10 Things To Look For In A Guitar Teacher

10 Things To Look For In A Guitar Teacher Megan L. Learning how to play guitar is a wonderful journey, and youre at a crucial stage: finding a great guitar teacher. How do you know if the guitar teacher youre looking at will be a good match for you? Take these tips from guitar teacher Melissa K. to find the perfect guitar teacher for you! Your fingers do strange, elegant dances in the air. Melodies and chord progressions haunt your dreams. Your friends are in an a capella group and will erupt into songs at a moment’s notice, but you’re not a singer. Whatever your reasons, you’ve made the decision to advance your guitar skills, whether you’re picking it up for the first time or building on what you already know. Congrats! Now that you’re ready to dive in, let’s make it count by finding the teacher who will be the best guide as youre learning how to play guitar. When you’re looking at potential guitar teachers, keep these factors in mind: Education Opinions differ over whether a guitarist needs to have studied their instrument formally. Many colleges offer complete programs on different guitar styles â€" everything from playing pop music in studios to improving jazz to classical. Your teacher may have gone to school, but also may have studied one-on-one with dozens of professional players. If you’re considering a teacher without a college background, look for a list of references and review what they teach. Besides showing you technique, you’ll want a teacher who will explain music theory to give you a deeper understanding of what you’re playing. Experience teaching Many great guitarists can teach, but they may not be experienced teachers. Conveying information is its own art form, and everyone learns differently. A good education alone won’t do the trick â€" choose a guitarist who has at least a few years of teaching behind them. If they’re new to teaching and you’re OK with that, make sure they give you a rate competitive with other teachers. Teaching style Casual or rigorous? Loaded with theory, or focused on a single technique or song? There are as many different ways to take a guitar lesson as there are teachers and students. Ask yourself what you want to get out of your experience. If you’re just doing this for fun, you may want a more laid-back teacher. If you’d like to learn as much as possible, find someone who will keep you on your toes. Active musically Many guitarists enjoy an active performing or recording schedule, whether they play solo or in groups. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll make a great teacher, but it does mean they’re passionate about what they do and it often grants them a well-rounded perspective. If you want to learn about the professional track, get to know a professional player. Accessibility Before you get started with a teacher, your schedules have to mesh. Make sure you can both set up a consistent time to meet each week. If you’re both very busy or your teacher’s schedule is constantly changing due to other commitments, it may not be a good match. You may also have questions during the week pertaining to your lessons. Your teacher’s TakeLessons profile shows you their average response time â€" if you want to keep your lessons on pace, they should get back to you within a day or two (Editors note: for an example of this, check out Melissas profile or search for guitar teachers in your area). Goal-setter What do you want to accomplish? Whether you want to learn a set of songs, be better at a particular genre, or become a master shredder, part of your teacher’s job is to keep you on track and help you improve. Ask your teacher to help you identify and establish goals early on so that you can mark your progress. Dedicated Acquiring any new skill takes time, and you’re likely to stumble. That’s OK. A good guitar teacher will want to stay with you on this journey. Find a teacher who has kept the same students for a considerable length of time, for several months or years. And be dedicated, too! A great teacher will match your motivation. Personality Beyond having impressive credentials and experience, you’ll want to connect with your teacher enough to feel comfortable asking questions and trying new things. Find a guitar teacher who is friendly, open, receptive, and adheres to a level of professionalism. A sense of humor is a plus. Price Many lessons are competitively priced, but good, experienced teachers tend to charge more. Consider your budget. Taking lessons from a teacher who doesn’t charge much may be nice for you in the short term, but if youre interested in learning how to play guitar on a deeper level, investing in a strong teacher will help you build the foundation you need. Love of music This is why we take guitar lessons in the first place! Hopefully your teacher will share a passion for music so strong, you can feel it fill the room. Those teachers who love teaching music are also easy to spot, because when you finally play that complicated melody you’ve been working on for weeks, they’ll have a big smile on their face.  Ready to find the guitar teacher of your dreams? Search for a teacher near you today! Melissa K. is a studio and stage guitarist in Los Angeles, CA and has been teaching guitar and songwriting for over 7 years. In addition to her musical expertise, this Philadelphia native also teaches juggling!  Learn more about Melissa here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by USAG Humphreys

