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.
www.g4guitarmethod.com

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.

How to find guitar students on the Internet via niches

Teaching guitar is really about niches compared to most instruments. Think about how many different music styles have been explored and even founded on guitar. When I think of its cousin violin the two seem on almost opposite poles. Guitar really does not belong primarily to any one style whereas violin belongs mostly (not exclusively) to classical music. This means that when it comes to marketing your brand of guitar lessons online you should seek out your niche or niches. For instance I am a fan of Steve Lukather like many others but I am also a big fan of Dave Gilmour. By combining the two I have found a niche. The Lukather/Gilmour niche. I could narrow it even further of course by focusing a certain aspect of their guitar playing like honing in on Gilmour's song writing rather than just his general playing. There are an endless number of niches and if you start with the ones that excite you and make some YouTube videos your audience will find you

Why every guitar teacher should have a blog.

I have been writing separate blogs for guitar students and guitar teachers for some years. I must admit I was in two minds going on and off blogging for the first few years. I couldn't really see any value in it. I first begun to change my opinion when I went through a phase of daily blogging and then stopped due to travel. In the following days I received messages from guitar students telling me they missed my blogs. Around the same time I found the stats section on my blogger account and was shocked to see that I was getting up to 500 people a day reading my various blogs with the total number of hits just shy of 100,000. I couldn't really explain it nor did I understand what it meant but what hit me was the fact that I had an audience and that was worth something. If you teach guitar And want to establish a voice blogging is a worthwhile exercise. Blogging is a good option because it's easy. I use an App on my iPod called BlogPress and it allows me to post quickly and easily anytime. So instead of doing nothing when I am sitting on a train or waiting at an airport I can write a blog. Plus you never know when an idea for a blog will come.

Your ideal guitar student

When you first begin teaching you are basically happy to teach anyone. I remember the excitement of enrolling new students in those early days and thinking that I was going to be fully booked in no time. I would enroll 2 to 3 new students a week mostly due to the fact that I had experience in sales. I did eventually fill my schedule but many of my students weren't practicing and I soon found myself feeling like a failure. The problem was I had been accepting anyone and trying to please everyone.

Successful teachers are clear about what their ideal student looks like. They can describe them in detail and as a result all their students will fit or be close to this description. But I should make it clear that they don't turn away students who aren't ideal. They simply have standards that students have to meet and their strength is communicating those standards and ensuring their students live up to them. If not that's when they politely recommend another teacher.

http://www.g4guitarmethod.com

Why group teaching is better than private

The power of social influence. There is no evidence to show that students who learn privately do better. Private lessons can be helpful in certain situations when a student is just not keeping up but in this case you can offer a one off private lesson for that student. Social influence on the other hand is well documented. We like to keep up with the Jones's. If you set a pace of learning to your groups students in most cases will keep up. You should also employ team work mentality so that students help each other. 

Going viral.  A popular term these days for ideas that spread quickly. When you teach in groups your reputation spreads quickly. When students are learning in groups they feel they are part of something and become excited and want to spread the word. They are more likely to tell their friends and even invite their friends to join them. Private students don't invite friends because the lesson is private. 

Time efficiency. When you teach only 15 to 20 hours a week you can earn several times more than teachers who teach full time. More money means a healthier business. With plenty of cash you can find a good studio in a good location with great facilities.  You can do more for your students. Cash poor operations sweat on every dollar and rarely give much back. You also get more spare time. This is time you can use to become a better guitarist and fulfil your own musical aspirations or you could use this time to become a better teacher. So often I hear from teachers who say they don't have time. The problem is not lack of time as we all get the same 24 hours a day, its the way they structure their time. Teaching privately is like playing concerts to one person at a time. It's an inefficient use of time.

Price point. The average private teacher charges $35 per 30 minute lesson. Group lessons in comparison can be $20 to $25.  What people seek is value and if your price is lower you will get more inquiries and eventually more students providing you can deliver.

1. G4 GUITAR Teacher Network
2. www.g4guitarmethod.com.au

   
   

   If you have any questions please contact me via the email below.
5. Contact: My email address is 

My ultimate strategy for teaching guitar

The following strategy is my ultimate plan for guitar teacher success and its based on group teaching.

Set your group lesson times. I suggest you teach 3 days a week. Don't teach on Mondays as there are too many public holidays and Fridays people are signing off for the week or going away. Pick from on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. You should split your groups into 3 age groups. Juniors, Teens and Adults. Junior groups 4pm and 6pm, teens 6pm to 7pm and adults 7.30pm onwards. All ow yourself a break from 7pm to 7.30pm.

Start with a 5 week private introduction. Enrol new students for a 5 week private course to introduce them to the method and build rapport. Prime them for group lessons. Once completed introduce them into a group. If they cannot fit into a suitable group time simply explain that you do not have any other options. Stick to your group times. Think of it like a bus timetable. These are the times you teach and students will need to work out their week around your schedule. Students who were impressed by your 5 week intro will fit in.

Spend the rest of your time marketing. To get the numbers you will need to build your groups you will need to do lots of local marketing. Doing local letterbox flyers is somewhat of a safe option but will require lots of walking. Talking to local businesses, schools, attending fetes, joining committees or business groups can also help. Look for opportunities to do shared marketing. E.g. A double-sided flyer with you on one side and a local business on the other.

That's it!

1. G4 GUITAR Teacher Network
2. www.g4guitarmethod.com.au

   If you have a question please contact me via the email below.
5. Contact: My email address is