Introduction: There are many excellent guitar teachers out there, but not many that specialize in teaching beginners. For whatever reason, many teachers won't teach beginners, kids, or students who are not already obsessed with the guitar. My theory is that many guitar teachers aren't guitar teachers by choice, and would ideally rather be successful recording artists.
I love teaching, and have experience teaching young and old students fun things (sailboat racing) and very dull things (English grammar). I know how to make material interesting, how to make practicing easier, and how to help students build confidence, get better, and have more fun.
I also teach songwriting, which I think is one of the most rewarding music experiences there is, yet one that is seldom taught. We've all heard astoundingly talented virtuoso musicians... who never seem to have any good songs. Akira Kurosawa famously said that with a bad director and a good script, a film could still be good, but with a great director and a bad script, the film will never be good. It's the same with music.
One final difference is that I don't believe there is only one correct musical path. Music is a very personal thing, and I try to work with my students to help them get where they want to go, do their own thing, and enjoy it as much as possible.
My job involves two things I've always loved: Making music and teaching. But beyond that, I often get to see the fruits of my efforts. An adult student who spent nearly a lifetime thinking he "wasn't the creative type" has a new world open up before him. A high school student gets to rock out at the talent show and get praise from his friends. A young student writes her and performs her first song, and you know her life won't be the same. Expressing yourself musically is one of those fundamentally human things that not only makes you feel better, but does the same to those around you. I'm thrilled to be a part of that, and I'm thrilled to be able to help others discover it for themselves.
