Before you jump into teaching guitar lessons, I would like to share some things with you that I have learned in my experience not only as a teacher but as a student. If you feel like you're ready, hopefully this will help you to know for certain. When first starting out, it would be good for you to know a bit about playing in as many different styles as possible. You may specialize in one or two styles, but if you are going to be working at a store or academy, you never know what kind of student is going to come your way. In my experience, the majority of guitar students are into Rock, Blues, Metal, or any combination of the three. I personally haven't had many students that are into jazz, but that surely doesn't mean you or I won't run into any. You're more likely to get a few students that want to learn some classical. If you're not familiar with it, the simple solution is to pick up a book with various pieces in it. You'll have to work on some of them so you can demonstrate them to your students, but what's wrong with that? You'll be learning all sorts of things you didn't expect to learn during your teaching career, and that is one of the many benefits. For now, let's take a look at a few of the main areas to assess your abilities in. While we do this, keep in mind that being a good teacher and a good player are completely different things. The best players in the world may be horrible teachers, and vice versa.

Ear Training

One of the most important things you need to have is a good ear. Many students will want to learn songs that you don't know how to play, or haven't even heard yet. Part of your job will be to figure out the songs for them. This can be very stressful when your not very good at it, and you have a person sitting in front of you waiting for you to figure it out. I know that it took me quite a while to get comfortable with the process. Figuring out songs you like on your own is one thing, but realize that you may have to figure out parts you’ve never heard before that are in styles you're not very familiar with. You'll also need to do this while you have a person and time constraints to worry about.

The thing I noticed after I gained more and more experience was that I couldn't let myself get nervous and flustered if a student brought in something that sounded hard. Mainly because then it's only going to take even longer to figure out because I won't be concentrating on what I'm doing. Pretty much common sense, but it can be pretty hard to do in the moment. Just keep in mind that you'll find the notes eventually. They have to be on the guitar somewhere. As a side note, watch out for alternate tunings or the use of capos. These are usually the hardest thing to pick up on. If there is a part that is beyond your ability, too fast, too soft to make out, or whatever, just be honest and tell the student you're going to give it your best shot. Most of the time the student won't be able to tell the difference. If they can, then they should have been able to figure it out on their own anyway.

Reading

Being a good reader is definitely a plus, but it may not be a necessity. You should, at the very least, be able to read through volume one of the beginner method books. Chances are you won't get a student with reading skills beyond that. Getting better at reading is another one of the perks that come along with being a teacher. As your students work on it, you work right along with them making sure they are playing the right notes and rhythms. Do this with a couple students a day, and you could get hours of sight reading practice each week. While getting paid for it.

Scales

A firm knowledge of scales and how to use them is definitely required. This is where you can really show your weaknesses or hopefully your strengths. You should at the very least know the modes and the pentatonic scales. And you should know them very well. Not only the shapes but how to apply them. Another good thing to work on is how you are going to present them. I remember when I started teaching that whenever I introduced the modes to someone, it turned into a fifteen to twenty minute presentation. When it comes down it and you are trying to teach theory, remember that less is more in this area. You could mention something and leave a student in the dust when you move on because they didn't get the first thing you told them. Don't feel like you need to cram everything in at once. It seldom works. I now introduce the modes in under five minutes. Let the student take things in little bites. In the long run, they'll actually learn quicker and be able to actually apply the things you are teaching.

Repertoire

© 2006 By Mark Carozza. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission