What can guitar teachers learn from pilots?

As a teacher and student I have always found it useful to study how people learn in different areas. Pilots are a good example because unlike most skills it can be life or death. If teaching guitar was akin to flying it would be somewhat like knowing that if one of your students failed it would be potentially fatal for both you and your students. While obviously not that serious being able to produce successful students is the goal of every guitar teacher so its worthwhile looking at the pilot's training manual. What I noticed immediately was pilots used simulators. This allowed them to gain valuable experience without putting lives at risk. When they had gained enough simulated experience they could begin to fly real planes with the assistance of an instructor. Guitar teachers I realised rarely if ever did simulations of any kind. Ironically they would practice guitar for hours every day but would never rehearse their teaching. They would simply learn on the job but the problem with this is it doesn't allow you to hit the pause button and analyse the situation. Pilots will practice a manoeuvre on a simulator over and over again. Taking off could be compared to conducting a first lesson. Practicing what to do and say will ensure a smooth delivery. I began holding weekly sessions with teachers going through simulations and the performance of those teachers dramatically improved. They lost far less students and their confidence as teachers increased dramatically. Aviation is just one example. As teachers we should always be scanning successful industries to see how they get results.

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You need a plan for learning guitar.

When it comes to learning a skill like guitar this is best achieved using a clear structured plan for a very simple reason. There are many different styles of music and of course many ways to play a guitar but the fundamentals are much the same. A clear structured plan is a way of learning that will reliably bring about a result and ensure the fundamentals are being developed. For beginners this is the best way to learn because having no plan is risky. Very risky. By starting with a clear structured plan and reaching lets say an early intermediate level you can then begin to focus on your favorite style. Often when experienced students enquire about lessons with me they are motivated by frustration. They feel like they are not getting anywhere. A structured method of learning solves this problem. If you are learning guitar without a plan I would recommend seeking one out. If you are a beginner it is best to start with a recognised method of learning. At the very least divide your time between a structured method of learning guitar and what I like to call random learning.
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Do you hate your job?

Your job may very well be shortening your life by years. In the book 'The blue zones' the author presents the latest scientific research on longevity. One of the strongest indicators of early death is prolonged stress and for many this kind of stress is the result of their work. Working long hours is not a problem if you enjoy what you do. It only becomes a problem when the job becomes stressful for long periods. Everyday I speak to people who want to start their own teaching business not so much because of the lure of self employment but to escape the stress of their current job. It seems that the more their job pays the harder it is to leave. My advice is simple. Your stressful job will likely shorten your healthy years of life by about 10 years. Throwing in your job might mean you lose the house, the car and your current lifestyle but you will adjust. Now focus all your energy on building your happy life. Study business and within 1 to 2 years you will be earning the same money as your job but you will be doing something you enjoy. You will look forward to getting out of bed everyday and best of all you will have another 10 years or more to enjoy life.

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Take your guitar teaching online

Teaching guitar or any musical instrument has really not changed in hundreds of years. Students typically find a local teacher, book in a lesson and meet the teacher face to face once a week. Well this model is changing and changing fast. In the 90s our social life was something we did primarily in person. Today we mostly socialize online via Facebook etc. Learning online is only just starting but it will become the norm in the next 5 years or so. You only have to look at how much the Internet has already impacted on our lives. I believe the only thing slowly down online lessons from exploding is the technology and people's general confidence. Skype and Google video are good enough now on most computers but not all but it won't be long before its 99% reliable. Teachers who I speak say they are not sure how to teach an online lesson so this presents a confidence issue. Students are keen to try but they just don't know where to find the reliable online teachers. There is still a trust issue which I am sure we will work out very soon. I have successfully been teaching online since 2009 and I am now helping other teachers to do the same. If you are looking to take your teaching online please feel free to email me. g4guitar1@gmail.com

How much do your students spend on learning guitar?

Your average student will spend $1000 or more this year on learning guitar. Your students knows this is money well spent because your lessons will in fact saved them possibly hundreds of wasted hours spent in inefficient practice methods. As an experienced guitarist you can help your students avoid the mistakes you made. So how about you? Are you studying teaching? Business? Marketing? Are you investing in your education to avoid expensive mistakes or to increase you income and efficiency? When I started teaching back in the 80's my teaching methods were based on what I had learnt from my own teachers. This included guitar teachers, drum teachers, school teachers, football coaches as well as my parents and family members. I was a teenager at the time and had spent my life being coached so I was an expert right? The sad truth is that once I left school my education came to a halt and this happens to most of us. We think because we can play guitar we can teach it and even worse we believe we are natural born business people. My family were in business so I definitely had an advantage but once I left home my education stopped and it wasn't until I found my business in serious financial trouble that I began to seek out coaches. Let me tell you this made all the difference. Like our students we need to always be learning and seeking out coaches. Self taught teachers are like self taught guitar students. A select few manage to succeed (usually the hard way) but most fail. 95% of small businesses fail but those who have a coach or mentor tend to be in the 5% who succeed. I think as teachers we owe it to our students to be continually learning and this means investing in successful coaches.

Teaching guitar using a system.

Guitar teachers tend to fall into two camps. Those who teach using a system and those who do not. I belong to those who use a system of teaching guitar but it wasn't always the case. For over a decade I would teach each student by asking them what they were interested in and then filling in the gaps. This definitely works for those teachers with years of experience but for the most part it pales in comparison to using a system. The reason a system of teaching guitar is so effective is because it is usually based on a proven strategy. The idea of any system is to have a reliable series of steps that when taken give a consistent result. The beauty of a system is it can be improved upon. Once I started teaching via a system I began to see consistent results from my students and each small improvement to the system meant an improvement in student results. You might then ask why teachers would operate without system. In short it's because creating and developing a system takes time. Time that most teachers do not have. I took 2 years off to create and design my system initially and even then it was only half completed. It then took another year of actually teaching and tweaking to get it right. I am still making small improvements but only as required.
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Our guitar students want results.

This might seem like an obvious statement but I have witnessed on many occasions teachers who make form good friendships with their students yet they fail to get results. It is easy to get off track in a lesson an find yourself talking about unrelated subjects. It's also possible to over look the fact that your students are not practicing enough. As teachers we justify it by believing that it's up to the student to do their guitar practice. The fact is when your students don't practice they fail which means you in turn have failed as a teacher. It's important to remember that your students are not paying you to be their friend. Friendship should always be an add on to good teaching and good teaching is measured in terms of results.