How To Become A Guitar Teacher

There is always a point in a guitarist's career when he or she may consider teaching guitar.  Being a guitar teacher can be a great way to make a living and teachers get to help others learn to play music.  Teaching guitar is a very fulfilling career.  So I thought I would put together some information that will help you decide if teaching guitar is the right thing to do. 

Guitar teacher and young students

It's important to start out learning how to handle guitar students and ask the right questions to make sure you are ready to teach.  Let's start out with the first question any potential guitar teacher should ask themselves here at http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/can-i-teach-guitar/.

Can I Teach Guitar?

Many people ask this question for different reasons; some may be looking for fulfillment, some may be looking for a job, and hopefully many are doing both.

There are many people asking this question. There are many people feeling a need to teach other people how to do this thing we all do, and to play this instrument we all love. They are perhaps asking this question for different reasons; some may be looking for fulfillment, some may be looking for a job, and hopefully many are doing both.

And very likely, the person asking this question is feeling some degree of doubt about their ability to teach, doubt about either their guitar knowledge, or their teaching skills.

Well, the first thing to be clear about is that neither of these doubtful things need be, or should be, the object of our first concern. You will never know what your teaching skills are until you begin to teach. And as far as guitar knowledge goes, the only requirement for teaching someone anything is this: you must know at least one thing the person you are teaching doesn’t! Teach them that, and then do your best to keep at least one step ahead of them so you can keep on teaching them! If you know more than one thing the other person doesn’t, you are already ahead of the game!

There is only one thing that will determine whether you can successfully teach the guitar, and that is your deeply felt enthusiasm for causing another person to be able to play the guitar. That is it. If you have that, you will do everything else right as you go along, or quickly find out how to do so. If you do not have a deeply felt enthusiasm for causing another person to be able to play the guitar, then it doesn’t matter what else you have, you won’t be able to teach.

So please, if you are asking yourself this question “can I teach the guitar”, find the answer to this one first “how does it feel to teach someone?” “How do I feel when someone really “gets it”, and learns to play?” “How do I feel when someone doesn’t?”

And of course the all important question: what do you do when someone doesn’t get it?

If you find the right answers to those questions, you will find the answers to all the rest.

To tell you the truth, I wish that everyone who studies my methods would begin to teach, the sooner the better ( I will only request a 24 hour waiting period after beginning to play!) And why is this? It is because teaching is simply an extension of our own learning process. It is because teaching is the most powerful way of learning. Being a teacher is the other side of being a student.

Teaching should be a natural process. It is a natural process of sharing the passion of your own process of learning with another person. The desire to share what you are learning with someone else is as natural as the desire to tell someone a good joke you just heard.

The sharing intensifies the experiencing of what is shared. And so it is in teaching. There is simply no better way to learn something than to teach it.

While it is not true that every player needs to be, or can be, a teacher, it is true that every teacher needs to be, and should be, a player. And it doesn’t matter what level of player, you can teach guitar no matter what level of player you are.

You can be a new player, and be a great teacher. You can be a longtime player and be a lousy teacher. A new player can also, in essence, be a great player, no matter how little “knowledge” they have of playing, and a longtime player can, in essence, be a lousy player, no matter how much knowledge they have. That is because the essence of being a player is the joy of the person playing. Being a guitar player is not simply the ability to “produce” music on the guitar, any more than the ability to run around and swing on monkeybars is the essence of a child at play in the playground. It is the feeling with which the activity is engaged that make it play, not the activity itself.

I was a great player the first time I picked up a guitar, because the joy I found in playing was overwhelming. Even though I was picking out, by ear, a single note melody to one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs, it was an experience I will never forget; hearing those sounds I loved coming through my fingers. It is essentially the same feeling I have now when I play a Bach fugue.

Likewise, I was a great teacher as soon as I started teaching, because the emotional experience of enabling another person to play the guitar moved me in my deepest places. This does not mean that there was not world of things to learn about playing and teaching.

I would build those structures as time went by. It simply means I had the proper ground to build them upon.

