Top 6 Qualities of a Great Guitar Teacher

Top 6 Qualities of a Great Guitar Teacher

Teaching guitar is more than a vocation that passes on experience, techniques and skills. It’s a profession. Well, how professional do you need to be to teach guitar? Let’s have a look at the 6 practices that make a great guitar teacher.

1. Communicativeness

Teaching guitar is a profession in which you communicate with your students.

How well do you understand your students? Have you ever observed close enough to find out the strength and weakness of your students? If one of your students cannot sing while playing the guitar, is it clear to you what are the reasons behind? Is it out of the inaccuracy of the tempo and rhythm? Is it because that student has difficulty coordinating his/her hands and vocals? Or is it the poor sense of pitch to blame?

Have you tried to understand their expectations on you as well as the lessons that you taught? Have you ever asked them whether there is anything that needs to be clarified? Have you ever asked for their goals and make a plan with them? Have you encouraged them to act accordingly? Have you made it clear what to practice before the next meeting?

Have you ever made an effort to understand the feelings of your students? In times of their feeling helpless and frustrated, have you ever showed your concern to them? To teach guitar, interaction is the key. Always remember: Instead of teaching music, you are teaching people.

2. Confidence

In a similar way, instead of learning the skills and techniques that you teach, your students are learning from you. Your students’ performance will be highly affected by yours. Will this be a positive way or negative way? When they are lacking confidence in themselves, you are their beacon light. When they are struggling to become a better guitarist, they are taking you as their role model. You could even be the guitarist they are dreaming to become. On the other hand, every time you hesitate and doubt, your students are looking at you. They are observing whether you are self- motivated: Do you limit yourself to teaching beginners only? Or do you aim to be the one who teaches, and learns as well? Do you aim high and fly high?

3. Clear Conscience

Do you think you are convincing? Do you teach with a clear conscience? If you specialize in teaching people to sing and play at the same time, how could you sing out of tune and rhythm? If you claim to be a qualified fingerstyle guitar player, how dare you play any unclean-sounding notes on the guitar? If you want to teach electric guitar lessons, how can you do without mastering the power chords and excellence in finger dexterity?

4. Planning

Teach in a systematic way. Plan each lesson well. If you are teaching using some guitar books, do not follow strictly to the arrangement of the chapters. For example, many of the books includes the theoretical introduction to chords in front of their actual practice. If you begin with discussing all these theoretical features, your students could possibly be bored to death. It is, therefore, suggested that a proper scheduling of teaching resources and classes is a must.

5. Preparation

Prepare for each lesson as well. The more you prepare, the more effective the lesson is going to be. Estimate how much time you need to spend on each item. Try that on your friends and see if it works. Make adjustment afterwards if needed.

6. Passion

Now, pause for a few seconds and ask yourself: why would you like to teach guitar?

People have been searching for the ways to make a living from teaching guitar. What’s more, some even intend to become the top earning guitar teacher in his/her area. Indeed, money provides you with a strong motive to teach. However, if money is your only motive for teaching guitar, it doesn’t sound that plausible. In fact, there are tons many more other ways to earn money. Then why choose to teach guitar? It would be great if you wish to help your students make massive progress from studying guitar with you. Therefore, teach with a reason—a reason other than money.

Do you still remember the three Cs and Ps? Teaching guitar is a profession in which a clear conscience, confidence, and communicativeness are the concerns. Guitar teachers are patient problem solvers who plan and prepare their lessons with passion. Be a professional guitar teacher from now on!


Reference:

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