Article Written By “Friend of Mike Walsh”
What You Should Look for When Deciding on Your Child’s Guitar Teacher
by Blake Stevenson
You’ve made one of the greatest decisions you possibly can as a parent and decided to enroll your child in guitar lessons. But upon the very quick google search, you find that there are quite a bit to choose from, especially if you live in a larger city. So, what exactly should you be looking for so that you choose the best possible music mentor for you rising rockstar?
Now, I’m no psychologist, so I can’t speak for personality types, but there are generally three teaching aspects that, when it comes to children and teens, are a necessity for the lessons to be truly effective for the young aspiring musician. Without these three things, you will find that the amount that they retain after each class they attend will be much lower than otherwise. So, without further ado, here are the three things to look for:
1. Patience and understanding – As someone who has taught children for many years and as a parent myself, I discovered very quickly that patience is an absolute necessity for any teacher who teaches kids, or really, anyone! Kid’s, regardless of how smart or talented they are, tend to learn a bit slower and are less disciplined than an older person. They’re still growing and the bones in their hands aren’t fully developed yet. A teacher who understands
this will know how to approach teaching a younger person and get results!
2. That the teacher understands your goal as the parent – As parents, we want the absolute best for our children, whether that is the best learning, best community, best experiences, etc. So whether you want your child to develop into a performing musician, or pick up a hobby that breaks up the six-hour Minecraft sessions, the teacher of your child should know what you’re looking for out of lessons!
3. The most crucial aspect of teaching children –I tend to play video games together with my young daughter on the weekend and something I curiously noticed; was how she didn’t care to reach the goal at the end. She was just along for the ride and wanted to have fun while doing so! Learning music is the same way. Most kid’s don’t necessarily care about being the best or perfecting anything, they just want it to be fun! Having a teacher that knows how to deliver results while keeping motivation is one of the most important things to look out for! Even if they don’t practice at home!
When you do finally make the commitment to a dedicated professional, look out for the things I listed above, and you can’t go wrong!
About the Author: Blake Stevenson is a guitar instructor based out of Cleburne, Texas. With his unorthodox
approach to soloing, he has helped many guitar players achieve new heights. If you’d like to see more from
Blake Stevenson, check out the best guitar lessons in Cleburne Texas.