I have been teaching guitar for 29 years next month and I’ve been playing for 34 years. Every time I think about that fact I feel really bad for the students that I taught for the first few years but that is another story. The opportunity that started as a way to make a few bucks while I was in school without slinging pizza turned into an occupation that I became very passionate about. I love teaching people how to play the instrument almost as much I love playing music on it. Over the years I became both a better musician and a better teacher and I’ve developed quite a few techniques and approaches that help me work with students of a wide range of skill levels. I am also very patient with my students as long as they are putting an honest effort into the work. I joke that a large part of my day is spent as a guitar therapist, especially with adult students who have expectations of growth that are never met. An adult student usually does not have the same amount of free time to practice or even just play guitar that a younger student should have. They also are used to working environments where they learn new tasks for their job fairly quickly. The fact that learning a musical instrument is not such a straightforward progression makes learning one something of an “epic journey” for most adults. I’ve discussed that in depth here: http://www.markwein.com/the-learning-squiggle/
You would think that with my experiences over a few decades that my return to school would be a little easier. In some ways, it has been harder as I struggle with my own self-expectations and limitations.
At the school I am attending, I had the option of studying with one of two professors. One is something of a local legend who has performed internationally with a huge list of famous jazz musicians and has published several acclaimed guitar books. The other professor doesn’t have the same kind of resume but went back to school to get his masters degree at the same age that I did and has experienced a lot of the trials and tribulations that I’m currently going through. I chose the “less famous” instructor and I’m really happy that I did. Much like I try to mentor my own students and guide them through the difficulties of the process, my teacher does the same for me and is not afraid to call me on my bullshit.
The thing that I do as bad or worse than any of my students is my being unhappy or impatient with my progress from week to week. I’m getting better about it but at my age and experience, I feel like I should get this stuff faster or should already be good at a large portion of it. And in reality, I need the same amount of honestly spent time and effort to improve that it takes any one of my own students. This is a lot of new information and the training that I am getting is a lot deeper than anything I’ve experienced before. But I let my ego and insecurities get the best of me just like everyone else. And the energy that I spend on all of this is wasted and could be better spent moving forward with the material.
You would think that with all of my years of being “guitar therapist” to hundreds (maybe even thousands) of guitar students that I would recognize the mistake that I’m making and steer clear but it is not always that easy. You are working towards goals that you have a deeply personal stake in and it is actually not very difficult to start thinking in these circles if you hit a rough patch. And since progress is only made by working on things that are new or difficult to you this can be a common occurrence. I am the person when I am teaching that helps the student navigate through the rough patches but I didn’t realize that sometimes the most important thing that my teacher does for me is to steer me around my own obstacles.
So I guess the point of all of this is that a good teacher needs to be a guide as much as an “instructor”. An effective guitar instructor will both steer you through the rough patches and also lay out a lesson path that will lead you from rough patch to rough patch as they direct your development by working on things that you need work on, and not just present easy material that you already know. A guitar instructor that was a huge influence on me when I was in college the first time wrote this article that discusses the “discomfort” of constructive criticism in regards to music students. His subject is a little different than what I am discussing but it does explore the idea that criticism and looking candidly at a student’s progress is very important, and usually fairly uncomfortable for the student. It is just part of the process. Plus, I think this is just a good read: https://majoringinmusic.com/serious-music-student/
Ultimately I’ve had to relearn to embrace the discomfort that comes with progress, listen to my teacher and try to not get too spun out in my own head when things aren’t going that well. Or to just take the advice I give my own students on a daily basis.
Funny how that works.