If someone with this joy of playing also has a great enthusiasm for sharing that joy with others, they are perfectly disposed to become great teachers. Their enthusiasm for sharing that joy, and spreading the joy of playing music by planting it in other people, will lead them to pull out of themselves resources they already possess, and then, lead them to develop, and seek out more.

A player who can access their inner joy through playing does not worry about being a great player, they do not doubt themselves; they are too busy playing. And a teacher who feels a deep enthusiasm for enabling others to play does not worry about teaching, or doubt themselves as teachers. This does not mean they are not on the lookout for weaknesses and ways to improve. It simply means that dealing with weaknesses and ways to improve is part of the joyful process.

And so, the question is not can you teach the guitar, of course you can! The question is will you teach the guitar. Will you feel the joyful process when you sit down with another human being and you are both holding guitars? It will have very much to do with the joy you feel when you sit by yourself with a guitar in your lap.

Teachers of the guitar have never had it better, and I say that for two reasons: 1) the technologies for playing, recording, and studying music are breathtaking (especially to those of us who remember the days of slowing down vinyl and using “drum drop” backgrounds), and 2) The Principles makes the actual technical process of teaching the guitar a systematic, scientific, and flawless process for anyone who uses them in teaching.

If you use The Principles in teaching, you will have the means to be as effective in teaching as it is possible to be.

It is because so many players using The Principles have seen their power to create results that they have become interested in checking out the possibility of teaching. As they begin to see the immediate improvement in their playing, and the continuation of that improvement, they realize “this business of learning the guitar, if rightly understood, and rightly performed, can be done successfully by anyone”. And they are right, it can, especially anyone who uses The Principles.

In the few short years that The Principles have been around, we have been excited and honored to see a number of people decide to take up teaching, using The Principles and its methods (as well as “The Path”), as the foundation of their approach. They are adapting my methods, and creating new ones, and finding themselves with many reasons to be supremely confident in their ability to really “do it”, really make other people able to play.

Of course, they are also finding that teaching is nothing but an extension of their own passion and process of learning, because that is what true teaching is. There is no such thing as a good teacher who is not a good student. Any good teacher sees teaching as a part of their own growth as students of their subject, and I know that this is true of the teachers we presently have.

And the best teachers see it as something much more as well. The best teachers see the process of teaching as what it really “wants to be” in its highest spiritual sense: a relationship based on love, love and the highest good will; love of music, love of guitar, and mutual love and appreciation for each other on the part of the student and the teacher.

To be able to give another person something so precious as artistic fulfillment in the form of playing the guitar, especially if it is felt to be so precious by that person, and perhaps has eluded them for years, is tremendously fulfilling. Once you feel that, you will know whether you are a teacher or not!

Some teachers spend their whole career teaching one style, or staying at one level of teaching, and there is nothing wrong with that, as long as you are always honest about what you do, and never try to serve your purposes instead of the students. If you know that the purposes of a student would be better served by another teacher, you must direct them to that teacher.

Some teachers teach only strumming and singing, often in continuing education type settings, and that is a wonderful way for new players to discover the guitar. Many people who are thinking of teaching can start this way, rather than thinking they need to become masters of the guitar before they ever show someone their first chord!

And so, if you are asking yourself “Can I teach the guitar?”, think it over in terms of what I have said here. After that, if you feel you would like to make a beginning, do so.

Find an interested person, (it could be a family member, neighbor, etc.), and begin teaching them on an informal basis, for no money. You will discover what you need to know about yourself as a teacher of guitar. When you have proven to yourself that you have the ability to get results with students, begin to charge for your work.

Guitar teacher with student

Now that you have asked yourself one of the most important questions to teach guitar, it's good to consider some teaching basics for students and teachers.  I found a good list here at http://www.blackbeltguitar.com/news/show_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1065709060&archive=.

You Can Be a Teacher

If you are not a teacher, don't be afraid to contemplate it. If you know that you like teaching, and want to be a teacher, all that is required to be an effective teacher is that you are effective at helping your students learn what they want to learn. You are not required to know everything. Even if you could know everything, your students could not absorb it as fast as you could spew it out.

