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Teaching guitar

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(@aarong323)
New Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Hey I've been wanting to teach guitar for a few years now and have taught a few people my problem however is finding students. Any suggestions on advertising? also is it really necessary to have a university or college degree in music in order too teach guitar? Because I've learned music from guitar lessons, high school and teaching myself.


   
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(@alangreen)
Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5342
 

Hi, and welcome to Guitarnoise.

Finding students is never easy in the early days. Put your phone number into all your local guitar shops, supermarkets and newsagents. Tell all your friends that you're looking for students. Some of the shops might want you to audition so they know you can play something, and they might tell you that they offer lessons themselves, but stick with it.

What you'll also need to remember is that students come and go, so your income stream will not be constant. That said, I've still got £50 from a guy who paid for six lessons in advance and only turned up for two - more money than sense, some people.

Qualifications - a tricky question. If you have knowledge, then that's all you really need to be able to teach it to someone else. Being able to communicate the ideas to a student who might be as young as 7 or in their 60's (and needing to turn up their hearing aid) is a fairly essential skill and you'll need to develop that fast if you haven't got it already.

I guess you're talking about formal music qualifications. You'll need some if you want to teach at schools, especially as there will probably be a music theory element to the courses you're going to deliver and you'll need to know your stuff (nothing will wind you up as much as some snotty 15-year old standing up in front of his mates and saying "My dad says you're wrong - it should be..."). It will definitely help if you can read music - so start there if you can't already.

I would probably not have done anything about my Grade exams if one of my students hadn't mentioned it earlier this year, and he might not have mentioned it if his big sister hadn't been put onto the Grade 1 Piano syllabus by her school. I look through Classical Guitar magazine, and there is a high level of qualifications amongst the teachers there. I look at the teachers' ads in my local guitar shop and they don't state the same level of qualifications - they might well be music professors at the local Uni; who knows?

Best,

A :-)

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk


   
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(@aarong323)
New Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Hey thanks for the advice. Its actually funny I once put up an ad at one of the local guitar shops, then later that day a guy who works there calls me telling me not too be placing ads there anymore or else they'll just get torn down. I think it was because they themselves offer lessons which a lot of music stores I find are doing now.


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

you might use the internet too for advertising.

goto -

http://www.acousticguitar.com/leveltwo/Resourcesforguitarteachers-215.asp

I am sure you can find some help here...

Best of luck and a great new guitar teaching year 2006, :D

Rahul


   
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(@banre)
Reputable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 414
 

You might go to a local shop near you and talk to them about being a teacher. My teacher rents booth space from the shop and in turn collects money from the students. The shop makes money and helps direct students to the teachers who are renting booth space. The system seems to work pretty well.

Unseen Evidence
UE Reverb Nation Page


   
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(@alangreen)
Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5342
 

And then you quietly mention to the students that you teach privately away from the shop

A :-)

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk


   
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(@larss7on)
Active Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 10
 

I started teaching last year, I havent advertised much but I am up to 5 or so regular pupils at £20 an hour per week , word of mouth is one thing, I also put an advert or listing on yell.com (which is free!) I also started a website....and also business cards. Business cards are cheap and a good investment. Also getting to know other teachers helps so that if they have any pupils they can't take they can send them to you. Also the local high school's music department - are all potential ways to get pupils. I would say being able to read music ( to a basic degree ) and theory are a big help - Aslong as you know more than your pupil you can teach them something! Put 110% into teaching - It is a good wage...and well earned....For example how many hours have I played guitar to learn what I know now? Answer is alot more than it takes someone to learn to work a cash register! Anyway my ramble is over, hope it helped in some degree. http://www.richardcallaghanguitar.com


   
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(@susan-palmer)
Eminent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 14
 

There's a lot of great advice here, and I may be a little late, but I have had good luck by networking with my friends who teach different instruments. One person posts our cards on one side of town and another friend posts on the other side of town. Also, my sax player friend teaches kids who have brothers and sisters who want to play guitar. Guess who she tells them about?

Susan Palmer
Guitar Instructor at Seattle University
Author of The Guitar Lesson Companion
Free Lessons and More at: http://www.leadcatpress.com


   
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(@diatonick)
Active Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 17
 

There's a lot of great advice here, and I may be a little late, but I have had good luck by networking with my friends who teach different instruments. One person posts our cards on one side of town and another friend posts on the other side of town. Also, my sax player friend teaches kids who have brothers and sisters who want to play guitar. Guess who she tells them about?

