My Philosophy of Teaching
Let’s get you playing! Classical music can be made to be overly technical and joyless. I do not discourage new students by dwelling too deeply on music theory in the initial stages. My approach is to get new students playing music as soon as possible. I want you to catch the ‘bug’. We become more technical once we are up and running.
We talk about stuff. I know that I don’t learn effectively unless I am engaged. We talk about why we are doing something and all sorts of things connected to the music as we go. This fosters better understanding at a conceptual level than merely performing robotic technical exercises.
Some of the classical guitar repertoire for beginners is uninspiring. I choose (or at least try to choose) pieces that students find attractive and will enjoy playing.
To paraphrase the great pianist Glenn Gould, there are two types of performer: the first is determined to make the audience aware of his relationship with his instrument (what you might call a virtuoso); the second seeks to impose his personality between the composer and the audience to bring out the meaning of the music, a communicator). I want my students to be communicators. I would rather listen to a piece of moderate difficulty played in such a way as to reveal emotion, than listen to a harder piece played with great technical efficiency but no feeling. Equally, I would prefer to hear a piece played with conviction and meaning with mistakes, than a sterile ‘perfect’ version. Music without emotion, isn't!
I want (and encourage) students to bring their personality to their music above all else. I like performers who, by using their strong personalities, give people a ‘way in’ to the music. This can include introducing and explaining the music they are playing in order to help make it mean something to the audience.
How much practice?
Learning classical guitar is a marathon not a sprint. Improvement is going to happen over weeks, months and years. The key is to make practice regular and to make it part of your daily and weekly routine. A little bit of practice (nearly) every day is the way to go. I recommend having one day off each week as a little rest does you good too.
For a beginner student I would recommend practising for 20 minutes a day and having one day off a week. Don’t stress if you miss a day or two, but do make regular practice part of your life.
For Parents
Your job (in addition to paying for the lessons) is to:
1) provide a place in the home where the child can play without distractions or interruptions; and
2) help your child establish a routine for practising; and
3) provide support and encouragement.
You have a serious role. Pay an interest. Ask what your child is working on. If you hear a piece that you like, tell them that you like it. Positive feedback can be really powerful - give it. I would also recommend asking your child to play an occasional short recital for you/the family and friends when they come round.
Let’s get you playing! Classical music can be made to be overly technical and joyless. I do not discourage new students by dwelling too deeply on music theory in the initial stages. My approach is to get new students playing music as soon as possible. I want you to catch the ‘bug’. We become more technical once we are up and running.
We talk about stuff. I know that I don’t learn effectively unless I am engaged. We talk about why we are doing something and all sorts of things connected to the music as we go. This fosters better understanding at a conceptual level than merely performing robotic technical exercises.
Some of the classical guitar repertoire for beginners is uninspiring. I choose (or at least try to choose) pieces that students find attractive and will enjoy playing.
To paraphrase the great pianist Glenn Gould, there are two types of performer: the first is determined to make the audience aware of his relationship with his instrument (what you might call a virtuoso); the second seeks to impose his personality between the composer and the audience to bring out the meaning of the music, a communicator). I want my students to be communicators. I would rather listen to a piece of moderate difficulty played in such a way as to reveal emotion, than listen to a harder piece played with great technical efficiency but no feeling. Equally, I would prefer to hear a piece played with conviction and meaning with mistakes, than a sterile ‘perfect’ version. Music without emotion, isn't!
I want (and encourage) students to bring their personality to their music above all else. I like performers who, by using their strong personalities, give people a ‘way in’ to the music. This can include introducing and explaining the music they are playing in order to help make it mean something to the audience.
How much practice?
Learning classical guitar is a marathon not a sprint. Improvement is going to happen over weeks, months and years. The key is to make practice regular and to make it part of your daily and weekly routine. A little bit of practice (nearly) every day is the way to go. I recommend having one day off each week as a little rest does you good too.
For a beginner student I would recommend practising for 20 minutes a day and having one day off a week. Don’t stress if you miss a day or two, but do make regular practice part of your life.
For Parents
Your job (in addition to paying for the lessons) is to:
1) provide a place in the home where the child can play without distractions or interruptions; and
2) help your child establish a routine for practising; and
3) provide support and encouragement.
You have a serious role. Pay an interest. Ask what your child is working on. If you hear a piece that you like, tell them that you like it. Positive feedback can be really powerful - give it. I would also recommend asking your child to play an occasional short recital for you/the family and friends when they come round.