This gives rise to a division of responsibilities between the teacher and the Student:

Student Responsibilities: 

• The student must know what he or she wants to learn
• The student must find and qualify a teacher that will teach what he or she wants to learn
• The student must show up prepared for lessons
• The student must commit to practice
• The student must make the teacher aware of problems, difficulties, changes in goals, or other information that can help the teacher do his or her job

Teacher Responsibilities:

• The teacher must help the student articulate what he or she wants to learn
• The teacher must evaluate his or her own skills to decide if he or she can teach what the student wants to learn
• The teacher must outline the lessons in advance, and ask the student to agree to the outline
• The teacher must show up prepared for lessons, according to the agreed upon outline
• The teacher must commit to practice
• The teacher must employ good problem solving to determine why students may not be learning, and prescribe the correct remedy

You Cannot Teach Everyone

Realize that you cannot teach everyone. Not everyone is interested in knowing what you know. This is perfectly OK, and shouldn't bother you. It is your challenge to match what you know to students that want to know what you know... or... to quickly teach your self what your students want to learn. Successful teachers actually do a little of both to find and keep their students.

Learning Cycle

Assuming that you and your students have connected, and you are clear about what they want to learn, now it is critical that you understand the learning process that all students use. Here is an important image to burn into the back of your mind:

Hearing: is the first and foremost important step in learning guitar. After all, music is a listening skill. All students of guitar should spend copious amounts of time during the week listening to the good music they want to learn. The axiom is "if you can't hear it... you can't play it". When teaching a new drill in a lesson, the teacher should play it through a time or two or three to allow the student to just listen and hear what is going on. During these brief moments, encourage your student to put their guitars down and focus on the hearing process.

Seeing: is the next step. The student wants to see how you play what they have heard. Arrange your chairs so that you can easily see each other's hands. Long-term memory retention goes from about 25% to 40% when we hear and see.

Doing: is the next important step with two phases: playing it together, then asking the student to play it solo. This should be repeated until the student can solo three times perfectly. Long-term memory retention shoots up from 40% to 60% when we hear, see and do.

Teaching: is the final important step that ensures that a new skill is transferred securely from short-term to long-term memory. Long-term memory retention rockets from 60% to 90% when we have to teach someone else something we have learned. Allow the student to become the teacher at the end of each cycle, and repeat back to you what they have learned. As your student is teaching you, make sure your student is writing in their own words the things they are teaching. This is more effective than handing them your own notes, which are in your own words.

This entire cycle should take no more than 5 - 10 minutes, which will allow for 3 - 5 cycles in a 30 minute lesson. Understanding this cycle will help you and the student keep the lesson moving forward in a productive way.

Plan for and Hold Recitals

As a teacher, one of your most important duties is to help your students plan for recitals, which you help to prepare and execute. Without this opportunity, many more drop out of your tutelage or out of guitar altogether, because all the practice seems to lead nowhere, ultimately.

Remember that music is there to be shared, and help your student to do this, and even when they become better players than you are, they will thank you for this head start.

Guitar teacher with young student

Just as important as what to do as a guitar teacher is what NOT to do.  There's a great starter list here for guitar teachers to help them teach effectively at http://www.blackbeltguitar.com/news/show_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1065710366&archive=.

You can play guitar really well, but teaching has a few do's and don'ts that go beyond playing your instrument. Here are a few.

Do's

• Interview your students to find out what they already know.
• Interview your students to find out what they want to learn, and how fast.
• Jointly agree on a structured lesson plan to help the students achieve their goals.
• Stick to the lessons plan. If the lesson plan needs adjusting, then adjust it together.
• Mix theory in with lessons in small, digestible doses.
• Demand that your students set goals.
• Demand that your students put in the time to practice.
• Practice what you preach. Have goals and milestones for yourself.
• Plan for performance opportunities. Hold recitals, concerts, blues nights or other formats that your students can prepare for with enthusiasm.

