Hola! My name is Harry, nice to meet you!
If you're looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and patient music tutor then look no further!! I can teach and coach a range of skills from songwriting, guitar (classical, electric or acoustic), production, performance and composition coaching and ear training! During the first few sessions of teaching the guitar, I introduce all the necessary aspects to the guitar; this includes the parts of the guitar, how it works and how to read basic tab notation and music (rhythms and ornaments). Depending on the age and existing standard this will be alter slightly, as they get older the intentions and reasons for picking up the guitar are slightly different! I will introduce the basic open chords, various picking exercises with and without pick to open my student up the world of possibilities on the guitar. Choice is a very important aspect of my teaching, not everything has to be decided by me, and spoon fed to my students. We will develop a skill, and within that I will give my student various choices in songs, chords for exercises, rhythms etc. (However there is of course guidance most of the time as I am the teacher after all!) I do feel it is necessary to develop a friendship and relationship with my pupils, give them choices and let them have their own say in their education, and in ways encourage them to become their own mentor!
To ensure my students practice, I believe it's crucial that a certain part of it comes from their own will and passion, therefore I work hard to develop a fun and friendly atmosphere so that they enjoy their practice, and will therefore like to do it without me nagging. However, I can tell when a student has practiced or not, and when I can tell they haven't, I ask them questions such as do you understand the activities, do you enjoy them, what music do you like etc? This way I can slightly taylor our lessons to make them more enjoyable and liberating for the pupil. Forcing students to practice is not a job I feel is 100% down to the teacher, a lot of it has to be from the parents of guardians, or themselves! As we spend little time together in a week or whenever the lessons take place, there is only so much you can cover in a lesson - and re-visiting already gone over content I feel wastes not just the pupils time, but the parents money too. This is why it is important to practice each weeks content, so we can move on and get them playing at a better and higher standard. I do encourage my students to practice as much as possible without breaking those barriers of friendly-ness, and that teacher-student mentality!
I've just graduated from Goldsmiths University in London and am now living in Madrid, teaching online! I spent 3 years in London writing music, I released my third album Everything Is Temporary which is available on Spotify. I also joined and played shows with many bands, as well as playing regular shows each summer at a Surf Camp in Portugal. My hobbies are also cooking, surfing, running, and making things!
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