After you’ve purchased the right kid’s guitar, you’re probably wondering what the best method is to learn to play the guitar for children. Learning to play the guitar takes time and effort. There are several ways to learn to play the guitar, and we’re going to go through and evaluate each of them to help you make an informed decision. In the end, we’ll come to a conclusion about which is the best method to learn to play the guitar for kids.
Guitar lessons from a teacher
Learning the guitar with a teacher is undoubtedly the most effective way. Any problems or questions can be answered easily and quickly. Mistakes or bad habits can be seen and corrected immediately. Especially in the beginning, children can get quite frustrated when they realize that playing the guitar is not as easy as it looks. A good guitar teacher will motivate his students in these situations and use the right techniques to have a successful experience. He will adapt his approach to your child’s needs. It’s certainly the easiest way for parents to make sure their son or daughter is learning the guitar properly…if you’ve found a good guitar teacher! Don’t forget that your choice will have a big impact on your child’s progress and playing style. There are a lot of people out there who offer lessons, but they don’t have any real teaching skills. And that’s what counts the most when teaching guitar to kids. Finding the right guitar teacher for your child can be quite challenging. Since it’s a pretty big topic, I’m going to write a full article about it as soon as possible to give you some tips on how to recognize a good teacher. But let me tell you the most important point right now: Especially for young children it’s important to have this experience because it’s quite different from teaching adults.
Guitar lessons are efficient and comfortable, but on the other hand you should consider that guitar lessons can be extremely expensive depending on the experience and reputation of the guitar teacher. If you get someone from your neighborhood who plays guitar and gives lessons in his spare time, it won’t be too expensive. But again, he should really have the pedagogical skills to teach children. A lesson with a professional guitar teacher will cost you between $30 and $50 for a standard 45-minute session. Usually, you will take one lesson per week, which will end up costing about $120-200 per month.
Guitar lessons at guitar schools
Learning to play the guitar with a private guitar teacher or at a guitar school is pretty much the same, right? Well, almost, but there are some small differences in the details. In theory, anyone can call themselves a guitar teacher, although their skills and experience may be quite limited. So finding the right private guitar teacher can sometimes be quite a challenge. At a guitar school you can be quite sure to have good guitar teachers with a lot of experience. It’s their job and they do it all day long. Many schools offer special courses for children and use special methods for children. Just make sure you find a music school with a good reputation and you can be sure that your child will be taught by an experienced teacher.
However, lessons at music schools are usually organized in groups. Your child won’t get the same individual attention as with a private guitar teacher. The teacher can’t fully adapt his or her methods and approach to the needs of each child. As a result, your child won’t progress as quickly as he or she would with a private teacher. Since the lessons take place at the school and not at home, you have to consider that you will have to bring your child to the school. Your child needs to feel comfortable learning in the classroom. In any case, guitar lessons for kids are also great opportunities to get in touch with other people.
Teach your child the guitar
For most parents, this is probably not an option, but since the question is sometimes asked, I’d like to address this possibility as well. If you know how to play the guitar, giving lessons might be an option. But you should be aware that there is a big difference between being a good guitarist and giving lessons. It’s not really enough to know a few songs. You have to know the basics very well. In addition, you should have a concept of how to teach guitar, especially to a young child. Last but not least, you have to have an eye for detail. It takes a lot to teach children to play the guitar.
If you feel ready to teach your child, there are basically two ways to do it. If you know how to play the guitar very well and you already have an approach in mind, then go for it! It’s worth a try. If it doesn’t really work out, you can always send your child to proper lessons. Another option is to send your child to a guitar school anyway and practice together on the weekends. So it’s okay if you’re missing some of the basics or don’t know how to explain certain things. All these things will be covered during the lessons. The goal is to repeat what your child has learned or to learn simple nursery rhymes on the guitar and just to have fun to progress faster. Remember the saying: Practice makes perfect. And you can be sure that once your child has mastered the basics, you’ll be able to replace the guitar teacher in the near future.
Be sure to check out our guitar teaching resources:
Basic Guitar Chords Ebook
Guitar String Names Handout
Easy Guitar Songs for Kids
Self-Learning: Guitar Books
There are a lot of guitar books out there, and there are a few specifically for kids. It’s obviously the cheapest option and not a bad one in my opinion. It definitely depends on age and motivation. First of all, your child should be old enough to read, or at least his parents should help him. Second, self-study requires motivation and discipline. Personally, I recommend buying guitar books when someone gets a guitar as a birthday or Christmas surprise. This allows your child to get started right away. At the same time, you can see how motivated and eager your child really is to learn the guitar. Even if you want to send your child to guitar lessons, the book can also be used during lessons with the teacher or just between lessons at home. Most of the books come with a CD for practice.
Self-Learning: Guitar online courses
You can find on the Internet a lot of online courses on how to learn guitar. However, most of them are made for teenagers and adults. There are online guitar courses for children, but they are rare. Most of them also require you to pay a monthly fee. I haven’t tested any of them yet, so I don’t want to recommend something I don’t know yet.
There are some people on Youtube who give guitar lessons especially for kids. Unfortunately, there is no complete course that explains all the essential basics adapted for kids. Most of the videos are aimed at teaching a specific song. So there isn’t much connection between the videos. These videos are great for learning a new song, but not for starting from scratch. Nevertheless, I would like to point out some Youtube channels where I think you can find some interesting stuff for beginners and kids.
Conclusion
For younger children, books and online courses should only be used in combination with a guitar teacher. When your child is old enough, you can try a good guitar book alone. But again, although there are great guitar books out there, learning with a guitar book requires a lot of motivation and self-discipline. Finally, personal guitar lessons are the most effective way to learn an instrument and chances are high that he won’t give up. That’s why I recommend hiring a guitar teacher or sending your child to a guitar school. These two options will ensure that your child learns the instrument in a proper way. If your budget is rather limited, try to see if your friends or relatives know someone who plays the guitar quite well and who could imagine giving lessons. It’s worth a try.
