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BS, Rowan University, Physics I don't have any degrees in music, just 22 years of playing experience and 10 years of teaching.
Nunca
I'm a long standing guitar instructor, very pleased with my occupation. I actually hold a degree in science rather than music but I just celebrated my 10th anniversary as a guitar instructor as well as my 22nd anniversary as a guitarist. I love all kinds of music and personally enjoy learning many styles of guitar, which in turn allows me to teach a wider variety, so that students can develop their own personal styles and interests. I want students to be up front about the things that wish to learn (as they discover them!) and the types of music that they themselves love. If you want to shred, play the blues, fingerpick, learn music theory and reading, be a folk singer, or whatever it is, I'll get you there. I also encourage students to form bands, enter competitions and recitals, which I'm than happy to setup.
I began teaching just over ten years ago at a music school and instrument retailer called The Music Place, where I worked for two years and had many long term students. It was a great experience but I left because the commute became too far so I decided to begin home lessons instead. This turned out to be a wonderful turn of events because home lessons can be much more open and relaxing since were not stuck in a little cube room half-way filled with a piano. My experience teaching for those first few years set the ground work for the methods I like to employ as a teacher. I found that self-expression found through music that the student enjoys, and then later music that they themselves create brings the most joy and magic to the students learning experience. I also have a knack for understanding where a student is confused when dealing with more abstract conceptual problems regarding music theory.
For children I tend to teach songs by The Beatles as standard curriculum, as well as learning to read music proficiently. The things tend to be non-negotiable unless the parent informs me otherwise. For teens and pre-teens reading music is optional as well as the types of songs you wish to learn or the theory you wish to learn. That's just a general overview, along the way we learn all types of riffs, vamps, chords, scales, etc., to which we follow my standard development method, but never neglecting your own personal interests in music. For students wanting to go on to major in music reading is a require and will take up much of what we learn as well as theory and learning many songs by heart. These things are essential for professional musicians to understand. For adults I'm much more open to what you want to learn, but still follow the standard general curriculum (reading music and theory optional).
Nothing is more rewarding than experiencing a student develop a style and passion for guitar! I would say that my style of teaching leaves a lot of room for growth, but doesn't neglect the fundamentals. I'm also going to encourage you, push you, let you grow on your own, open your ears to new sounds and ways of thinking, be disappointed in you (for not practicing!), be proud of you (always, of course), and many other fun things.