Learning to play guitar should be fun!
I’ve always believed that learning to play guitar should be fun. One of the worst things that can happen to a beginning guitar player is to learn guitar from someone who does not bring enthusiasm to their lessons. When I was learning to play guitar, my first guitar teacher insisted that I learn songs that did not interest me. Not only was this a waste of time for me, it was a waste of money for my parents who were paying for the lessons.
My approach to teaching lessons:
Building the foundation
Play well with others
Building on my own experiences with what I liked and did not like about particular guitar teachers, one thing that I always enjoyed about my favorite teachers was their genuine enthusiasm for teaching and playing guitar. This enthusiasm almost always was contagious and helped motivate me to practice and learn the material at a faster pace. From my own teaching experience I have noticed that my students respond well to this same enthusiasm that I now have for teaching and playing guitar. Playing the guitar and music in general is just plain fun and is to be shared with others.
At the beginners level I’m simply trying to help the student learn what it is about music and the guitar they genuinely love. From there I can begin teaching a lesson plan that will best suit the student and help them achieve their goals for learning to play the guitar.
At least once per year I will hold a recital/performance where my students will have a chance to perform the guitar for their family and friends. After all we are learning to play guitar so that we can share the gift of music with others while expressing ourselves.