FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I offer either 30 minute lessons / 45 minute Lessons (highly recommended to most students)/ Or 60 minute lessons. I charge either by the month or by the 3-month semester. Students who pay by the 11-week semester will save $5 -$7 off the monthly rate, but it is still ok to play by the month if you prefer. 2019/2020 PRICING: Fall 2019 Guitar Lessons 30 min lessons: $102 per month/$291 per semester (save $5 per month) 45 min lessons: 150 per month/$432 per semester (save $6 per month) 60 min lessons: $196 per month/$567 per semester (save $7 per month) (the above rates are locked in and will not change until Fall of 2020) I generally recommend regular 45 minute lessons for most students except for the very young. .................................. If you are uncertain at all about jumping in and committing to regular guitar lessons I do offer a "One Time" introductory lesson for $35 to get an idea of how I teach and help you decide. Feel free to schedule an Into Lesson with me on Thumbtack today! ................................. Finally, One request I sometimes get from students is to just take a lesson every two weeks or one lesson per month, etc.. I do not recommend this for beginners because if a student somehow misunderstands something in the lesson and practices it wrong for 2 or 4 weeks it can impede one's progress. Also, it can be hard to keep continuity in the learning process with infrequent lessons. However, if one must take fewer lessons per month I would definitely suggest hour long lessons at a minimum, but maybe consider up to 2 hour lessons for better progress if skipping weeks. For extreme scheduling cases I also have 'one time' lesson fees for those who must take lessons only sporadically and I usually recommend a 60 minute lesson for those students so that more material can be covered because they may be taking a lesson only every other week or so. The one-time lesson fees are a little higher. Fall 2018 "One time" scheduled lesson fees: 30 min = $30 45min = $45 60min = $60 (recommended) 120min = $120 .................................. Still have questions? Feel free to contact me on Thumbtack!
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I always ask a new student what kind of musical background they might have, and reassure them that it is fine if they are total beginners! If a student has been self - taught for a couple of years or so I might advise that they may have picked up a few bad habits that I may ask them to work on changing. I also try to determine which direction the student desires to go - or what style of music they are most interested in, so we can work on a goal of taking them in the direction he or she wants to go.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
First of all I have been performing music, playing professional paying gigs since the age of 12 (48 years). I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in music with High Distinction from the University of Kentucky, and also a Master of Music degree from the University of Kentucky. Since 1992, I have been the primary guitar professor at Transylvania University. In 1993 I joined the music staff at Berea College as guitar professor there. I was also the guitar professor at Centre College from the year 2000 until 2012. I was the guitar instructor for the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts for six years. I continue to perform in the community and front my own blues band, singing and playing electric blues guitar and also still perform in concert recitals on both classical guitar and renaissance lute.