My easiest and still my favourite teaching job.

One of my very first guitar students was my daughter Denny when she was 5 years old. Back then I was studying Jazz and contemporary guitar music and doing a lot of gigs in the evenings with various Jazz groups, so I had time during the day to do the shopping, the school run and do my best to be a good Dad too.

The thing I remember most is how quickly Denny picked everything up. It was as though she already knew how to hold the guitar and pluck it. Denny had been surrounded by practising musicians since she was born. This must be the answer.

Natural Musicality?

In the 6 years before I started teaching her, she had unconsciously absorbed all the musical rhythms, dynamic textures and guitar playing practicalities - the musicality - the internalisation of pitch and rhythm too. It all seemed so natural to her. Was this talent, or was it something else?

Suzuki Method

What I've learned since then is that one of the most challenging skills for students to master is musicality. I studied the Suzuki teaching method to learn more about teaching musicality and adapted my teaching methods to become a better and better music educator.

Teaching Denny really was the easiest teaching job, and probably the reason why I fell in love with teaching there and then. This is what started me thinking about how some children can become musically brilliant at such a young age.

If you're reading this Denny, I'm very proud of you, love always, Dad. xxx