Brett R  
Instruments: Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Latin, Funk, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Soul, Avant-garde

I have been teaching professionally for a decade, and what has been most consistent throughout my experience is to learn to adapt to each student. Every student has a unique background, goals and specific learning style. What I do is get the student on track with fundamental knowledge of music, so that they can stand on their own two feet musically, and then with these tools, lead them towards whatever vision they wish to realize. When learning the language of music, ultimately multiple perspectives come into play, such as history, philosophy, science and math. Music is a special discipline in this regard, and the study of music broadens our view of the world. It is truly a pleasure to see a student become inspired or to witness an "A-ha!" moment take place. I'm always pushing my students to reach for higher goals, and celebrate them when they have earned progressive developments of their abilities.

My methods are specific to a student's goals. For beginners, I usually like to use Hal Leonard's Guitar Method series to get them reading music and playing guitar in the first (or open) position. Beginners need to learn fundamental music theory, such as the major scale and how to build chords. Intermediate students that already understand basic theory usually desire to learn the techniques and vocabulary specific to a certain genre. Intermediates are also responsible for learning to play the entirety of the guitar neck, so practicing in all positions becomes a focus. "Theory, Technique and Application" sums up the process. Students should be learning the concepts and structure of music (theory), developing various techniques to enhance their abilities and then applying them to music they wish to learn about. I also prioritize creative projects for students to apply what they learn into their own original songs.