You are right Sussan. Networking with the friends is big help.

-diatonick

Free Video Reviews of Guitar Software
http://www.bestguitarsoftware.com


   
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(@scrybe)
Famed Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2241
 

this question probably gets asked every 6 months or so, but....

in the UK do you need to have passed Grade 8 Electric guitar (or any other music qualification) in order to teach guitar? I was under the impression that you needed a certain grade to be able to teach, but I'm not sure if this also covers teaching privately or just refers to e.g. teaching in schools.

I did well at both GCSE and A level music, and have taught friends informally, so I'm pretty confident I have enough theory and practical knowledge to teach privately, but I haven't taken Grade exams. :roll:

Ra Er Ga.

Ninjazz have SuperChops.

http://www.blipfoto.com/Scrybe


   
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(@fretsource)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 973
 

It depends on where you want to teach, Scrybe. For private tuition, no qualifications are required in the UK (apart from the obvious ability of being able to teach).

For teaching beginners or near beginners in schools, adult education centres, etc, qualifications may be required, depending on the particular local education authority. Advanced courses held in colleges that specialise in music are taught by professional teachers/musicians. If teaching to groups that are considered potentially 'vulnerable', e.g., kids, then you may also need a 'disclosure', which is a police criminal records check, (which the school/centre arrange and pay for).

By the way, the practical element of A level music is (or used to be) considered equivalent to grade 6.


   
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(@scrybe)
Famed Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2241
 

Fretsource,

many thanks for the swift and thorough reply. I'm looking to teach privately in the North West of England from January onwards. I got A's in both GCSE and A level music and played a lot of Hendrix and Jeff Beck stuff around that time, although now I'm trying to get my head around jazz and put my theory knowledge to more practical use, lol. I'd guess that I'm somwehere between grade 6 (based on my A level results) and grade 8 on elecrtic guitar and somewhere between grade 5 and grade 7 on acoustic (not classical, since my sight reading is somewhere around grade three :oops: ), so I reckon I have the knowledge and practical skills to provide a service to people wanting to learn guitar, and I've had the experience of working with several different music teachers over the years, so I've learned a lot about structuring learning from that. I just didn't want to start advertising my services only to be shut down by someone within a couple of months for not being qualified!

that said, I'm gonna put my head down on the grades situation and get that piece of paper sometime over the next year or so - I'm guessing I'm already that standard on some aspects of playing, but would like to fill the gaps (e.g. improv. over difficult harmonies or rhythms) and I may as well have the piece of paper if I'm going to get the skills.

I was thinking of chargin 10-15 quid per hour (for one-on-one tuition) to start of with, and then increase/create price bands depending on the students' level. Does this sound reasonable to you?

Ra Er Ga.

Ninjazz have SuperChops.

http://www.blipfoto.com/Scrybe


   
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(@fretsource)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 973
 

£15 is ok. £10 sounds a bit cheap. Pricing your lessons too low may get you a few more students initially but can also cause problems. It's good for people who really want to learn but can't afford to pay the higher prices, but it can also attract students who aren't that serious about learning - the kind who never practise or make any effort. It can also cause resentment among other guitar teachers who charge twice as much and feel that your cheap price is an indicator of lack of teaching ability.
For this job, think of yourself as an educator first and a guitarist second. Make sure your courses are well structured, with plenty of printed teaching material. Good luck.


   
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(@scrybe)
Famed Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2241
 

thanks for that, is it kewl if I pm you if I have any more questions? I'm not going to start advertising until closer to christmas as I have collected tons of teaching/learning material over the years and want to sort through that and make sure I have some clear ideas about teaching plans before I start taking students.

I'm doing a couple of hours free tuition in my old secondary school as a way of preparing for taking private students, s hopefully I'll get some clients out of that. If not, splattering the city with adverts should help. :lol:

Ra Er Ga.

Ninjazz have SuperChops.

http://www.blipfoto.com/Scrybe


   
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(@fretsource)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 973
 

Sure - no problem. But asking questions here would be better. You'll get different perspectives, tips, from others here who teach, and any other members interested in teaching will also get some useful info.


   
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