Advice about lessons for my 10 year old

[Dani Pace]

I teach guitar, mostly to teens and preteens. While the younger ones have shorter attention spans and require simple (quich easy to learn stuff) lesson plans the older ones (13 or 14) seem to have a real attitude problem. Ten is a good age to start , imo, if a kid shows an interest and has a real desire to play. Unfortunately for many kids around that age it is more of a "I'm cool cause I play guitar," sort of thing. Most of them do not realize the amount of practice it takes to get good at it, and get discouraged before reaching their potential. Lessons are a good way to go for most kids, for some reason kids will listen to another adult when they wont listen to dad (I've learned that from experience) evrn when dad is telling them the same thing.
As far as finding the right teacher, notice I didn't say the best, a few things to look for are...Does the teacher have kids of their own? This is important for communication purposes. Does the teacher listen to their students or just have their plan and fully expect the student to follow it? Does the teacher plan lessons for the individual needs and abilities of the student? Does the teacher gain respect, or demand it? Do students (former students too) speak well of or recomend the teacher?
A few to avoid are the ones who... Guarantee results, brag of their accomplishments, have a wall full of music degrees, lack patience or want you to pay for a long term commitment up front.
I tell all my students, "I can share the knowledge of playing, it's up to you to teach (your hands) how to play." By this I simply mean that the know how is what I teach, the how to is something they can only learn by practice and self discipline. Those who grasp this concept become good, those who don't loose intrest quickly and are soon forgotten.

 

[onlyfingers]

Music is easy to listen to, but hard to learn. Teachers, especially, want to be comprehensive about technique and theory and notation, which is a lot of learning with little pay-off for the beginner student. On the other hand, when you learn in isolation, you haven't got a knowledgeable coach to help you over the rough spots or set some mileposts up for you.

Think about this: Find someone (local guitar player) who has mastered the music your son wants to play. Contact that guy (or girl) and buy an hour at a time, when needeed. Your son can use the person almost as a guitar consultant, probably to learn riffs and chords and songs, probably using tabs and notes on ratty sheets of loose-leaf. In the process, the exact amount of scales and note-reading and theory that you son can stand and that is essential to make music will come across. (All students should record their lessons, since even good notation is hard for a student to work with a day or two later.)

Visit your music store, post your request on the bulletin board (and copy the names and numbers of promising players or groups) and try to line something up.

In short: get a coach instead of a teacher, or, better yet, get a teacher who is willing to coach.