Spencer Conley

My first priority is to get students playing songs right away.  We start with something easy.   Then we take the technique we learned from that first song and apply it to the next.  As we learn more songs I will begin to explain the theory behind what the student is playing.   Take "Love Song" from the Cure for example.  Four chords (Ami G F E), the melody is simple, right out of the Cmaj (Ami) scale.  I teach the student both parts and we take turns playing it together.   From this song alone a student can learn all of their scale modes and chord positions.  Then we apply the same idea to another song.

For more advanced students I start right away with cleaning up technique.  Improper technique is the biggest roadblock to advancing your skills as a musician.

With piano I take a similar approach.  I'll start with a song that has an easy left hand part and get the student playing that.  Then I will play the right hand part with them, helping them get a grasp on timing and finger positions.  I introduce note reading very slowly as to not overwhelm the student.