As a music instructor I've learned that every person has a unique way of learning. I don't believe in a "one size fits all" answer to teaching guitar. Some students crave structured guitar sessions while others respond better to looser less predictable approach. For almost every kind of student there are book with which I like to work out of. This helps to give the students something very definitive to be working out of. As often as possible I try to incorporate actual songs the student likes into the learning process. Most times songs can be broken down into a simple, easy-to-play form that gives even the beginner the ability to play something that they recognize. More than anything I do my best to keep each lesson fun and interesting.

With the beginner student I prefer to use the ground-up approach by making sure they have a firm grip on the very basics (hand placement, posture, counting beats, pick grip, etc…) before getting too involved in one direction. I also have many students who have "fiddled" around with the guitar for years, picked up things here and there but just need some help demystifying all they've learned. Whether it be basic strumming patterns or help at breaking bad habits I have the playing and teaching experience to help someone through the toughest spots of learning to play guitar. The very beginning is always the hardest part of learning the guitar but every second of practice piles up and with that anyone can fluently learn to play.

I firmly believe that the key to successfully learning the guitar is to enjoy the road of learning as much as the thought of the destination. The more someone learns to play more they realize the possibilities the guitar can offer and the more they become able to take advantage of a lifetime of music making.