Group Lessons
Reasons To Join A Group For Guitar Lessons
- Better Results
- Be part of a team
- Performing in a Group
- Motivation to practice
- Play different roles in a group
- Understand how to play music with other people
As a music teacher, I concern myself with getting results. The main challenge this presents is finding ways to get people to practice. To actually want to practice. All the best books, top notch methods and guidance is worthless unless it is applied through constant practicing. The reason my teaching studio offers superior results is really pretty simple: I give my students reasons to want to practice.
A lot of people are under the false impression that private one-on-one lessons are always better than group lessons. As a full-time guitar teacher, teaching now for over 15 years, I know that this is just not true. In fact I have found the exact opposite to be true for most beginners and people who want to play in a band.
The students in a group help push each other forward. There’s a sense of camaraderie and healthy competition. Students are more inclined to practice when it feels like a group is holding them accountable. The more advanced students get the chance to teach what they know, thereby reinforcing their own knowledge. Therefore, it is a misconception that all the group members must be at the same level. There are always more complicated or simpler ways to play any piece of music. So, beginner students get the easy parts and advanced students get the harder or lead parts.
Being in a band is like being on a sports team. You will learn a lot of the same interpersonal skills that you might learn playing on a sports team. It’s good for self-esteem and it gives students a chance to learn how to communicate effectively in a setting that is both fun, but also serious. You will also make really good friends with peers that share a similar interest, guitar.
Part of what makes the group setting so unique and successful at delivering results is the performance outlets. You get to perform with your group. Performance is not mandatory, but helps a lot in becoming a musician. When students perform in a group, it’s much more enjoyable for most beginners, because they are not used to how nerve racking playing solo is. Performing in a group can be much more beneficial for your first few times in front of an audience. One of our performances was actually a student’s first paid gig.