John M
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Music, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Rock, Blues, Folk, Funk, Reggae, New Age, Punk
John M
Instruments: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Music, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Styles:
Rock, Blues, Folk, Funk, Reggae, New Age, Punk
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 3-80
Bachelor Degree: The University of Maryland in Baltimore County
I LOVE teaching people how to play the guitar! I have been playing guitar since I was a child and I grew up in a music-loving household. I was in a rock band in high school. In college at UMBC I was also in a band and earned my degree in Music with a concentration in Recording Engineering. I've recorded several self-produced albums of music I wrote and produced myself. I have recording equipment setup in my teaching studio and I use it to help my students get feedback on their progress. It can be an amazing teaching tool as well.
I began my teaching journey in high school when I taught lessons to my classmates, family and friends because I knew teaching was a crucial aspect of information retention. I started teaching professionally in college in order to help pay for tuition. I was teaching guitar lessons as well as teaching students how to use recording equipment in order to make recordings for auditions and class projects. My studio is located in a beautiful, naturally lit forest setting located near Annapolis, Maryland. I have the ability to teach and have students leave with an audio CD of their progress at the end of the session.
I really enjoy and endorse Hal Leonard's guitar teaching books. They are widely available, affordable and easy to read and comprehend for beginners. I like to develop a personalized lesson plan for each student beginning with an evaluation during the first lesson. I like to ask a lot of questions pertaining to the students' musical background, learning preferences and musical tastes. I then focus on fundamentals, practice regimens and music theory. Most importantly, I like to focus on teaching the students how to play the instrument and how to enjoy themselves while practicing. Practice makes perfect!
As I've stated before, I really like to focus on how to play the instrument effectively. Proper posture, finger placement, finger pressure and articulation are all part of playing the proper technique. It also helps to minimize fatigue during countless hours of practice. Also, one of the main things in to make sure that the student is practicing on a daily basis and to develop their own practice regimen. Developing a love for the instrument, bordering on healthy obsession, is the key to progressing as a guitar player.
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