Setting up a Teaching Studio

Here is an outline of things you should consider when setting up a teaching studio. This is how I set up my studios at The Rock House School of Music.

Create a Great Teaching Environment

A teaching room doesn’t have to be a big room but it should be well lit and comfortable enough for two people to sit in with a music stand and a parent to observe a lesson (if they so choose). Having the proper tools to teach the lesson will help you to begin teaching without wasting time. The following is a list of gear that I recommend a teaching room be equipped with:

• Two chairs without arms. It is very difficult to play guitar sitting in a chair with arms. Also, these chairs should not be too high to accommodate younger students. It is best if the chairs do not swivel to make sure the student is always facing the right direction.

• Music stand. I recommend a music stand that has clips on both sides to hold the sheet music flat when opened up to the page you are working on.

• Two foot stools. You can foot stools yourself with blocks of wood about 5 or 6 inches tall. These should go under the foot that is on the picking hand side of the player.

• A computer or tablet to access backing tracks or lesson content You may also want a bluetooth speaker. It is vital that you have tracks ready to use with each lesson to demonstrate and have students play lessons over. Students will also bring in songs they want to learn when they reach that level; you will need to have a way to listen to these songs on YouTube or a similar site.

• Backing tracks for each book. All the backing tracks should be on a computer or tablet and ready to use at each lesson.

• Writing tools. I recommend using a black pen. It is very dark and distinct which makes it easy for students to read. Some teachers feel more comfortable with pencil because they can erase if needed.

• Metronome. You should have metronome at each lesson to have students play examples over. As much as possible have the student play along with a click. This will help them get a great sense of timing and become comfortable playing with other musicians.

• Music of multiple genres. There will be many times that you should show students examples of different genres of music and how they are played by artists. Have songs from your collection ready to play for the students.