Need lessons?

You want to learn an instrument but don't know where to start? Right.
First of all I must shout "Adagio, adagio", "Slowly, slowly" and we'll not trip over our organs in haste...
Lets go through a little list of what to consider and what the next steps to musical enlightenment are.

1.) WHAT INSTRUMENT?
Are you a plucker? a bower? a hitter? Do you see yourself as a violinist shaking your glistening locks furiously at the audience as they oooh in awe at your two octave glissando? Or as a pipe-smoking bassist complete with turtleneck and moustache?
If you are seriously not sure then there are several places that take "core lessons" or trial classes in instruments. You can book a single lesson, at your home (if you want) that will give you a small flavour of what it's like getting to grip with an instrument, it's sound and how you think you'll suit it. Have a look in your area or mclaughlin music has core lessons in piano, guitar, bagpipes, banjo and keyboard from £12 per full hour, half the usual price of competition, CRB check, plus online support.


2.) PRICING - Is this going to cost an army and a league?
If you search online for 'glasgow music teacher' you will be confronted by 175,000 results, (so 1 in 3 people living in Glasgow is a tutor. Hmmm)
An easy to navigate site is musicteachers.co.uk who's glasgow tutors are mostly in the range of £10-15 for a 30 min session. You get postcode, mobile etc but I don't see any information about CRB checks or enhanced disclosures which we shall move onto in a minim. Try yell.com for music schools and private tutors with their own sites. Don't be put off if some of the sites are basic as they are musicians not techies! Sometimes the most expensive may not be the best.

3.) WHO IS YOUR TUTOR?
You can tutor music with no formal qualifications or teaching certificates. Anyone can say they are a 'teacher' or 'tutor' so be careful. Danny Elfman was self taught so I will eat my hi-hat a little but on the whole do have a look online to see if there are qualifications there, phone other students of the tutor, YES, do. If they are good teachers they'll have glowing reports from their tutees who'll gladly be praising the tutor. If they don't have numbers, or mumble something about putting people out then it may be best to look elsewhere.

IMPORTANT - You should enjoy going to lessons. Choose a tutor you'll get along with, not a dictatic stoneface who smells a little of cloves and mothballs!

This will be updated more as we go along......

Off now to practice my scales
Mr. Hut