Guitar Teacher Schools Program Operations Manual PDF

Fretvision Music Tuition 2 Dacre St Mitchell, ACT 2911 62550016 24th Jan 2022 Guitar Teacher Schools Program Operations Manual Table of Contents SETTING UP AND RUNNING A CLASS 4 OVERVIEW...

Fretvision Music Tuition 2 Dacre St Mitchell, ACT 2911 62550016 24th Jan 2022 Guitar Teacher Schools Program Operations Manual Table of Contents SETTING UP AND RUNNING A CLASS 4 OVERVIEW 4 GOALS 4 GUITAR CLASS PREPARATION 5 Teacher Preparation 5 Room Setup 6 BEGINNING THE CLASS 7 Student Arrival 7 Roll Call 7 Practice Journals 7 Getting Attention 8 RUNNING THE CLASS 9 Tuneup & Checkout 9 Games 10 Games to learn and play: 10 ENDING THE CLASS 11 Student Departure 11 Pack Up Room 11 STUDENT BEHAVIOUR & ENGAGEMENT 12 OVERVIEW 12 GOALS 12 STUDENT ENGAGEMENT 13 Raport 13 Control 13 Teaching 14 CLASS MANAGEMENT AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL 15 First work out what’s causing the problem 15 Class management for behaviour control 15 Use of Fretpoints for minor offenses 15 Use of report forms for more serious offenses 15 Misbehaviour Or Disengagement? 16 Areas where behaviour or class control may break down 16 1  BEHAVIORAL GUIDELINES 17 Minor Offenses 17 Major Offenses 17 CLASS ADMINISTRATION 19 OVERVIEW 19 GOALS 19 ADMIN DUTIES 20 List of Duties 20 Acuity Scheduling 21 Student Departure 21 Parent Liaison 22 School Hire 22 Teaching Supplies 22 School Keys 23 Fretvision Keys 23 Guitar Hires 24 Fretvision bags 25 Practice journals 25 Lesson books 26 Fretshop Orders 26 Student reports 27 THE FIRST LESSON OF THE TERM 28 OVERVIEW 28 GOALS 28 BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL 29 Things to get at the studio 29 ONCE AT SCHOOL 30 Setting up the classroom 30 Student arrival 30 Roll Call 30 BEGINNING THE CLASS 31 Practice journals and bags 31 Fretpoints 31 Class rules 32 RUNNING THE CLASS 33 2  Tuneup, Checkout & Crash Course 33 Tuition Strategies For New Students 34 Games 35 ENDING THE CLASS 36 Student Departure 36 Pack Up Room 36 3 SETTING UP AND RUNNING A CLASS OVERVIEW Establishing an effective, regular format and routine for your class is critical to improving not only the learning experience of your students, but also your own ability to control the class environment, and by extension, your own personal development and job satisfaction. This section outlines the standard method used to run Fretvision Schools Program guitar classes, which has been tried and tested by many Fretvision teachers over more than a decade. GOALS 1. Layout the exact and standard model for group guitar lessons 2. Provide the necessary knowledge and tools to run a successful class 3. Ensure the correct format for every class 4. Increase a teacher’s confidence and control thus leading to higher levels of satisfaction, student progress and retention 4 GUITAR CLASS PREPARATION The importance of being prepared can’t be stressed enough. A well set-up room and totally prepared teacher – both materially, emotionally, and intellectually – makes all the difference regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of your class. This is especially critical since Fretvision Schools Program keyboard group classes tend to be 30-45 minutes long. If you have ten students in your class, that time limit boils down to roughly 3-4.5 minutes per student – time which is absolutely critical to giving them the support and tuition they need to succeed. In order to teach effectively, you must be organised and prepared to handle setbacks, hiccups, and situations of all sorts on the fly and efficiently as possible, so you can spend more time teaching, and less time improvising. Teacher Preparation Go through the following steps before the first class of the day: 1. Make sure you have everything you need before going to the school: a. Wear smart casual clothes b. Acoustic guitar with a strap in a hard case c. Fold out guitar stand (optional) d. Soft briefcase or bag to carry supplies: i. Guitar tuner and a spare ii. Stamp iii. Fretpoints (singles and 20s) iv. Spare guitar books for each level 2. Arrive at least 30 minutes before the first class is scheduled to begin to allow adequate time to set up the room and prepare for class. 5 Room Setup 1. Move any desks out of the way as needed 2. Arrange chairs (usually 10 chairs) neatly in a large horseshoe shape with chairs roughly a chair width apart so that students can’t knock their guitars together 3. Get out your equipment and place it in a convenient place on a nearby desk: a. Guitar b. Tuner c. Stamp d. Fretpoints e. Spare books f. Guitar stand (optional) 4. Get your guitar out and put the strap on 5. Place your guitar on its stand or wear it yourself 6 BEGINNING THE CLASS The following four steps outline the procedure for beginning a class. It’s crucial to begin each class exactly the same way. This gives students a sense of regularity and predictability, which goes a long way in maintaining a healthy classroom environment, engagement, and good behaviour. Always start each class on time! Student Arrival 1. Students are to wait outside the classroom for the class to start. 2. Get any students that need to be signed out of afters first 3. Let everyone into the space in an orderly manner - no running! 4. Have them take out their guitars, books and practice journals, with guitar bags placed behind their chairs 5. Make sure students are all happily seated Roll Call 1. Announce the roll call with, “Listen Up! It’s Roll Call." 2. Look to see if anyone is still talking or playing their guitar and give them a warning. 3. When all are sitting quietly, call the roll using the class list in Acuity. 4. Make sure students answer with “here” or “yes” only. 5. Mark any absent student in acuity using the ‘absent’ tab. Practice Journals Go around the room and check each student’s practice journal. Give out the appropriate number of Fretpoints to each student. Give praise where it is due and comment on the student's progress. Remind those students who have forgotten to bring theirs in or get it filled out to do so next week. 7 Getting Attention Successfully wrangling and maintaining the attention and engagement of your students is one of the most important skills you can learn as a teacher. There are two easy ways to do this, though they are by no means exhaustive. Where necessary: Announce to the class “Listen Up!”