What is it Like to Attend Oregon State University

What is it Like to Attend Oregon State University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Dan received his Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Oregon State University. He is currently a tutor in Tucson specializing in Algebra tutoring, Pre-Calculus tutoring, Statistics tutoring, and several other subjects. See what he had to say about his experience at Oregon State University: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Dan: When I attended Oregon State University, it was a campus of fewer than 15,000 students in a very picturesque setting. You were safe on the campus and could go about without too much concern. The main way to get around was by bike. There were bike locks everywhere that attached each bike to a tree, parking meter, fence, lamp post, or bike stand. No one dared to lock a bike to a fire hydrant. If you did not lock your bike up properly, you could return to find a bike frame without tires or tires without a bike frame. I had a very inexpensive bike that I knew no one would want, so it was never stolen. I even left it at the student bookstore over winter break and later found it untouched. It was a three-speed bike, and, no, I did not have a bell on it. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Dan:This varied basedon the professor, teaching assistant, and class size. With the very large classes of 200 students or more, there was always an aid who was available several evenings a week to help with the material. I frequently attended these sessions. Some professors were great about offering certain times of the day when they would be available. Others were downright grumpy, and getting their help was a waste of time. You could get more out of the material by sleeping with the textbook under your pillow. The other method that many professors used was to post solutions to the chapter questions that were not part of the homework. I used this all the time. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Dan:Dorm life was as varied as the professors. Some dorms were known as the wilder dorms, and serious students knew to avoid these. Some dorms housed a mixture of students. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Dan:Oregon State University had a very good science college. They were also known for their Agriculture major. I studied Electrical Engineering, which seemed to be a good fit for my desires and talents. At the start of my freshman year, the Engineering department got all the freshman Engineering majors into an auditorium just before classes started, and they told us to look at the person to our left, and then to our right. They told us that two out of three of us would drop out of the Engineering major before senior year. Great encouragement that was (or not)! VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Dan:I started out in a dormand met many students. We would often knock on each others doors to ask questions about the material we were studying. All the Engineering majors I encountered were friendly and helpful. Greek life in most sororities and fraternities was the campus social standard. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Dan:The Career Center was very helpful in guiding students toward companies. They also helped us get organized. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Dan:Somewhere was always conducive to studying. However, a common favorite was the student union, which had a late-night cafeteria. This was a great place to pick up a cup of coffee, dessert, or whatever else you needed. This area was never large enough to meet student demand. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Dan:Corvallis, Oregon was a very small town, and it did not offer much for students, unlike the big city of Portland. However, beach access was within easy driving distance, and this was a great escape. You could also slip out and find a late-night sandwich shop for another reprieve. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Dan:The student body was just under 15,000. To me, this size was just fine not too big and not too small. Of course, as a freshman, class sizes were frightening and overwhelming. In the 200-, 300-, and 400-level classes, the size went down to where you could be on a first-name basis with the professor. He or she would even involve you with outside corporate projects. This was very cool and eye-opening. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Dan:This would be my Calculus Iclass. I was not one of the fortunate students who took this in high school, so I was a bit behind and frightened. I was a learn through experience type of person. It was difficult for me to grasp the concept just from a book and blackboard. If I could get a glimpse of the subject and how it was applied, I coulddo very well. Most teachers that I encountered never taught this way. For this class, I had a teaching aid who told us that we would not need the textbook. We could put it on the shelf or sell it back to the bookstore. He instead gave us a book about the practical application of the material. Thanks to his teaching, I got the subject. This helped me throughout my years in college, as I learned how to see the subject matters application in the outside world. I studied the Calculus textbook right alongside his teaching, and I took away lifelong understanding and a great foundation for the future. Check out Dans tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.