Teaching guitar

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  • I teach full time for a music trust, some of the best teachers are the worst players so don't worry too much about your chops, as long as you can breeze through grade 8 stuff that's usually fine. You do need to be able to sight read though, it's standard practice that year 3,4,5 and to some extent 6 start with the wider opsportunities scheme of work which is notation based. I'll warn you now, the toughest bit of teaching is not the teaching itself, it's dealing with schools and parents.
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  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    Bit late to this but I will offer my 2 pence. Been a private tutor for 9 years now and started when I was on the 2nd year of guitar degree at ACM in Guildford. For sure I could play a lot better than most of the people who enquired but I sure didn't get down to their level when learning. I was giving them stuff too advanced for their level and not having enough structure. Now with more experience I am a bit more organised and don't do lessons on the fly (i.e make them up as I go along).
    I can do any of the graded syllabuses, but most of the people just want to learn their favourite songs to be honest.

    As mentioned above every person is different so you need a bit of flexibility to adapt to how they learn. Some prefer to do it by ear, some prefer diagrams, some don't like tab, etc etc. You have to find the method that works for them cos ultimately they're paying you for results.

    I would also saying having some form of training will help as it puts you in their shoes for a bit, teaches you some patience, discipline and motivation. These are all things you'll have to pass on to learners. But yeah being a good instructor is the most important thing, there are many fantastic technically gifted guitarists out there who are terrible at explaining how to play a certain lick or chord pattern.

    Its important to find out what they like in terms of music tastes as well, if I can't find a song to suit their level I'll find something similar so they still have that motivation to play. Otherwise expect to lose customers very soon.

    Make sure you charge appropriately as well. I began on £15 per hour and used to get loads of enquiries when first starting, as I got my degree and more experience the fee hit the £30 per hour mark and the nature of the enquiries dropped but at the same time were more serious, and I still have those students today. It has to be enough to make them turn up and practice otherwise its not much money out their pocket. Now my hourly fee is £37.50 and I've retained students longer.

    As for courses I didn't take any to "learn to teach" I just picked up bits from my favourite tutors and made it into my own style. Alot of it will be an on-the-job type learning thing, you will get better at it the more you do it.

    There are many pitfalls, last minute cancellations/no-shows and people quitting very early on. Also pushy parents forcing their children to take lessons and not seeing much success. I've not had many horror stories, just a few very difficult clients, only had to ever tell one parent their child isn't cut out to play the guitar. There's also been money disputes (not paying up when they didn't show up) and arguments contract agreements (notice periods etc). 
    Also a lot of people will want their lessons on weekday evenings between 5-9 so if you want to do it full time you rely on those 4 hours to fill with students. These days people want to keep their weekends free so I don't get many on Saturdays personally but for others Sat can be their busiest day. Summer holiday and Christmas period are the worst time to be a tutor purely as the numbers tend to be low. Young teenagers approaching 17 may put driving lessons first so if you don't have much value in their development you'll be the first to give way. So make sure your value to the learner is worth its weight in gold.

    I hope this helps, good luck!
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  • VibetronicVibetronic Frets: 1036
    Lots of excellent points already made, but just a few thoughts in case they might be helpful - I left my job at the end of last year to do teaching full-time, so currently working through it myself. I think the fact you're thinking about it this seriously is definitely a good sign and (in my opinion) indicates you know you're able enough to make a good go of it :)

    You don't mention if you've taught before; it's always worth trying to teach a couple of friends, or someone at work, just to see if you even enjoy it first. There's always someone who wants to learn. There's also bound to be a few local 'rock school' type things, or summer schools of a similar type for kids to play in a band - worth dropping them a line and helping out. I've done this locally for the past few years and it's great; gives you experience and again, helps you decide if it's for you. That, and teaching people on-and-off over the last 20 years or so, definitely helped me make the decision to do it full-time.

