Is a Private Instructor Better for Guitar Lessons?
Music Stores and Lessons Studios are the
Wave of the Future...Right?
Do you get a better guitar lessons experience from someone at a music store or lessons studio, or is it a better overall experience if you go with an independent private instructor? Of course, it really all depends on the instructor...but that's kind of the point. If you decide to go with a particular music store or lessons studio because an instructor you like works there, what do you do if they start working at a different, further location instead? Do you just resign yourself to the hassle of having a longer drive to your lesson each week, or do you find an instructor that is more convenient to you (but who you may not like as much)?
With Stephen's Guitar Lessons, you know that the same instructor that you had during the free introductory lesson (which is as long as a regular, paid lesson; it's not a shortened lesson)—the same instructor that may well have been the whole reason that you decided to continue with lessons from SGL—is the exact same instructor you'll have, every week...no surprises!
Some folks may say, "Yes, but I like being able to park close to the entrance of the music store/lessons studio, and then to be able to walk right into the store and already be there where the lessons occur; I don't want to go through someone's living area to get to some corner of a room where they've carved out a 'lessons area' (like every other time I've gone to an independent guitar instructor's home studio). I want to take lessons in a professional environment, not somebody's garage or dining room."
I think those are incredibly valid points, and I completely agree with you; I wouldn't want to take lessons in the corner or someone's living room or bedroom either. At Stephen's Guitar Lessons, there is a private, off-street area for in-person students to park in (it's semi-shaded during the heat of the day, and then I ensure that it's well-lit in the evening hours), right at the dedicated entrance that leads directly into my private lessons studio (which is a separate, dedicated part of my house, that I use exclusively for lessons). So lessons with SGL are unlike lessons with any other independent guitar instructor—and then they're also as good as (if not better than) lesson in a music store or lessons studio when it comes to professionalism and safety.
Speaking of safety: I also record all in-person lessons via audio (and also separately via video with audio), so those are always available for review for any student that requests theirs. And for the utmost in security, all recording devices are on a closed circuit—they cannot be accessed by any outside party—and I only release lesson recordings to the student in the recording (or their parent, if the student is a minor). Online lessons are also audio and video recorded, and available exclusively to the student upon request. And if a parent would like to monitor a live feed of their child's lesson, just let me know and I'm happy to set up a FaceTime connection during any such lesson. I want everyone to feel completely at ease with all aspects of safety here at Stephen's Guitar Lessons, and so I am happy to honor special requests whenever possible.
When it comes to experience, there are few instructors at music stores and lessons studios in the area that have logged more hours playing (practicing, recording, performing, etc.) the guitar than I have; and when it comes to independent guitar instructors in the area, there are even fewer with the degree of experience that I have. When it comes to flexibility, professionalism, customized instruction, free stuff, and so much more—there really just isn'’t a parallel to Stephen's Guitar Lessons.
And as part of the "VIP Experience" that I offer to every student, I've made a point of arranging things with my lessons program so that my students don't have to encounter any of the things that I've been frustrated with when I've encountered them, whether with other lessons providers or with just about any service provider: I don't have a convoluted phone menu to try to discourage phone calls (you'll just hear a greeting if I'm not able to answer when you call, and then you can leave a voicemail message—which I'll respond to as soon as I'm able to); I don't contract with a phone answering service or a texting or emailing service...every message or contact you receive from SGL is directly from me; you can call, text, or email (or contact me through my website) 24/7, and I'll reply as soon as I'm available to between the hours of 9am-10pm, 7 days a week and on most holidays; I don't book back-to-back lessons so that the completion time for one lesson is the exact start time for the next lesson, but instead I schedule in a "pad" in between all lessons (because while back-to-back lessons are great for the teacher or lessons studio, it's not so great for the student...so I build my policies with a distinct focus on what is best for the student and their progress); I don't assume that the responsibility for remembering the weekly lesson is solely on the student or parent—I do my part by sending out weekly lesson reminders (which include music/tab, as well as details about the material, that I'm planning for us to go over at the upcoming lesson); I don't expect the student to provide a copy of the music/tab that we'll be going over in a lesson (I always have a hard copy ready for an in-person lesson, and a digital copy ready to screen share for an online lesson); I keep a spare guitar tuned and ready here in the studio, just in case a student is not able to bring theirs to a lesson (I even have a left-handed guitar available for southpaws to use); and I always go above and beyond for the client whenever possible, so that I bring the best lessons experience to each student—every time, for every student.
If you still want to try a music store or lessons studio first, then by all means—please do so. Then, after you've taken a few lessons with them, take a free intro lesson with Stephen's Guitar Lessons and you will see the difference!
Give me a call (or send me a text) at VIP-PLAY-GTR (847-752-9487), or contact me through the website to set up your FREE intro lesson today!
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