8 Qualities To Look For In Your Ukulele Teacher

So you’ve finally decided that you are going for a lesson in ukulele, that is all very good. But there is another important decision that you have to make to get the most out of the lessons. You must find ukulele teachers that will help you get to the next levels of your skills.

Here are 8 important things to look out for when deciding which teacher you should have:

1. Performance experience

Your instructor should have first-hand experience of what it is like to actually play in a performance, preferably in a professional setting. He or she should be able to teach you not only how to play the ukulele, but also guide you how to play alongside other musicians as part of a band or any other bigger ensemble

1. Stimulating

Ukulele demands a lot of energy from you, and your ukulele teacher should be able to help you bring out that energy. They should be encouraging and exciting, and be able to sustain their own energy consistently throughout each session. You must be able to feed off from their dynamism.

1. Admire their style

If you do not even like their style of playing the ukulele, for whatever reasons, you need to look for another instructor. If you do not like the way they play, you will not find any important meaning to whatever they teach you. You should first be interested in them before you listen to what they say.

1. Up to date

There are always new techniques and new technology in the world of ukulele, and your teacher should know these new trends and styles. You should continuously expand and upgrade your knowledge with the instrument, and your instructor should be able to contribute a lot to this.

1. Patient

A short-fused instructor is never a good thing, especially for beginners in ukulele. There will always be a time that you just can’t seem to get the hang of it, or you are just having a bad learning day, or maybe there are even stretches where your skills do not seem to be going anywhere. Your teacher should be unflappable, and they should ride it out along with you. They should never give up on you, and guide you out of whatever slump you are in.

1. Prepared

Ask to see the lesson outline, and know what target your teacher has set out for you. They should have at the very least an outline of lessons that they intend to follow, and not merely coast along day to day, lesson after lesson. They must have a track to follow, and they should be able to show it to you before you even start with your very first lesson.

1. Flexible

Despite having an outline or a lesson plan, your instructor should be able to shift the direction, or pacing of your lessons when the situation calls for it. They should be able to assess you at any point of the course, and change the lesson to adapt to your progress.

1. Goal-oriented

The primary reason why you enrolled in their class is to learn more, or maybe learn something specific. Your teacher should share this vision, and set out a goal for you to attain.

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, or an experienced ukulele player. If you plan to engage the help of a ukulele teacher to help you advance your skills, it is helpful to know these tips ahead of time.