Table of Contents

About The Author

Since starting his business Heartwood Guitar
Instruction in 2003, Rob has taught hundreds
of students, from 3-year-old Hokey Pokey
fans, to teenage indie-rockers, to
septuagenarian folk-music lovers. Twice a
year, his students perform in The Coffee Shop
Jam, a day-long music extravaganza thats part
recital, part rock concert.
Robs love for the guitar began one day after school when he
was twelve years old. Poking around the house, he found his
mothers neglected Martin guitar, and plunked out the bass riff
to I Heard it Through the Grapevine. He loves reliving the
excitement of that day every time he teaches new students how
to fret their first notes.
Find more about Rob at his website.

About The Book

This eBook is 100% free of DRM (Digital Rights
Management), which means theres nothing stopping
you from sending it to everyone you know, except the
goodness of your heart. I keep it DRM-free in the spirit of trust
we share in the musical community. We let touring musicians
sleep on our couches, support street performers, and lend our
precious guitars to one another. Please keep the trust alive by
keeping the book to yourself.
That is, unless youve got an aspiring teacher sleeping on your
couch because they couldnt pay rent. If you think they might
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Table of Contents
benefit from this book, pass it along, and wish them good luck
for me!

Thanks
You know the angel and devil that supposedly sit on our
shoulders, whispering in our ears? Im lucky to have a couple
high school teachers perched there instead. One is Mr. Lorentz,
who sat at the Teaching booth at my schools career fair. I
told him I was interested in teaching, but worried Id be shortchanging my future children if I didnt earn enough money to
support them. Do what you love, he said, and the money
will come. Ive followed that advice ever since, thank
goodness. The other teacher is Mr. Devine, my high school
theater director, who taught me that my awkward fumbling on
stage was significant, even magical. When Im teaching, I like
to imagine that Im passing on some of the magic he created for
me.
Other inspiring teachers include Steve Kahl and Lydia Zele, my
mentors at Stanford; my sister Clare who does amazing work
with young kids; my high-school friend Justin, whose own path
to music and teaching has guided mine; and the teachers at
Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, who are so generous that several
have contributed to this book.
Thanks to Charlie for helping me get my first students, and to
Lydia, my first student, for your patience.
I want to thank my parents for giving me the freedom to follow
my bliss. Your support means so much.

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Thanks to the generous readers of my newsletter, The
Heartwood Beat, who volunteered to edit my manuscript: Adam
Wilson, Blue Morris, Brandon Carrasco, Casey McKinnon,
Christopher Brown, David Alan Rassin, David Munday,
Deborah DeKoff, Roger, Gary Paine, Jason Priest, Kim Corley,
Paul Christie, Rob Martin, Robert Clark, Shane Dignan, and
Skip Neumann.
And thank you Meg, for all your love.

2009 Rob Hampton. All rights reserved. Edition 1.0.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................9
Whats In The Book........................................................ 9
My Background............................................................ 10

Chapter 1: To Teach or Not To Teach?....12

Are You a Good Enough Guitarist?............................13
Final Thoughts.................................................................................16

Are You a Good Enough Teacher?..............................17

Do You Like Watching Babies Learn to Walk?................................ 18
Are You Good at Breaking Things Down?.......................................18
Are You Patient?............................................................................. 19
Can You Admit Ignorance?..............................................................19

Can You Run Your Own Business?.............................20

Teaching Guitar Shouldnt Take Over Your Life. ...........................20
Teaching Guitar Doesnt Take Superhuman Self-Discipline. .........22

Can You Change Careers?..........................................23

Chapter 2: Money Makin..........................24

Work for Yourself.........................................................25
Cut Out the Middle-Man.................................................................. 25
Save Rent and Time by Working From Home.................................27
Choose an Appealing Teaching Space...........................................27
Offer Housecalls..............................................................................31

Brand Yourself..............................................................33
Identify Your Strengths and Tastes..................................................33
Create Your Business Name........................................................... 34
Create Your Logo............................................................................ 35

Choose your Rate.........................................................37

Advertise.......................................................................39
Use Flyers....................................................................................... 39

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Get Referrals From Other Teachers................................................ 43
Build a Website............................................................................... 44

Pursue Multiple Streams of Income............................47

Diversity = Security..........................................................................47
Diversity = Fun ............................................................................... 48
Two Alternative Income Ideas......................................................... 48

Hot, Steamy Bureaucratic Action................................50

Billing...............................................................................................50
Accounting and Scheduling.............................................................54
Licensing and Taxes........................................................................55

Final Thoughts on Work..............................................56

Chapter 3: Teaching 101..........................58

Student-Centered vs. Teacher-Centered Learning....59
The Daily Routine......................................................... 62
Chatting........................................................................................... 63
Warming Up.................................................................................... 65
Review.............................................................................................66
Learn New Material......................................................................... 66
Jam..................................................................................................66
Homework, Scheduling, Goodbyes................................................. 66

Modifying Lessons for Kids........................................67

Teaching New Material ................................................ 67
Breaking Things Down.................................................................... 67
Scaffolding.......................................................................................68
How To Teach a Simple Skill........................................................... 69
Teaching The Value of Repetition................................................... 72