Don'ts

• Never come late or unprepared for a lesson.
• Never spend lesson time showing off what you know or flaunting what you've got. Save your stuff for the closing act in your recitals.
• Never spend valuable lesson time learning a song that your student wants to learn.
• Never stray from the agreed upon outline without agreeing in advance to do so.
• Never stop insisting on practice (but insist kindly, of course). It is far better that a student quit because he or she was pushed too hard, than because they were not learning enough.
• Never miss a day of practice yourself.

If you are just starting out as a guitar teacher or have been at it for a while, I found a good list of tips that should improve your teaching.  Find it here at http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/improve-your-guitar-teaching/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GuitarNoiseLessons+%28Guitar+Noise+Lessons%29.

Sometimes the desire to fix every problem a student may have all at once may cause even more problems. Tom Hess describes how to break down a bad habit so that both teacher and student can tackle it in easy, manageable steps.

Although there are many different ways you can help your students become better guitar players and musicians, we can group almost everything you do into three main categories:

1. Inspiring and motivating your students – teaching guitar well is often more about inspiring your students than teaching a new scale, chord or song.

2. Teaching them ‘new things’ to play/practice – Most guitar teachers understand this basic concept, but often struggle to know exactly how much ‘new content’ is too little or too much for each student. Most teachers ‘overwhelm’ their students with simply too much material in a short amount of time.

3. Helping them to solve their playing/musical problems – The best way to improve your guitar teaching is to understand exactly how to help any student overcome any problem.

Each of these areas has its own challenges, but for most teachers it is the last category (helping students solve guitar playing/musical problems) that can be the most difficult to consistently do well.

When teaching guitar to solve problems and bad habits, the first thing to do is be clear about  the process itself:

Identify the true cause of the problem. Remember that ‘symptoms’ of problems and ’causes’ of problems are often totally different things. A misdiagnosed problem (just like a misdiagnosed medical problem) can make things worse than doing nothing at all.

Find proven solutions to overcome this problem. Yes, this seems like an obvious point, but often teachers ‘guess’ or use the trial and error approach to teaching guitar. Surround yourself with other experienced guitar teachers. Ask them for their advice on your specific challenge, doing so may save you and your student a lot of time and frustration.

Communicate the causes and your solution to your student’s problem. Again, this may seem like common sense, but fact is, most teachers do not fully explain the cause and solutions to the problems students have, they sort of skip this part and move directly into implementing the solution. The reason why communicating the cause and solution to your student is so important is that, without the student truly knowing what these things are, they often won’t truly practice your solution diligently at home.

Implement the solution (training). To be the most effective, you need to do more than ‘teach what to do’, you need to ‘train’ them to do it. The ‘teaching part’ can usually be done quickly, but it is the ‘training’ that takes the time. Think more like a sports trainer and less like a school teacher as you implement solutions while teaching guitar (more on this below).

Hold their hand – You do not need to treat all your students like children (unless they are children), but when teaching guitar, it is important that you monitor your students’ motivation level and help them to keep it high. A mediocre guitar teacher who keeps his/her students highly motivated will almost always get much bigger results than a great ‘technical’ teacher who does little or nothing to keep students inspired and motivated – yet this is an area most teachers don’t do consistently well in – because they underestimate its importance.

Because students typically have multiple problems in their playing (inconsistent articulation, weak sense of timing, excess body tension, inefficient hand movement, excess string noise, just to name a few common ones), and because there are typically multiple causes to each of those problems, the hardest part about teaching guitar, as it relates to solving students’ playing problems and breaking bad habits, is knowing the best order to deal with the causes of a student’s problems. Timing is critical and so is the order.

Many (well intentioned) teachers make the mistake of trying to use ‘linear logic’ to help students break bad habits and overcome challenges. There are many problems with this, the main one is we don’t teach machines, we are teaching people. Everything we do, and when we do it, has a positive or negative impact in the mind of our students. In theory it might make perfect sense for a teacher to make the student deal with the most basic problems first. That seems logical right? Well, those that follow this all the time will have a hard time keeping students long enough to help them become the guitar players they wish to be.

