Thinking Of Becoming Guitar Tutor Or Teacher?
Guitar education is rapidly growing as a popular subject for learning. The guitar is a musical instrument that can be played by anyone with a healthy ear and an understanding of the chords that compose the language of music.
Guitar playing is a fun hobby that millions enjoy, but if you want to make a career in guitar teaching, you might find yourself struggling to pay rent at the end of each month.
To become a guitarist or guitar teacher is to understand the elements of an instrument that is built to be played and understood by two hands and a mind.
While there are plenty of jobs out there that allow people to earn extra cash by teaching guitar lessons, not everyone has the same level of talent or knowledge that they require to become a successful teacher.
If you want to teach guitar, this article will reveal what you need to do to be successful, and how you can teach.
Here’s How to Become a Guitar Tutor or Teacher?
When you want to become a guitar tutor, or teach guitar, it’s difficult to find the right company, or even a tutoring school.
Teaching the guitar can challenge, If you’re looking to learn more about teaching, you’ve come to the right place.
Check this out!
1. Find out what you want from your career change
Finding what your goals are will help determine whether becoming a guitar master should be on your list of priorities.
Are you looking to take some regular time off from work before launching into another line of business? Are you just interested in earning more money than you currently do?
Do you have interest in being self-employed or starting up a new company?
Before diving headfirst into any type of job search, it’s important to know where exactly you stand financially right now. This way, you won’t waste valuable resources pursuing positions that aren’t even viable options for you.
In fact, having realistic expectations in income with guitar teaching may save you thousands of dollars along the way.
2. Pick up some skills that can help with teaching
The first step towards success involves getting acquainted with every aspect of the industry. You’ll need to learn all aspects in selection of guitars so that you’re able to teach them effectively.
If you don’t already play one yourself, consider buying an inexpensive acoustic electric guitar. With practice, you’ll soon have mastered the basics like strumming patterns and picking techniques.
Once you’ve got comfortable with basic techniques, it’s time to move onto chord progressions and scales.
Learning these fundamentals will also give you insight into what makes students tick, which helps you empathise with their needs and struggles during lesson sessions.
3. Prepare an effective curriculum
After gaining the necessary skills needed to teach beginner guitar player, it’s time to get down to brass tacks. What lessons does your ideal student need?
What sort of material would most benefit him/her? Think carefully about what materials you feel confident presenting to potential clients, and try to tailor your lessons accordingly.
4. Create a professional website
In developing online presence, many teachers still rely on word-of-mouth referrals alone. While this strategy works great for those who live close enough to their target clientele, it doesn’t scale well over long distances.
Fortunately, modern technology allows anyone to create a digital storefront through WordPress or Squarespace.
These platforms offer dozens of templates designed specifically for music instructors, allowing you to customise everything from font styles to contact information.
5. Get certified
Once you’ve created a solid portfolio of lessons, it’s time to put together your own course catalog.
Before doing so, though, check out certification programs offered by reputable organisations such as GTRI, The National Association Of Music Merchants, and Berklee College of Music.
There are several levels of certifications available, ranging from entry-level courses to advanced degrees, or hundreds of guitar courses.
Be sure to choose the program that best suits your interests and skill set, since passing exams isn’t always enough to ensure quality instruction.
Also, don’t forget to ask around for recommendations – friends and family members often hold sway over prospective employees, especially with working alongside someone whose character they respect.
6. Start charging
If you want to make money off of teaching others, there is no better way than starting out small. Asking $15-$20 per hour might seem low at first glance, but if you do a good job, people are more likely to pay you again in the future.
Set realistic expectations regarding how much you expect to earn each month. Remember that there’s no guarantee that any student will turn into a paying customer, but there’s plenty of room for optimism!
7. Find ways to grow
As your business grows, keep track of your expenses and sales figures. This data will allow you to adjust your pricing structure, add new services, and develop marketing strategies geared toward improving revenue streams.
For example, perhaps your average student spends less money than expected, so you decide to reduce prices across the board.
Alternatively, maybe he/she has been spending extra on accessories, so you raise monthly rates until you reach the desired amount. Either way, being aware of trends will come in handy when planning for next year.
8. Stay motivated
Being a teacher means putting in hours upon hours of work, day after day. It requires dedication and patience, both qualities that not everyone possesses naturally.
However, if you find that you enjoy helping other musicians improve their playing, it won’t be too hard to stick with the gig even if things aren’t going quite according to plan.
How Good do you need to be to Teach Guitar?
Teaching guitar is a difficult job that requires a lot of skill. You don’t have to be a great singer or a skilled guitarist to teach guitar. In fact, some of the best guitar teachers have never been guitar players.
The first thing you need to know is that “good” is relative. Although, as a teacher, you probably wish it was more objective than that.
We all know that the best guitar instructors have the skills to motivate and inspire their students, and are patient enough to take the time to help all of them get better.
Once you’ve found the right instructor for you, the rest is up to you.
Helpful Tips to Become A Successful Guitar Teacher
There are many ways to make money teaching guitar, whether you’re a master guitarist or you just have some great ideas.
Teaching is a very rewarding career, and can prove to be a lucrative one. If you are looking to become a full-time teacher, and are willing to spend the time and effort in order to get there, there are many options available to you.
From taking a traditional route, in which you are employed by a school board or a local school district, to working independently with students who are willing to pay for lessons, there are many ways to go about teaching.
What listed below will give you some tips on getting started teaching others the guitar or getting your own students.
Motivation is the Key
It’s easy to teach as a guitar tutor. You can do it, and it will take you only a day or so to get through the requirements and obtain your new license.
Motivation is the key to help you teach as a guitar tutor . It is the main tool to achieve your goals, and determines your success.
It is also the energy that you need to fight for your dreams, and to make them come true.
Therefore, in order to accomplish what you want and to do it, motivate yourself to teach.
Advertise Yourself
Setting up your own guitar teaching business can be incredibly rewarding, but it is also hard work. The best way to attract students is to get your name out there.
You can do this by posting your guitar tuition business on Facebook, but you need to remember to post all the great reviews; you don’t want to look cheap or like you don’t care about your business.
And remember, people will look at your website before they book with you.
Build personal relationships
Teaching a guitar lesson in front of other people can be a daunting task for anyone, but it is something that can really help you grow as a player.
Whether you guitar pro or you have just taken up the instrument, there are many aspects of teaching that you can learn from and apply in your own lessons.
Regardless of your experience or skill level, building relationship will help your students get the most out of lessons with you.
Be open for every form of lessons
While there are many elements a guitar student should master before taking on that role of instructor.
There are two skills that are essential to developing a mentor relationship with a student: communication and listening.
The world of guitar teaching has changed lately, and it is getting more crowded every day. If you want to make a living from it, you won’t find a better job than being a Guitar tutor.
Guitar teachers have to be open-minded to provide the best lessons for all levels of users, from beginners to professionals.
Conclusion
As a guitar teacher, you’ll probably be asked how to improve technique. The answer is quite simple: practice, practice, practice!
But not everyone has the time to devote to practicing. But don’t worry, there’s an alternative: becoming a guitar tutor! Not only is it more lucrative, but it involves very little work!
However, tutoring and teaching are not for everyone. If you like to work with people on a one-on-one basis, to teach them about a subject they are not sure how to learn, and to help them succeed, then this may be a good career for you.
A Wife, a mum and a Tutor! I am the Lead Editor at TheTutor.Link & also the Head Tutor there. I love teaching seeing young minds flourish. I also love blogging and sharing my experience on the world wide web.