Finding the Right Guitar Teacher in Philadelphia
Do your homework on your teacher
You should ask your potential teacher: can you play guitar? This seems like an obvious question. If they are able to teach then obviously they can play, right? Not always. A guitar teacher may learn from books and know chords but can’t actually play a full song. Is that someone you want teaching you? Do your homework. Finding a good guitar teacher in Philadelphia isn’t as easy as it may seem.
The first thing you need to ask a guitar teacher before taking lessons is can they actually play? Some instructors know technique and theory but they can’t actually play a song. Better still, there are some teachers that can play the heck out of a guitar but know nothing about the technical and musical aspects of playing. Playing and teaching are two very different things but a good guitar teacher can do both. So how will you know besides the obvious way of asking? Knowing their history, background and teaching styles will help you decide if your teacher can teach you properly.
Anyone who wants to teach guitar has to have studied and learned all aspects of playing. They will have studied it in some form and not only know the technical facets of the instrument but they will “feel” the music when they are playing. They will understand the instrument backwards and forward. In essence, they will be a very good player. This is important because in order to teach anyone, they have to have the passion for the instrument both musically and technically.
Once someone can play, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can teach. Teaching guitar is a completely different skill set than playing. A teacher will have the passion to not only play but to teach others how to play. They will possess patience and communication skills and understand when a student is working at a different pace than another. A lot of guitar players get into teaching to earn extra money until their big break comes around. This doesn’t necessarily make them good guitar teachers. In fact, you may learn nothing at all from them.
A good guitar teacher will have learned how to teach either through schooling or they will simply have that ability. They will be able to create lesson plans and assign homework that is relevant to how each individual student is learning. Not everyone learns at the same pace and a good guitar teacher will understand this. This is where patience comes into play. A teacher, any teacher, must have a lot of patience to teach others anything. People don’t always understand something you are teaching on the first try and this is especially true when teaching guitar.
If you are looking for a good guitar teacher in Philadelphia who understands that the importance of playing and teaching go hand in hand, look no further than the David Joel Guitar Studio.