lilo playing the guitar

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Finding the right guitar lessons for your child can be a daunting task. With so much choice it can be hard to know who to choose, whether it should be in a shop or an independent tutor, whether you would rather home tuition for your child or in a studio, whether the extra cost for one tutor is worth it or not. I’ve written a little guide to help you look for the perfect tutor for your child as well and a few pointers on what you can ask…

  • Where are the lessons located?

    ‘Are the guitar lessons near me?’ is obviously a high ranking factor on your check list. Are they easily within reach? Can they safely walk there themselves? Is there anything I can do whilst I wait if I need to drive them?

    You don’t want to commit to somewhere that is well out of your way unless you think their tuition is really worth it, in which case you can always enquire about Skype guitar lessons or home visits.

  • How much?

    Some say you can’t put a price on an education but as something you are paying for weekly you need to make sure you are getting value for money.

    Most prices are pretty similar for local areas but if you do go for the cheapest option make sure your child is still getting worthwhile guitar tuition from an educated musician and not just learning Greensleeves over and over from an inexperienced guitar player.

  • Who will teach my child?

    One thought many parents are concerned with is who is giving the guitar lesson, and rightly so. If you are leaving your child with someone you don’t know there will always be concerns. That is why I encourage parents to call or even drop by and meet me first but many parents sit in on the lesson for the first few weeks until both parent and child are comfortable.

    Another good thing to check is if the tutor is DBS/CRB checked. This is a government certificate that “prevents unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children” and if your guitar tutor can provide this then you can have peace of mind that they have not been involved in any criminal activity or appear on any barred list.

    Finally I think it’s important to like the guitar tutor as a person. As a child I learnt a lot from my martial arts instructors that wasn’t fitness based. Things like respect, politeness, general social skills and I also looked up to these people as adults when I sometimes found my parents a bit of a pain (Ok a total pain, you know what teenagers are like!)

  • Do they have experience?

    Children can be difficult to teach. Think back to your high school days and I bet you had some less than co-operative children in your class if you weren’t one of them!

    Attention drifts, Interest can disappear as quickly as it was gained and doing even more ‘homework’ can put children off. That’s why I think it’s important to find a guitar teacher that has experience with teaching children.

    Someone who knows when to change up the songs your child is learning, when they’re ready for you to push them to understand complex theory and when to joke about the latest video games, all help in educating them musically and developing their focus which I don’t need to tell you will benefit them in later years.

Obviously I’d like to think I tick all these boxes for you so feel free to get in touch or book a free 30 minute trial lesson that you are more than welcome to sit in on.

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