Teaching

Like I said, we as musicians all start out wanting to be performers. All teachers are performers to some extent, but not all performers are teachers. Not good ones anyway. A can equal B, but B doesn't always equal A.

Teaching wasn't something I naturally aspired to, but rather more something I fell into because they needed 'em(many bass players are made this way). This was at a local Music Store, the very same in which I got my start with guitar lessons at the ripe old age of 11. Once there as a teacher, though, I found it was something I enjoyed doing, at least on a part-time basis.

Much of this enjoyment, at least for me, comes from the student's input: how motivated they are, whether necessarily in the area(s)I might be leading them or not. If they're in there to learn and improve their guitar skills, it's a lot of fun for me as teacher, endeavoring to help them. But I've gotta have good students, at least students making a good effort.

My experience( except for a few students I can trust in my house) has mainly been in the local Music Store, but I did teach at a College--Lincoln College in Lincoln, IL--for one semester back in 1984(among my distinguished students there were two who called themselves Johnny Void and Sid Destructo--contrary to their names, they were actually very well-mannered..) And in 1980 I gave some group guitar lessons at a local High School, and taught a class in Music Theory at a local community music school(even wore my herringbone jacket for that one, looking all Professorial..).

Pretty small potatoes, my teaching background. But then, limited as it may be, at least in scope, I've given a lot of guitar lessons. At a gig I had last night, I was joking with the bandleader that at least between us, we've played in every building in town. Likewise, I've taught just about everybody in town, at least for a lesson or two. Now in saying that, I'm not proclaiming myself any kind of top guitar dog--there are a few pickers here who could easily show me a thing or two--but in this relative world, I'm still a decent player, one who has a thing or two himself to show.

And, I hope, am a decent teacher. As I said, it's something I've done over the years, off and on. As I get a few whiskers on me, nearing retirement age and all, I'm starting to pick it back up with 4 students currently on the books(when I retire I hope to expand that to 10 or so). So as well as my current 4, here's to all the folks who've taken a lesson or two with me over the years. I'm sure it's quite a number..