, but can you
count on them to feed you all the right information?
Let's assume you have a short list of teachers in you area.
I think it is definitely in your interest to make sure that
they are teaching simply because they love to teach. Not
because they are waiting for their "big break". This
is why I think it is important to find a professional teacher,
not an aspiring pop star. So you might ask a series of questions:
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How
long have you been teaching?
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What
teaching qualifications do you have?
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How
many other students do you have?
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Can
you give me the phone numbers of two of your students?
This may seem harsh, but I just think it is so important
to get the right person from the start. Why? because as
a student you have no idea whether your potential teacher
actually knows what they are talking about. So don't be
shy to ask.
As an intermediate student you probably need to rely more
on word of mouth to get the right teacher to take you forward.
In your local neighborhood, especially if you have been
playing a while, you are probably already hooked into who
the teachers are so it may not be such a problem.
The other issue, aside from musical expertise, is that your
teacher and you need to like each other. If you are to be
successful studying together this is so important. I remember
growing up that I would excel in the subjects where I actually
liked my teacher. And of course I dreaded going to class
with those teachers I did not like.
I am happy to say that I really liked all my guitar teachers
except for one, and that person lasted just a few lessons.
I got lucky with the others there is no question. But other
students may not be so lucky. I have heard a number of times
that students realized much later that they did not have
a good teacher. So at what point do you decide to move on
and find a new teacher?
If you have done the prerequisite research I mentioned then
this should not be an issue. However, guitar playing is
such a personal undertaking that finding the right teacher
is relative to each student. What works for one, clearly
does not always work for another.
Your teacher should care about you and take an interest
in seeing you advance as a player. I think this would be
the biggest red flag to me if I was taking lessons all over
again. I would want to know that there was some nurturing
involved. If you feel that there really is no connection
between the two of you then I think this might be a factor
you can use to determine whether you move on or not.
It's tricky. As a student you want the best teacher for
you but you may not know if there is no barometer to show
you.
I also think that many times the student is to blame for
being a lousy student. I remember when I used to give private
lessons that a few students would come back week after week
and had not done any practice at all. I found myself explaining
the same things over and over because we couldn't move on
until the essential groundwork was covered. These students
eventually gave up because they had no drive or ambition
to improve. This can be very frustrating for a teacher.
Other times extremely talented players would come for just
a few lessons because all they needed was a little fuel
to go off on their own and practice. They were literally
sponges. These students are heaven for teachers!
So do the research, then take a lesson or two and see if
that teacher is right for you. If you are serious about
working at your instrument then you shouldn't be to blame
for being a bad student. At that time it's simply a matter
of finding the right person. Don't short change yourself.
About
the author
Chris Standring is a contemporary jazz recording artist who
performs throughout the USA and Europe regularly. He has enjoyed
much radio airplay with several albums, opening up a busy
touring schedule. His music appears on many compilation CDs
also. For more info on Chris' recording artist career go to
www.chrisstandring.com |
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James LA studio guitarist with Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff,
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