I started playing guitar twice…once in the 4th grade (that lasted about 3 weeks) and again when I was 18. One of the reasons I quit guitar in the 4th grade was because my teacher shoved a method book in my face and basically said “learn this”. Lucky for me, I eventually tried it again, but not until 10 years later!
Too many guitar teachers will toss some boring guitar method book at you as new student and try to force you to fit within it’s pages. I’ve learned over the years that method books are NOT the best way to learn guitar.
Every student is different…everyone likes different styles of music, has different players they admire, and has different goals for wanting to play guitar in the first place. Method books have their uses (like to help your students focus on certain areas they need improvement on) but they’re a terrible way to structure all of your lessons. Method books are the way LAZY guitar teachers will try to teach.
But you’re different, right? You’re one of those good guitar teachers.
A good teacher will begin the teaching relationship by asking a student one simple question: “What are YOUR goals?”. They will then customize the whole teaching process around THE STUDENT and THEIR goals for the guitar.
Always remember this: it’s not about you (the teacher) or your method book…it’s about YOUR STUDENT. They are paying you for results!
That’s my opinion, anyway. Have you had any experiences (good or bad) with teaching out of method books? Let me know about it by posting a comment!