Contrary to what many guitar teachers believe, fixing the most fundamental problems your students have in the beginning (or trying to break too many bad habits at once) does more harm than good for most students. Yes, problems and bad habits must be dealt with in order for your students to reach their maximum potential, but too much of this at the same time may kill the will for your students to endure the natural frustration that comes with learning to play guitar.

Each student is different and you need to get a sense of how much tolerance the student sitting in front of you can handle in the present moment. If you overestimate this, the result is likely going to lead to massive amounts of frustration for your student and he/she may give up lessons and playing guitar completely.

How long does it usually take your beginning guitar students, as an example, to sit or stand with ‘perfectly correct’ posture, use perfect left and right hand positions, use the correct picking motions and articulation etc. etc. when playing and practicing? Sure you can teach this in a minute or two, but how long will it take that student to instinctively do this all the time on his/her own without you reminding them? For most students, it takes a long time.

Is it okay to let your students continue to play and practice guitar when you know many basic things are wrong and that they will form bad habits by allowing them to go on in this way?

Most guitar teachers would say, “no, it’s not okay” and then proceed to immediately try to correct all of them as soon as possible. Other guitar teachers simply don’t notice or don’t care enough to address these things. They figure as long as students keep coming back to lessons, everything is good.

The best approach for teaching guitar is neither. To be clear, your top priority should be to keep your student coming back for as many lessons as possible – not simply because you make more money that way, but because, if a student gives up lessons, you can do nothing to help him/her. Obviously, you must deal with problems and bad habits though (to not do this would be the same as only feeding kids candy and never real food).

When teaching guitar to solve a problem, avoid dealing with the entire problem and all its causes at once. Begin with the one thing you can do for your student that will be easiest for him/her to correct. This will help to build confidence that he/she can begin to overcome the problem and that doing so wasn’t extremely hard to start with. Pay attention to how much of this you think they can handle right now. If it looks good, then give them the next thing to fix.

Although some guitar playing problems and bad habits can be really big issues to deal with, try not to make the entire lesson only about solving problems. Most students need to get a sense of forward progress and even though solving problems is forward progress, they can’t always see that themselves even after you explain it to them, so give them something else that is fulfilling for them to play and practice.  A little sugar with the medicine helps it go down easier.

Guitar teacher and student

All these tips are great to get your guitar teaching career rolling in the right direction.  I did find a great interview with a guitarist that has some teaching chops under his belt.  Find this interview here at http://guitar.lovetoknow.com/guitar-expert-interviews/interview-how-become-guitar-teacher.

While you might not have heard of Roger Miller, there's a good chance that one of your favorite bands is influenced by his work with pioneering Boston post-punk band Mission of Burma. This band has influenced countless titans of alternative and indie rock over the last 30 years, including Superchunk, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Fugazi, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Sonic Youth, Moby and R.E.M. It is easy to hear echoes of Miller's distinctive style in an entire generation of American rock guitarists. In addition to recording and touring with Burma, he also works with Alloy Orchestra, a Boston-based group that performs live accompaniment to silent films. When not busy playing live he finds time to teach guitar lessons in the Boston area.

Training and Experience

Love To Know (LTK): Roger, what training is needed to be a guitar teacher? What special skills separate a guitar teacher from a guitar player?

Roger Miller (RM): One needs a fairly comprehensive understanding of the guitar to teach it. In my case, I started in the mid-60s with blues, and then got into rock and psychedelic rock. I composed four pieces for guitar as a composition major at CalArts, and then became a full-time guitarist for Mission of Burma during the punk era. My Burma style blended the energy of punk with my experience as a composition major and my interest in experimental sounds.

In my case, most of my lessons come to me because they know me from Mission of Burma. My style is pretty distinctive (or so they say), and they come to me for that - my non-normal attitude to the guitar. 