. Inform students that this is their cue to immediately be quiet and show respect and full-body listening to the teacher. You can remain silent for a few seconds after the announcement to wait for students to be quiet, and if you notice any not heeding the instruction, give out warnings as necessary, and take fretpoints after the third warning. Clap a rhythm to the class and have them clap it back to you. The noise of the clapping is enough to drown out most class noise and get students’ attention. Once again, enforce silence with warnings and make sure students clap the pattern back to you. 8 RUNNING THE CLASS This is the main part of the class where all of the instruction and learning happens. Spend most of the class time on the next step, Tuneup & Checkout and about five minutes on the following step, Games. Tuneup & Checkout This is the meat of the lesson, where students should be practicing their songs and getting ready for a checkout. There is strictly no talking during this part of the lesson. 1. Announce Tuneup & Checkout with, “Listen Up! [Wait for silence and give out warnings] It’s time for Tuneup & Checkout." Explain again that, “there is to be no talking for the next 15 mins, only playing guitar.” 2. Go around the room, tuning up each student's guitar. Start with the first student’s guitar, then move to the next student, tune their guitar and give the first student a checkout on the song they are working on. (That’s right, you need to be able to tune and check at the same time) a. If they pass, give them a stamp on the song and a fretpoint b. If they fail, give them instruction on how to improve. 3. Now grab the third student's guitar and tune it up. While doing so, give a check out to the second student if they are ready for one. 4. Repeat this process around the room until every student’s guitar is in tune and each student has had a checkout. 5. Ask if anyone is now ready for another check out and do another round of checkouts if there is time. While doing checkouts, you must also keep one ear on the rest of the room and give out warnings to students that are talking or who are just sitting there doing nothing. This skill takes a while to develop but is very necessary for class control and behaviour management. Try never to be 9 stern, just firm, don’t let kids get away with breaking the rules. Give out warnings and take points away after three warnings; you’ll soon have a class that no longer needs so many warnings. Games If there is time, run through a game or two. This lifts the spirits of the students before they go home and they’ll leave on a high. Make sure each winner is given a fretpoint. Games to learn and play: 1. Simon Says 2. Who’s That String 3. Fretboard Bingo 4. Fretboard Hide ‘n’ Seek Find the rules for games here: https://fretvisionschools.com/guitar-games 10 ENDING THE CLASS Just as it is important to start strong, ending the class well also makes a lasting impression on the students and parents that contributes to your presence and authority, making classes easier and more satisfying to run. Be sure to always end the class on time! Student Departure 1. Announce that it is time to pack up. 2. Have the students pack up their guitars and books, ensuring they leave nothing behind. You may need to help some of the students put their books away in their bags or put their guitars away. Some will find these tasks too difficult and need assistance for a while. 3. Don’t let anyone leave without your knowledge. Ask students to wait by the exit and once you are ready for them to leave, let them exit. 4. See that each student goes where they are supposed to. a. Students picked up by parents are sighted by you. b. Students going to afters are signed back in if needed. c. Students who are free to walk can just leave by themselves. Pack Up Room Once the last class for the day has finished, pack up the room and put it back in the exact state it was in before you arrived. This is really important, it makes a really good impression on the school. 11 STUDENT BEHAVIOUR & ENGAGEMENT OVERVIEW While our schools program has been running very successfully, there have been a few instances of student behavioral problems and some complaints about student progress. We want to address these issues and put in place measures to prevent similar problems in the future. GOALS 1. Outline how to improve student engagement 2. Denote rules and consequences for student behaviour 3. Give guidelines for class control 12 STUDENT ENGAGEMENT It can sometimes be tough getting kids to engage with the learning process or with their instrument. What I’ve found to work, after years of trial and error, are the following: Raport Care about each student individually, as a person, listen to them, be interested in them and their life, be generous in your assumptions about them, be friendly but firm and direct Tailor what they are learning to their interests, not always just following the book (be adaptable) Care about their practice and try to find out WHY they aren’t practicing if they are not and help them problem solve it Control Don’t let students get away with misbehaving AT ALL - and in doing so demand that they are engaged and not checked out or slacking off, they must be participating Maintain a level of professionalism at all times and never get angry or show that you’re upset with what students are doing. Punctuality is essential - ALWAYS be early, never late or not all set up and ready. Try to finish on time. This helps with a students sense of structure and responsibility Have the same exact structure and format for every lesson so that students know what to expect. Repetition creates a sense of control that they can predict, which in turn makes students easier to control. It reduces anxiety and brings kids together as a group, making them feel they belong