Teaching Beginners..................................................... 76
Empathy.......................................................................................... 76
Hook Them Now, Teach Circle of 5ths Later................................... 77
The First Lesson..............................................................................78

Easy Songs That Rock.................................................88

For Beginners..................................................................................88
For Intermediate Players................................................................. 90

Recordkeeping............................................................. 92
Giving Feedback..........................................................93
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Being Honest...................................................................................93
Being Gracious................................................................................94
Giving Compliments........................................................................ 94
Final Thoughts on Giving Feedback................................................96

How to Motivate............................................................97
The Matchmaker............................................................................. 97
Performance Opportunities............................................................. 98

Appealing to Different Learning Styles......................99

Linguistic....................................................................................... 100
Logical-Mathematical.................................................................... 101
Musical.......................................................................................... 101
Bodily-Kinesthetic..........................................................................102
Spatial........................................................................................... 103
Interpersonal................................................................................. 103
Intrapersonal................................................................................. 104

Staying Healthy.......................................................... 105

Play a Guitar That Fits You........................................................... 107
Relax............................................................................................. 109
Use Good Posture......................................................................... 112
Minimize Bending the Fretting-Hand Wrist.................................... 113
Take Frequent Breaks................................................................... 115

Troubleshooting......................................................... 116
Students Who Dont Practice.........................................................116
Students Who Miss Lessons......................................................... 124
Unmotivated Students................................................................... 125

Final Thoughts on Teaching...................................... 130

Snow Day...................................................................................... 130

Conclusion...............................................133
Appendix..................................................134
Contributing Teachers...............................................134
Resources on My Site................................................ 139
The Bonus Section........................................................................ 139
My Chord Charts........................................................................... 139
My Blog: A Guitar Teachers Lesson Notebook............................. 139

Other Online Resources............................................140

Chord Charts and Tabs................................................................. 140

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Equipment..................................................................................... 140
Website Building and Management...............................................140
SEO...............................................................................................141

Books I Recommend..................................................141
Guitar and Music........................................................................... 141
Health............................................................................................ 143
Self-Help........................................................................................143
Teaching........................................................................................ 143
Writing........................................................................................... 143

Index........................................................144

Introduction

There are few things more satisfying than seeing a student's face light up
when theyre first able to play something new and lovely.
Steve Baughman

Thanks for giving me a chance to share what Ive learned about

teaching guitar. This job has given me tremendous satisfaction,
and has earned me a better living than I thought possible. It
really is my dream job. If you have a dream of making guitar
teaching a fulfilling career, this handbook can help make it real.

Whats In The Book

There are three chapters. In the first, I do my best
impersonation of a career counselor, helping you decide
whether teachings your thing. I love this job, but I
understand that its not for everybody.
The second chapter is all business: How to fill your schedule
and make money. I describe how I chose a teaching space, got
those precious first students, filled my schedule, started a
waiting list, and doubled my hourly ratefrom $40 to $80in
my first year.
The third chapter describes some critical teaching skills,
focusing on beginners, since theyre both the most plentiful
kind of student, and also the most challenging. It takes more
teaching skill to show a 7-year-old how to play Mary Had a

Little Lamb than it does to teach Little Wing to a veteran.

But, like any skill, teaching can be taught.
Throughout the book, some of my favorite teachers offer
wisdom, encouragement, and wise-ass sarcasm.

My Background
For most of my life, I thought I wanted to be a high school
English teacher, and playing guitar was just a hobby. Good
classroom teachers are so badly needed, and I thought I could
be a great one. But I quit teaching after three years of waking
up with a knot in my stomach every morning, and spending
Christmas vacations grading papers while the rest of my family
went ice skating and ate figgy pudding. In photos from that
period, I look like Rick Ocasek with a head cold.
Without a career goal for the first time since I was 14, I spent a
couple years as Seattles worst handyman, installing doggie
doors that didnt open and fences that fell down. But at the
same time, I was pursuing passions Id neglected when I started
teaching. One of those passions was playing in a rock band. I
was in rehearsal one day, complaining to my bandmates about
the terrible job I was doing painting a house, and the singer,
who teaches guitar for a living, said, Hey man, you should
teach guitar.
BING! In life there are a few pivotal moments, when the earth
spins under our feet, sometimes without us noticing, and we
march in a completely new direction. This was the day I found
my path.

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Introduction
Its been a wonderful seven-year journey.
When you teach music, your real job is
spreading joysomething everyone
wants and needs. You teach a newlywed
a love song, and they serenade their
sweetheart. You teach a self-conscious
teenager power chords, and theyre the
coolest kid at the school talent show. A
child who learns Mary Had a Little
Lamb plays it for grandma at her 80th
birthday, and it brings tears to her eyes.

Teaching guitar creates

transcendent moments.

Im sure you appreciate the power of music, so Ill stop

gushing. But heres the real surprise in this Handbook: Despite
what everyone saysmost guitar teachers includedyou can
make a great living spreading joy.

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