FAQs
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Private one to one guitar instruction as well as group lessons. Lessons can be either for children, young adults or professionals needing a bit of tweaking in their playing. We also provide music theory lessons.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
The proof is always in the experience you have with an instructor. Shop around and have a lesson with all potential teachers. Ask questions and even take a lesson to witness the teaching style and see if the teacher has the necessary experience to help you attain your goals. Also look at their course structure and their qualifications.
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Three main components: experience, compassion, and delivery have molded my teaching philosophy over the past twenty years. The experience a teacher brings to a classroom or a studio are of two different kinds: academic and practical. Since students respond well to instructors who speak with eloquence and demonstrate with authority, the academic experience is essential. A teacher must demonstrate strong training and deep knowledge in the specific field. This knowledge, however, also stems from practical and professional experiences in the world outside the classroom; this is especially so for musicians. These experiences not only demonstrate the versatility of a teacher, but also inform his or her ability to address the issue of how to build a successful career. A teacher who is successful in both areas can function as a bridge between a good student and a successful professional. In order to be successful, however, a teacher also must have compassion. Students are individuals whose backgrounds, experiences, levels of learning and ability differ from one another a great deal. It requires a very creative and compassionate teacher to design his or her teaching style to meet the needs of each specific student. Understanding the student and the stimuli that he or she responds to is the first step in developing this compassion. I often find that inventing individualized techniques and etudes for a particular student, on the spot, gets better results than consulting a sophisticated but more general textbook. Perhaps the most important component of my philosophy, however, is delivery. I think of delivery as a way to convey a message across cultural and international boundaries. In addition to having great communication and interpersonal skills, a teacher needs to be aware of the diversity present in todays multi-cultural student body and to help individual students overcome personal and cultural barriers. Through example and an ongoing, action-oriented sense of delivery we can create the educational experience our students crave. I believe my experience as a bi-lingual, bi-cultural teacher will be an asset in such a contemporary process of learning. GUITAR PEDAGOGY The following outline enumerates my ideas regarding guitar pedagogy: 1) A constant pursuit of developing a weekly practice routine incorporating each individual students lifestyle. 2) Developing broad-ranging technical skills through the study of etudes and daily technical exercises to meet the demands of traditional as well as contemporary repertoire. 3) The application of this technique and other musical skills through the study of literature of all periods and styles. 4) A thorough understanding of performance practice of each style period and its proper delivery. 5) The ability to research, comprehend and explore literature as well as to develop a level-appropriate repertoire for ongoing performances and recitals. 6) A fundamental understanding of the instrument through the study of fretboard harmony, figured-bass realization, chord chart reading, improvisation, transposition, arranging and developing better sight-reading skills. 7) Understanding the value of performance involvement in new music, especially working with student composers in the preparation of world premieres of their compositions. 8) The study and performance of chamber music in various ensembles to learn and adopt good musical interaction skills as well as honing effective interpersonal and communication skills. 9) Practical training in the areas of performance and stage etiquette through frequent recitals, performance classes and appearances in the community as artists-in-training. 10) Developing skills in the areas of personal management, starting a private studio, scheduling and programming concerts and other related activities, partaking in music conferences, competitions, festivals and workshops such that students graduate with competitive resumes and develop a sense of confidence and accomplishment and feel well prepared to enter the industry as professionals. 11) A commitment to a lifetime of follow-up and career-building advice for all alumni. Copyright 1993 Mir Ali Teaching Philosophy