Teacher Feature
Learn about other guitar teachers’ experiences as each issue we compare notes from two teachers. This issue we feature Julian Brady from Herefordshire and Ruth Harry from Devon.
GT: When did you first start teaching guitar, and what/who inspired you to take up teaching?
Julian: Ten or so years ago, I started a band with some work colleagues and started gigging. People asked then if I could teach them and I was delighted to accommodate them. I kept up teaching as a supplement to my main income until five years ago when I became a full time guitar tutor, working at schools during the day and running the Riverside Music School evenings and weekends.
Ruth: Part-time on and off since 1974, full-time since 1992. I was looking for a new teaching post when a friend suggested I teach guitar in schools for fun whilst waiting!
GT:
What do you enjoy most about teaching guitar?
Julian: Being paid for doing something that I both enjoy, and am good at. I am continually re-motivated by my students' success - the expression on their faces in their hard-earned moment of glory receiving their certificates is a joy.
Ruth: The joy of my students when they achieve something, be it passing an exam, performing at a concert, realising they have understood something (that 'magic' moment).
GT: What are the downsides of the job?
Julian: The amount of preparation and unpaid extras soon adds up into a lot of unpaid time. Also the seasonal nature of the work: very busy from Christmas to the summer holidays, then a drastic drop in lessons as clients go away or just take time off.
Ruth: Not having time to meet other teachers.
GT: How do you balance your teaching commitments with other aspects of your life?
Julian:This is a very difficult balance - having little time left to help out in the house can cause friction. My wife is supportive, however, so we get by! I view gigging as part of the job. It brings in some students but not many. I justify it by looking at the reaction of students who see the band, and see it as being taught by a professional musician rather than a stuffy teacher.
Ruth: Making the most of school holidays to see family and friends. Although I really enjoy gigging, teaching pays the bills!
GT: How would you summarise your approach to teaching guitar?
Julian: Motivation, motivation and motivation. If you can infect a student with enthusiasm, the job is easy. The unmotivated student is on the slippery slope. Plenty of praise, encouragement, and a bit of fun-based mucking about help a lot. Teaching the technical stuff is easy with a motivated student.
Ruth: Find out why the student has come along, what exactly they hope to achieve. Help them feel comfortable and relaxed. Work towards their goal together, trying to ensure that each lesson contains achievement, enjoyment and inspiration (for both parties!).
GT: Where do you teach your students and what kind of facilities do you provide?
Julian: The Riverside Music School is the basement of
my house. So far I have developed three of the rooms. One room as a waiting
room, one a small studio for one or two students, and the other a large
studio for groups and workshops. I have a drum teacher come along two evenings
a week, and a keyboard teacher for another evening. All equipment is provided,
and there is always coffee in the waiting room. 
The
rooms are soundproofed.
Ruth: At home in a dedicated music room with amps, Tascam CD-GT1, recording facility, several types of guitars for students to try, spare strings, plectrums, etc. I have a large collection of songsheets and instrumentals, and a supply of grade books for purchase. I also have the RGT guitar and bass syllabus on the wall, preliminary through to grade 8, prompting lots of questions! Also on display are photos of students and family, posters and adverts for local events.
GT: What styles of music do most students want to learn?
Julian: The majority of students (80%) still want to learn rock. Some older students prefer blues (10%) and others like acoustic folk and fingerstyle (10%).
Ruth: Modern acoustic and electric styles with a generous portion of rock and pop classics, plus some blues and folk.
GT: Do you find the RGT exams useful?
Julian: I have found the RGT exams very useful indeed. It sets out a curriculum, with clear goals to make my lesson planning easier. The students become motivated by their own success, and on the way, learn a wider range of material than I would otherwise teach. The exams also gain support for both tutor and students, from parents and schools.
Ruth: Yes, very useful. Many of my students want to take exams, and it helps me structure my lessons for the others.
GT: How do new students find out about you?
Julian: Recommendation is the biggest source of new students. Many come privately when they change school and no longer have lessons available. I also advertise in the local press, and have my own brochures. The Local Pages, and Yellow Pages, both have my listing. I have an award ceremony in a church hall at which I give out the exam certificates, and this gets an article in the local paper with a picture.
Ruth: Most of my students come through my working in local schools, recommendations, sending exam results to the local paper, and from my website.
GT: As well as teaching privately, do you teach in any schools or colleges? If so, how do you find this differs?
Julian: I teach in seven primary schools and one secondary school. The main difference is the time per pupil. The younger pupils can be groups of three for 20 minutes, by the time they have settled in, and had three guitars tuned, there is barely 10 minutes of useful teaching. Compared to ½ hr individual private tuition, it is easy to see the difference. There is more time and it is easier to do a better job. Schools can be chaotic too, with many potential distractions, teaching in my studio is much more relaxed and promotes better concentration from the younger students.
Ruth: I teach in several local junior schools, usually groups of four which keeps the cost per person low. This requires lots of patience! It is the hardest client group. At the high school it is mostly one-to-one or occasionally groups of two.
GT: How do you encourage students to practise?
Julian: To keep students 'on the hook', I never scold or even frown when it becomes obvious they have not practised. I see it as a motivation task for me. I do point out the obvious "practice loads - get good quick; don't practise - get good slow" but it is better to find a piece of music that inspires the student. At Riverside Music School, I keep a record of what piece or particular skill I have taught, and agree with the student to review this at the beginning of the next lesson. In schools, each child has a 'daily practice record sheet' to complete. In practice, both are just to keep tabs on where we are, creating the circumstances where the student wants to practice is the key issue.
Ruth: By giving them something they really want to do!
GT: Do you have any tips to pass on to new guitar teachers?
Julian: Your success will be measured by your students' success, get them playing, make it fun, get them on the Grades ladder if you can and their passes will be yours.
Ruth: Be an enabler, not a show-off. It's all about what the student can do, not you.