    I'd reiterate the points made about planning lessons, and making them suit the level of the student. Don't try and cram too much in (the time will go quickly, and you don't want them to have information overload), but equally make sure you have enough just in case it does go more quickly than you think. I have a very decent level of technique in my favourite style of music, but in a lot of cases I'm never going to get near using that, and that's fine - being able to get people up and running in the basics, spot beginner mistakes etc is much more important (although I'm aiming my teaching at more advanced/shreddy types, so hopefully I will get a few of those!). I try and mix some important/useful stuff with fun stuff so it's not boring.

    I don't have any musical qualifications etc., but experience and word of mouth can count for a lot. I'm registered with the RGT, which is worth doing; you'll need a couple of referees (that I got through working at a rock school), but that's basically it. It's useful to have. And get your DBS thing done if you're going to work with kids. Teaching kids can be amazing, but it can also be a pain as you'll get ones that just aren't that interested. I've had about equal amounts of both, although the kids who go to rock school generally have a positive attitude as they want to be there.

    I reckon reading is a useful skill to have; I can do it at a basic level, and even understanding timing in standard notation is useful for interpreting tab where you've also got the notation and you're not familiar with the piece, if that makes sense. I'm trying to get up to speed with this at the moment (and may take lessons myself for that - this is the one thing I regret not studying more when I was younger).

    Over the years I've been doing it, and doing it more seriously now, I've found out that I really enjoy it, which is probably the main thing. If you're passionate about playing the guitar and love music, then you'll probably find that you can put a point across well;  that, plus plenty of patience (sound like you're ok there) and empathy, then you should be fine. Best of luck with it  =)
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  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    Just a question for the ones who already do lessons, are you charging by the lesson or in blocks?

    I'm thinking of restructuring my fee system as I'm getting way too many single lesson payers who can't make certain weeks (particularly school children) so I miss out on income.

    I know alot of tutors do 4 week blocks for a fee, but as I play in a band I sometimes need to use a weekday evening or something to rehearse or play a gig. That means some flexibility which is why I haven't done an upfront 4 lessons fee. I do offer 5 and 10 lesson booking discounts which used to be popular but not to much now the rate has gone up.

    Is your 4 week fee lower than your hourly one-off fee or is it less? E.g if you charge £30 per hour is your monthly fee £120 or less, saving the £30 for "as-you-go"? I'm just thinking of the right fee to match my qualifications/experience so I'm not undercharging.
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  • VibetronicVibetronic Frets: 1036
    Just a question for the ones who already do lessons, are you charging by the lesson or in blocks?

    I'm thinking of restructuring my fee system as I'm getting way too many single lesson payers who can't make certain weeks (particularly school children) so I miss out on income.

    I know alot of tutors do 4 week blocks for a fee, but as I play in a band I sometimes need to use a weekday evening or something to rehearse or play a gig. That means some flexibility which is why I haven't done an upfront 4 lessons fee. I do offer 5 and 10 lesson booking discounts which used to be popular but not to much now the rate has gone up.

    Is your 4 week fee lower than your hourly one-off fee or is it less? E.g if you charge £30 per hour is your monthly fee £120 or less, saving the £30 for "as-you-go"? I'm just thinking of the right fee to match my qualifications/experience so I'm not undercharging.
    yes - I try and do it in blocks with a slight discount - 5 full hour lessons with a tenner off, 5 1/2 hour lessons with a fiver off. 
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  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    edited June 2017
    Just a question for the ones who already do lessons, are you charging by the lesson or in blocks?

    I'm thinking of restructuring my fee system as I'm getting way too many single lesson payers who can't make certain weeks (particularly school children) so I miss out on income.

    I know alot of tutors do 4 week blocks for a fee, but as I play in a band I sometimes need to use a weekday evening or something to rehearse or play a gig. That means some flexibility which is why I haven't done an upfront 4 lessons fee. I do offer 5 and 10 lesson booking discounts which used to be popular but not to much now the rate has gone up.

