At the end of the day, most potential students don’t care if a prospective teacher has certain accredited certifications or a degree in musical education from a prestigious musical academy. The qualification that matters the most is the ability to be a great teacher.
As a parent, how do you qualify whether an instructor is capable of being a stellar educator? Below are five important attributes to consider when screening potential guitar teachers, which if present, will increase the likelihood of you receiving optimal value from your private guitar lessons in Atlanta.
1. Advocacy
All great instructors position themselves as an advocate of their student. A great guitar teacher instills self-confidence in their students by highlighting the strengths that they already possess, and what they could reach in the future with hard work and determination.
Advocates help those around them achieve their dreams and freely express themselves; in a guitar teacher’s capacity as an advocate, this means building up the student to have the confidence and discipline to consistently practice and work hard to increase their skill with the instrument. If your guitar teacher places is your child’s advocate, on their side in the metaphorical boxing ring, then you can be certain that they will exert themselves to see your child succeed.
2. Patience
While the value of patience may be self-evident, its importance cannot be stressed enough when it comes to looking for an instructor. Learning an instrument is difficult, especially the guitar, with its many frets and constant upkeep required for tuning.
As a beginner, students will make many mistakes, and may even break a string or two in their first couple sessions. Knowing that your teacher will be with you every step of the way is an essential component of the learning process.
If students are afraid to fail, they will be less apt to take risks and truly learn the beauty that is the guitar. Calm composure and understanding only come from a teacher that is patient. This attribute can be picked up by the student as well, increasing the likelihood of their guitar mastery.
3. Effective Communication
One cannot be a great teacher without being an effective communicator. Effective communication boils down to a teacher’s ability to make the place and time of instruction as optimal and valuable as possible, through their succinct expression of what a student needs to do to improve, and how the teacher will help them accomplish this feat.
Great communicators only need to say something once for a student to understand what is said, but still periodically return to earlier lessons to strengthen and assess the student’s retention.
If a teacher stumbles over their words, seems lost during instruction, or fails to employ a coherent lesson plan, their effectiveness as a communicator is all but absent. Ensuring that your teacher is confident in their ability to facilitate instruction is crucial.
4. Methods and Materials
A guitar teacher without a concrete set of methods and materials is like a samurai without his katana. When considering a teacher’s credentials for private guitar lessons, it is best that you investigate the specifics of their methods and materials for your personal success.
With the guitar, materials such as sheet music and a metronome are not as important as the methods of instruction employed a teacher. A clear and concise lesson plan, well-defined and realistic goals, and adequate exercises for personal improvement are all basic methods a teacher should employ to ensure the success of their student.
A student can only be as prepared and practiced as their teacher. That’s why a teacher’s preparation and their methods and materials for the lesson are of the utmost importance for success.
5. Personal Drive
Lastly, a great teacher needs a spark—a personal drive that is obvious to students and contagious during instruction. They should inspire those around them to be better, to push themselves towards self-improvement, by emulating the teacher’s example.
Without proper motivation and direction, guitar students can quickly find themselves discouraged and lost within its strings. An ambitious teacher provides direction and enthusiasm through their own example and persona as a lover of music and the guitar. This trait enables them to guide students and propel them to even greater heights as musicians.
As you look for the ideal guitar teacher, keep these five attributes in mind. At Lessons In Your Home, we ensure that our instructors possess these personal qualities and more. We know that private guitar lessons call for instructors of only the highest quality. Contact us today to begin your journey towards mastery of the guitar.
