Beginner training plan
Your first lessonFirst I need to understand the goals of the student. However typically I give out coordination exercises as well as focus on songs the student likes and loves to listen to, this motivates the student to keep practicing and the results of that practice create more motivation which creates more growth. I teach rhythm exercises, scales, and alternate picking drills usually within the first year of lessons which allows the student to get an idea of what route they may want to do to ur pursuing with the instrument whether it’s finger style, rock and roll, or jazz.
Lesson 2-3Here we going into metronome work in order to increase finger strength, precision and speed.
Lesson 4-10At this point, if you’ve been practicing the exercises you should be able to get around an intermediate level song.
Lesson 11+Here, a beginner can expect to see significant improvement in playing speed and how comfortable one is with the instrument. Knowing where the frets are, which strings you are hitting, and how to play precisely and cleanly should be a lot more solidified at this point.
Youth players
Working with kidsWith children, it’s important to provide inspiration and work according to their learning styles. Some kids learn visually by observing, others learn through asking questions and curiosity. The overlap between different learning styles is a need for patience as well as discipline. Children tend to have short attention spans, but when properly motivated they can stay on task for 30 minutes easily. Rather than boring them with scales and music theory it’s important to show them songs they think are cool. This is the ultimate motivator.