I believe the most important quality in a teacher is sympathetic understanding. I do not have a regimen that I put onto players. I find out what they want to learn, and go from there. There are very basic truths about the guitar -- certain ways to hold the pick and hand that are the most ergonomically sensible ways to go about things, as well as the fundamental aspects of strumming and picking. I always bring those up if the student seems to need it, but I am never rigid in my approach.

LTK: How do you gain experience in the wide number of styles needed to teach guitar?

RM: Play your butt off all your life. In the '60s and '70s I played in blues bands, cover bands, original bands, free-form bands, country bands, jazz fusion bands, etc. The more you play and the more musical environments you put yourself in, the greater your awareness as a guitarist.

Balancing Teaching with an Active Career

LTK: How do you balance teaching with a career in music? For example, what happens to your students when you go on the road?

RM: I do many things to survive as an artist. I perform and record with the Alloy Orchestra, Mission of Burma and others. Three out of the last four years, a film I scored was at Sundance. I even taught sound design at Rhode Island School of Design last year.
For me, teaching guitar "fills in the holes" of my income. I don't need it all the time, and clearly I can do nothing about it when I am on the road with one of my performing groups.

I enjoy it most as a part-time activity. Some students come once a week, some every other week when I'm around, and others whenever they feel the need. I have had a number of students come just once, which is fine with me. They just wanted to hear me talk about what I do, and that was it. In general, my students really enjoy my teaching. Many have told me they wish they had come to me instead going to an earlier teacher with a more rigid, specific teaching agenda. But then, they came to me because they know what I have done.

LTK: How did you decide to start teaching? What's the best way to move into teaching and get a client base?

RM: Again, my situation is somewhat different, as I am a "known-entity" in a very specific style/attitude. In 2005 or so I hadn't taught for a long time, but I needed cash pretty badly as none of my bands were playing much that summer! I posted on Craigslist, and got a very strong response. Pitchfork Magazine found out about this and ran an article on my placing an ad on Craigslist -- for some reason they thought that was odd and/or funny. I just wanted to pay my rent! But it sure worked. That summer I often had 15 lessons a week. That kept me alive quite well, thank you.

Craigslist and word of mouth is how I get my students. Again, I don't seek regular consistent students, so my situation is a bit unusual for a guitar teacher. I am perfectly happy if they only come once. And on more than one occasion I have suggested that the student stop coming because I didn't feel I was teaching them anything any more.

Qualities of a Good Teacher

LTK: Switching gears a bit, what should students look for in a teacher?

RM: Look for someone who will show you the direction you really want to go, while also getting you to learn the basics, the fundamentals about strumming, picking, and the meaning of intervals. Basically, find someone that will give you the skills you need to become the guitarist you want to become.

LTK: What advice do you have for people who don't already have some degree of fame who want to teach guitar?

RM: Present yourself very clearly, what you can teach a student, and how you can adapt to their needs. Look at other guitar lesson flyers and posts and see how you can be different enough, but seem to be "all things to all people."

Getting Started

You don't have to be a member of a legendary and influential post-punk band to be a successful teacher. Mr. Miller's advice carries much weight for the less renowned guitar player looking to get his or her feet wet in the world of teaching. Broad experience, coupled with a sympathetic ear and the ability to market oneself in a manner that conveys both a special insight as well as a near encyclopedic knowledge of the instrument are the key components to teaching guitar. A willingness and ability to tailor lessons to a student's needs and experience go a long way toward setting you apart from the pack. Over time, you will also be able to rely on word of mouth as satisfied students share their experience with friends and colleagues. Until then, post fliers, talk to local guitar shop owners to see if they can steer students your way, and make the most of each lesson with your students. If you do a great job and your students find it easy to relate to you, you'll eventually find yourself fully booked.

Being a guitar teacher can be very fulfilling and a good source of income.  Plus the hours are good.  If your interested in teaching guitar, I hope you'll consider all this information to be the best teacher you can be.

Come back for more about guitars at Mike's Guitar Talk.

Have fun and stay tuned!

Mike