For Teachers

Do you teach guitar or are you in the process of launching a teaching career? If so, you are probably aware of the many rewards of the trade. Sometimes, though, after a long day of helping others, we could use a little support and assistance ourselves! I have created this place—just for teachers—to fill some of those needs.. Please email me with your own ideas, suggestions or additions!

When Students Don’t Practice
Regardless of how much you love teaching, dealing with students whose practice habits don’t meet your standards can trigger negative attitudes toward those students. It’s a common experience for teachers and, as you may have experienced, it can be a miserable one. What’s worse, the unprepared student will usually carry a burden of guilt that makes him or her feel just as miserable as you do. For that student, the initial excitement around learning guitar often spirals downward into a dread of attending lessons. In addition, the cost of the lessons will go from feeling like a valuable investment to a troubling waste of money. It’s a negative cycle for teachers and students both, and it’s only a matter of time before someone throws in the towel.

Does it feel like you’ve tried everything to change this experience? Have you encouraged students to suggest their favorite songs for you to help them with? Or perhaps you’ve scheduled performances or organized group classes in attampt to inspire or motivate your students. You might even have required students to fill in practice logs in an attempt to heighten engagement. Any of these may produce positive results, but those results are often minimal or short-lived. Sometimes it seems that no amount of support or cheerleading will jump start a chroinically non-practicing student, and you are left with the same unanswered question: what can you do to help this student learn?

I’ve discovered that the question can actually be answered quite simply and with remarkable results: “Teach them!” The musical realm is so vast, there is always more to learn and teach – and it can always be fun! When students continue to learn new things in spite of their lagging practice habits, they have fun and stay commitmed. And with the inspiration they receive at each lesson, it is only a matter of time until their practice habits improve and everybody wins!

I Can Enjoy This!

I have actually come to really enjoy lessons with students who have not practiced, as it presents a creative opportunity in my teaching. I love seeing how much lighter students appear when they are relieved of their guilt and in possession of a new tool for their musical toolbox!

When you first begin this approach, it may seem challenging to come up with just the right solution on the spot, but you don’t have to create every lesson plan on your own. This book can help you regain forward motion with an unprepared or uninspired student – and with 52 Lessons, you have help every week of the year! Just choose a topic from the index that you feel would benefit, excite or inspire your student. Be sure to introduce each lesson with an explanation of the relevance to their long-term goals or short-term enjoyment. You may want to mix up topics or, if you have been heavily focusing on one aspect of playing, such as technique, you might see an opportunity to introduce a fresh topic, such as analyzing rhythms or melodies or hearing chord progressions. Some of the lessons are theory oriented, some provide instruction regarding common chord progressions or right hand techniques and others, such as working with the metronome, playing melodies or developing pitch sense.

If you want even more lessons to choose from, sign up for the Virtual Studio and access over 150 audio, video, and text lessons, plus backing tracks and printable tools.

Once your student is feeling better about not practicing (and you’re feeling better, too!), both of you can get on a track of ongoing motivation and commitment by understanding and working with the principles in You & Your Guitar. Look inside to see what it’s about—it really does change everything!

Discounts for Teachers

If you are interested in using any of my books in your teaching and would like to inquire about discounts, please contact me.