true. forgot to mention that everytime i go to shopping malls i would drop by book shops to read through parts of guitar books such as guitar for dummies, etc.

Good question, how to get students?

My guess is that if you're doing private classes, word-of-mouth recommendations are the best. Either that or you'll have to shamelessly post bills & adverts into people's mailboxes to solicit their services. I tried posting a few adverts on a news bulletin board once, but pranksters tore them down and response was pathetic.

As for teaching in music shops, what I did last time was to scout out the shop. I found this shop in my hometown the last time that was trying to get its music classes going, so I just strolled into the shop, asked to "test" one of their guitars, let rip a few nice tunes and voila! Someone asked me if I wanted to teach!

The advantage of teaching in a music shop is that you get a larger number of students as compared to private tuitioning. However, the 50% commissions sometimes really do not justify the effort put in. What you can do is, start off by teaching in a music school, establish your reputation & rapport with the students, then go into private tuitioning, taking the students with you. Besides, if you're producing good results, most parents will want you to continue to teach their kids. Also, if you're giving private tuitions and are willing to travel to their homes, you can charge an extra RM30-RM50.

Wow..whats with these close ended questions...How to teach? How to get students?...anymore we may as well teach for ya

just joshing with ya.

The toughest part about teaching private is establishing a reputation for yourself..after all you will have to market yourself as a brand now. Start with distinctive selling features. e.g. you won any awards? were you a child prodigy (you never know right?)? In a well known band? Played in church band for X no of years? whatever.... this will aid you in getting the job.

Job? Yep I totally agree that starting yourself with an established music school is the easiest way to get students. Sure the pay sucks but the goodwill and spillover reputation will make it worthwhile. Do a good job...soon you'll be known as the young guitar teacher at XXXX place. Continue...some parents will pay extra for private tutelage on top of lessons. After you established a name for yourself, you can then choose to go solo.

Until now, I still have trouble going back to Mahogany to visit my friends ...people/customers still ask me to teach bass... so i hide in...*gasp* Yamaha

This post has been edited by stefanong: Dec 7 2006, 01:10 PM

sure..when i started teaching..i was so into .."getting the students to be better than me"

but..

ermm..After teaching for 4 years..everything becomes a routine ..

you won't want to be "the best kickass guitar teacher" around..

you just wait for the pay check every month..

that was what happened to me

Hurhurhur~

Just love the smell of cold-hard cash at the end of the month!

teaching music can b really challenging...
especially if ur teaching a young kid wit no passion for music, n just coming for the lesson because forced by their parents..
they dun practise anything... n just try to go wit the flow...
haiya.....

This post has been edited by blacknuke: Dec 8 2006, 02:08 PM

yeah man i feel you..once in a while..i get some MAPLE STORY or DOTA freak students..who knows nothing about music...

well..try this..

get a piece of paper ..tell them to write about how they feel towards something..:a girl , an enemy ..

use it as a lyrics ..throw in chords..goreng some vocal melody..

WHOA..your student got his original song

and ..you will be surprise .some 8 years old kid have all the foul languages in the song

No kidding?! How foul can an 8 year old get lah?

are you kidding me? I have 6-7 year olds scolding my ass off with sentences that i myself couldn't even possibly have thought off!!! And we wonder how society is developing....

But yeah thats a good idea from guitarnoobster2. At least the student gets to create something original on his/her own. Far better than some teachers who just teach you how to play a certain song. Which many teachers nowadays do. I went for guitar lessons once and the teacher asked me "so what song you want to learn today?". I quit the very next day

At least he doesn't sound like Jack Black and the D...... then you'll REALLY be in trouble

My gosh... I remember as a kid, the SLIGHTEST sign of disrespect will earn you a slap across the cheek or a mouthful of soap!

But are moderate forms of punishments still allowed these days while teaching i.e. rapping the knuckles with a wooden ruler or copy the F# maj scale 100 times?

as long as the parents don't turn up to sue you for child abuse, you can rap knuckles all you want . But it's so lame nowadays especially in schools. THe kids can just bad mouth the teachers and if they kena rotan, their parents turn up the next day to threaten the teachers.

My experience...

(Student arrives for class)

Me: Hey, you're late again today.

Student: Can't help lar, traffic jam. (Apparently every week also got traffic jam one.)

Me: Never mind, it's okay. Last week's song got practise?

Student: No time no time, very busy last week.

Me: Like that cannot progress one ler. Anyway, this week we'll be learning this. (Pass music sheet to student.) It's a very nice song.

Student: (eyeing me suspiciously) This song hard anot one?

Me: No lar. Very easy song.

Student: Don't always bluff me lar. Every song also you say easy.

Me: Trust me, this song is really easy.

(15 minutes later)

Student: (Struggling) Very hard lar this song!

Me: Well, you just have to put in more practice.

Student: But really can't play it ler. No sound come out one.

Me: It's like that at the beginning. Just keep on practising and you'll get better.

Student: You very lo1 so1 ler.

(Another 15 minutes later)

Me: Okay, that's it for today. Remember to practise!

Student : See how lar.

well.... not to be an ass or anything, but it really sucks to be you there

In such cases, I'd be very much inclined to not progress any further until he/she absorbs the lesson. However, yah the student may accuse you of being boring, not giving him/her more stuff and quit...

Kids these days...

Nowadays if students really lazy I will tell them come half hour earlier before class to practise. Then I can make sure that they at practised a little bit and it makes my classes go much more smoothly

I really like my job actually, haha. Especially since I'm still studying can get part-time job like this is damn good dy.

Good pay+ nice boss+ super flexible working hours+ relaxed environment
= happy teacher

kyl where u teach?
Those kids are...
Although i'm not a teacher, but me myself as a student always follow the lesson.
Since it's 30 minutes only, pay full attention lo.

Wow you're patient...me....[turn around and face parents while pointing at magazine] Judging by his progress, have you ever considered ballet for your son?

haha i tink the best threat to a teacher is to hav students WILLING to learn
if not den very sakit hati 1....haih...

oya...
ee...how much u guys charge for lessons?

I'm a music teacher. Teaching music is difficult, especially for those who dun have any music base at all.