That sounds like a great idea for a song…’ is something I hear quite regularly from the other room as my 11 year old daughter has her lesson with Philip. Every week I hear an improvement in her playing and she comes away from the lesson with improved understanding of how to strum or some new knowledge about the theory of music.
Philip is the ideal teacher for my daughter. He works in a very gentle, kind and reflective way; with each lesson building from what was discussed with my daughter in the previous session. He is able to respond to her interests and enthusiasms (which are many!), without losing sight of what it is he has planned to teach in that session. He is very skilled at guiding and re-directing her attention to the focus learning for the lesson.
Philip encourages and challenges my daughter to investigate and explore the guitar. One week she has to find a new chord for homework, the next write a song. More importantly, he makes clear what technique my daughter needs to focus on and practice to improve her playing in a fun way. These points for practice are always recorded in a small notebook so my daughter can look at them at a later date.
Although, my daughter is there to learn the guitar it is not unusual to hear her playing the drums or piano in addition to the guitar. Philip is also always ready with some singing tips.
When we started lessons with Philip I thought my daughter would benefit from learning exam pieces and moving through grades as I had as a child. Now, I am not so sure. I think Philip has shown me a much more enjoyable way to learn the technical and theoretical side of music making without losing sight of what it is all about – fun. Sent in by Catherine, mum of Marianne…
