Nearly 30 years of teaching guitar

I've spent the best part of three decades teaching guitar. In that time I've worked with Cambridgeshire Music Service and taught in primary and secondary schools right across the county, alongside private lessons at home in Ely and in Cambridge.

My approach hasn't changed much in all that time, because it works: find out what the student actually wants to play, then teach them the technique, reading and musicianship they need to play it well. A student who is excited about the next song will practise without being asked. A student working through material they don't care about won't, however good the teaching is.

That means lessons look different for everyone. Some students are working steadily through Rockschool grades with an eye on UCAS points. Some are learning Trinity or ABRSM classical repertoire. Some just want to play the songs they love at a campfire, and never sit an exam at all. All of those are the right answer.

Whatever route a student takes, they get the same things: clear explanations, honest feedback, and a teacher who has seen every stumbling block before and knows the way round it.