giving lessons

[juineaux]

I'm done with my college job for the summer, so I decided to put an ad in the paper advertising guitar lessons. I got a few calls, most of them will be 9-11 years old...and I know they are gonna wanna learn some teeny-pop stuff....so, how long untill I go crazy?

And does anyone have any suggestions on what/how to teach?

[Dheibs]

1. Notes on fretboard
2. Major Scales
3. Major Chords
4. Minor Scales
5. Minor Chords
6. 7th and Suspended Chords
8. Diminished and Augmented Chords
9. Other Chords
10. Modes and Lead Guitar

Sorry, cant help you on the teeny pop shit....
Hope This helps ya

[mangold]

1. Notes on fretboard
2. Major Scales
3. Major Chords
4. Minor Scales
5. Minor Chords
6. 7th and Suspended Chords
8. Diminished and Augmented Chords
9. Other Chords
10. Modes and Lead Guitar

Sorry, cant help you on the teeny pop shit....
Hope This helps ya

i dont know 7-8 things on that list... damn my self education!

teach those younguns greenday. all the kids these days are into that crap and anybody with atleast 2 fingers can play 90% of their songs. or ask them what kind of music they listen to, theres a good chance its powerchord garbage you can teach em in one lesson.

[You_Enjoy_Myself]

1. Notes on fretboard
2. Major Scales
3. Major Chords
4. Minor Scales
5. Minor Chords
6. 7th and Suspended Chords
8. Diminished and Augmented Chords
9. Other Chords
10. Modes and Lead Guitar

Sorry, cant help you on the teeny pop shit....
Hope This helps ya

You left out #7: How to pose like a rockstar.

[juineaux]

They probably already know that one-

[fatjack]

this is usually what i do with a new student. i give them their first lesson for free in order to evaluate their guitar skills and any musical knowledge. treat the first lesson as a diagnostic if you will.

here are some things you need to find out

1. Ask them what exactly they want to learn to play. I wish I could teach all my students EVERYTHING about guitar, but they are learning for a specific reason. If you aren't teaching them what they want to learn, then you might as well say bye bye. I know it sucks to teach people music you really don't like, but teaching guitar private guitar lessons is a job, not a hobby.

If the student isn't too sure what they want to learn you can always try diferent things and see how they react to it. But the first question you should ask them though is "What kind of music do you like to listen to?" Chances are the answer they give you will be exactly what they want to learn.

2. Find out if they have any previous experience with guitar. If so, get them to play something for you to see where they are at.

3. Find out if they have any experience with other instruments. You need to see if your student has ANY musical knowledge, even if its as simple as the musical alphabet. They may not want to take the time to learn basic musical skills if they don't already know them, but its important to find out what they know in order to see how you need to communicate with them. You don't want have a situation in a lesson where you tell the kid to move up a half step and they say "What's a half step?"

I don't know if you've taught before Tom, but I will offer up this knowledge and advice I've gained after 5 years of teaching kids guitar:

1. Unless you live like a slob or live next to a loud factory, have the lessons at your place. The place where you teach these kids needs to be free of distractions. This isn't always possible if you agree to teach at the student's house. You never know the living conditions of their family: they may have three loud ass obnoxious siblings or something.

2. Charge by the half-hour. You will end up having a lot of pissed off parents complaining to you when your lessons only end up being 30 minutes. I've had the same student come in one week and the lesson only last 15 minutes, and then the next week it lasted over an hour. It all depends on how much material you have given them and how much they've practiced it.

3. Don't get frustrated if they suck ass. Unless the parents start complaing to you that their child sucks at guitar, don't say anything about a student's lack of practice. I guarantee the majority of your students will be slack asses. Considering yourself extremely lucking if you get just one student that practices well and actually progresses. That one awesome student will make teaching all the other ones worthwhile.

4. The one thing that will help you keep these students for a long time is being able to react to their progress. You need to be able to see if they are getting bored. Ask them questions like "what about this is difficult?" or "do you actually like the song?" Most of them will be afraid to answer because they think you will be mad at them. What they don't realize is that you really don't care if they practice because their parents are paying you to teach them. Don't be so assholish as to say that, but you need to let them know that you aren't there to crack the whip down if they aren't doing well. Tell them its totally up to them how much they practice and where they want to go with the instrument. Be their friend, not their scary teacher.

I hope all this helps, good luck Tom.

[ericwormann]

if they've never played before, I wouldn't even start with notes on the fretboard. You'd probably have to spend a whole lesson on even more basic things like what a fret is, how to hold the guitar, holding a pick, strumming, etc.

[Morphius]

It is also important to strike a balance between what the kid wants to know and what he/she should know. Most kids, especially those who are 9 - 11 won't give a damn about music theory until much much later. With people that I help (I don't really give lessons) I start off with a theory topic, then go to a song (preferably something that incorporates the theory topic). First lesson I'd suggest something like Green Day - Brainstew it may be the easiest song in the world but it gives the kids something to show off to their parents and friends and will keep them interested in music much longer than if they only know scales and progressions.

[gumbomadness]

start with something catchy. like the white stripes- seven nation army..
THEN, teach more catchiness, and INCORPORATE notes into it.. then do chords.
remember, have fun with it, and make sure you realize what kind of music they like.
if they dont really listen to any, start with My Girl.

[juineaux]

thanks for the suggestions everyone, but I decided I'm not gonna teach. At first it sounded cool helping out & jamming with other guitarist, but then I relized most of the students will be kids that are just sorta "forced" to take lessons(one mother wanted to be in the room for the whole lesson). And I also found out almost half the people that called me were from my friends teaching business, so I don't want to take his work away. I dunno...it's just not for me I guess-

I guess its time to look for a job again or look for some gigs-

[mangold]

sorry about that tom

good luck bra

[fatjack]

thanks for the suggestions everyone, but I decided I'm not gonna teach. At first it sounded cool helping out & jamming with other guitarist, but then I relized most of the students will be kids that are just sorta "forced" to take lessons(one mother wanted to be in the room for the whole lesson). And I also found out almost half the people that called me were from my friends teaching business, so I don't want to take his work away. I dunno...it's just not for me I guess-

I guess its time to look for a job again or look for some gigs-

dammit, you saying i wrote all that for nothing!

[thejoe]

i read it all, josh.
ive been teaching 2 5th graders for over a month now, and that helps quite a bit

thanks

[juineaux]

thanks for the suggestions everyone, but I decided I'm not gonna teach. At first it sounded cool helping out & jamming with other guitarist, but then I relized most of the students will be kids that are just sorta "forced" to take lessons(one mother wanted to be in the room for the whole lesson). And I also found out almost half the people that called me were from my friends teaching business, so I don't want to take his work away. I dunno...it's just not for me I guess-

I guess its time to look for a job again or look for some gigs-

dammit, you saying i wrote all that for nothing!

No, actaully you helped me relize what I was getting into. Someone should sticky that info you gave for anyone that is interested in giving lessons in the future. I just decided it wasn't for me....

[fatjack]

yay! i'm appreciated

good luck with whatever you choose Tom