    Is your 4 week fee lower than your hourly one-off fee or is it less? E.g if you charge £30 per hour is your monthly fee £120 or less, saving the £30 for "as-you-go"? I'm just thinking of the right fee to match my qualifications/experience so I'm not undercharging.
    yes - I try and do it in blocks with a slight discount - 5 full hour lessons with a tenner off, 5 1/2 hour lessons with a fiver off. 
    I see, I've now changed my charging system to 4 x lessons which are monthly, but I've put the option for one-off ones that are slightly more than the block, making them more inclined to go for 4 in a row. Used to do 4 but I think as people get paid monthly it probably hepls them and me to keep a steady cashflow. The 4 lessons have a £20 discount vs paying 4 single-lessons.
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  • I'm in no position to talk about guitar specifically, but I can give you my experience of taking the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course.

    I spent 30 years as a professional writer, so I definitely know my way around English.

    What I didn't know was how to teach, and I really had my eyes opened.

    The important thing that came out of taking at least something of a training course in how to teach for me is that it is so easy to give your students too much to learn at one go, and also to assume they know stuff you do, which actually holds them back. You need to remember that students don't have your background, and it's really easy both to overestimate your students' current knowledge and to overestimate what you can cram into a lesson (as someone else said before).

    Similarly, its very easy to try to teach someone something in the wrong way, by which I mean that you'll try to teach them a scale, say, but the reason it doesn't work actually isn't anything to do with the student.

    I say for me because obviously there are plenty of posters above who have found they can teach successfully without having gone on a structured course of any kind.

    I'm just adding my tuppenceworth because I honestly believe you'll find stuff out on a teaching course (like the Registry of Guitar Tutors thing that @BigMonka mentioned) that you wouldn't know about beforehand, and it could save you (and maybe your students, too) some grief by knowing what to avoid, as well as giving good tips in advance.

    I'm not saying you need to take a course, obviously, but it could give you some great help and also help you avoid some pitfalls that you wouldn't otherwise have known about, and thus is worth the extra effort.

    If you must have sex with a frog, wear a condom. If you want the frog to have fun, rib it.
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  • longshinslongshins Frets: 246
    I recommend joining the musicians union, lots of info and resources including contracts for lessons, you also get public liability insurance.
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  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    longshins said:
    I recommend joining the musicians union, lots of info and resources including contracts for lessons, you also get public liability insurance.
    Yep. I never proceed lessons with anyone unless they've completed and signed the written agreement. Have had to use it a few times to claim back unpaid fees, twice I've got it back. Its the notice period that is causing problems as people try to fob me off and try to ignore me when I ask for the untaken lesson fees. The last one I battled it out with got a bit messy.
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  • RoxRox Frets: 2147
    Speaking as someone who'd love some more lessons - I'd rather have an inspirational teacher than a qualified one.
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  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    I'd want someone who knows what they're doing though, that's what would inspire me. there's alot of incorrect information on the internet these days so I'd want someone telling me this isn't correct or this is how its means to sound etc.
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  • BarneyBarney Frets: 614
    I think like in any trade you get good and bad ....iv worked with people very qualified that are just not practically very good at their job...others with less that are great ....so i wouldnt take being qualified as being great
    Just the same as saying iff i know all the modes ..scales chords ..theory ect i will be a great guitar player ..it just dosnt work that way in my opinion 

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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    Barney said:

    Just the same as saying iff i know all the modes ..scales chords ..theory etc i will be a great guitar player ..it just dosnt work that way in my opinion 

    True. But you will be fantastic at dinner parties!
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • BarneyBarney Frets: 614
    viz said:
    Barney said:

    Just the same as saying iff i know all the modes ..scales chords ..theory etc i will be a great guitar player ..it just dosnt work that way in my opinion 

    True. But you will be fantastic at dinner parties!
    Haha...yeah i agree...
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