to something larger than themselves and are less likely to act out 13 Teaching Use games in EVERY lesson to teach fundamental concepts, not just a fun activity (drilling disguised as a game) Class has to be FUN, it can’t be all serious. There is some serious activity at some point, but it is balanced by fun Randomise the order of checkouts each week so that no one feels left out and is always going last Give every student enough attention to get them making progress but don’t get stuck on any one student and not have time for all the others 14 CLASS MANAGEMENT AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL It isn’t always easy to control a group of young kids while at the same time trying to teach them how to play a musical instrument. After almost a decade of trying, I’ve found the following points to be of great importance and workability: First work out what’s causing the problem Is it a student engagement or a behavioral issue? Is this how the student regularly behaves or something new? Are they getting bored due to lack of progress or interest in music more generally? Are they generally harder to control than other students? Are they getting distracted by others? Are they distracting others? Class management for behaviour control Regular repetitive class format and lesson structure Class punctuality and timing - Teacher and students Having all necessary equipment and books available Professionalism in appearance, manners and general tone - not being bored, sloppy, cranky or mean. Being friendly, polite, firm and fun Use of Fretpoints for minor offenses 3 warning system = loss of Fretpoint A clear directive of behavioural expectations and boundaries and consequences Holding students accountable for their behaviour and following through with the consequences. Use of report forms for more serious offenses 3 strike system = exclusion from class Consulting checklist and if warranted, then Website behaviour report detailing troubling behaviour 15  On first report, an informal warning with a call home to parents about the behaviour and necessary corrective actions On second report, a formal warning as an email to parents On third report, exclusion from class with email and phone call to parents Misbehaviour Or Disengagement? It is vitally important to recognize and identify whether a student is mucking up due to being bored, not making progress or being generally disinterested in learning the instrument (disengaged) or on the other hand is just misbehaving due to poor behavioral control. It pays to be genuinely interested in the students progress and wellbeing so that you’ll get to know the student and be able to tell the difference. If a student is just emotionally upset but not intentionally being distracting, take the time to really find out what’s wrong and see if there is anything you can do to help. Mainly just listen and show you understand, this is normally enough to get them back to work and help them regain some sense of equanimity. Areas where behaviour or class control may break down Some possible areas to think about how you would handle them given the information you’ve just read: Incorporating new students into an existing class Teaching different levels at the same time while making things fun for everyone Student not making sufficient progress Books and journals being forgotten or lost Parental disengagement or lack of input Student disinterest or boredom 16 BEHAVIORAL GUIDELINES By knowing and informing the students of what is expected and acceptable behaviour, boundaries are set up to maintain orderliness and protect students from distractions and misbehaviour from others. Minor Offenses These are behaviours that are not acceptable but cause minor disruptions and distractions to the smooth running of the class. These require a prompt warning and instruction to cease the offending behaviour and return to correct participation. 1. Students speaking while the teacher is speaking to the class after the class has been told to “LISTEN UP!” 2. Students playing their instrument while the teacher is speaking to the class after the class has been told to “LISTEN UP!” 3. Students talking to other students during “CHECKOUT TIME” 4. A student remaining idle and not practicing after being told to “GET TO WORK” Major Offenses These are behaviours that are not acceptable and cause major disruptions and distractions to the class or another student. These require an immediate notification to the student that a report will be sent home to their parents and an instruction to cease the offending behaviour and return to correct participation. 1. A student physically hurting or fighting with another student 2. A student speaking with profanities intended to offend another student or the teacher 3. A student discussing inappropriate topics in class that are offensive to other students or the teacher, i.e. sexually inappropriate references, violence, racism, hurtful rumours, etc. 17 4. A student damaging Fretvision’s, the school’s or another student’s property 5. A student receiving multiple warnings for the same minor offense, during a class or over consecutive classes, where more than one fretpoint had to be taken for the same offense 18 CLASS ADMINISTRATION OVERVIEW A key to running successful classes is maintaining good class admin. This includes things such as the proper use of Acuity, punctuality, parent relations, equipment and supplies, etc. Without good admin, you’ll begin to feel overwhelmed, start making mistakes, cause confusion for yourself, the students, the parents and other admin staff, and generally look and come across as unprofessional. Your class numbers will drop and so will your enjoyment and love of teaching! GOALS 1. Outline all of the administrative duties relating to class teaching 2. Describe how to perform and manage those duties effectively 19 ADMIN DUTIES This is a complete list of all of the admin duties of a schools program guitar teacher. You are not expected to do any other admin tasks than those listed here but you’re expected to carry these out flawlessly. List of Duties Acuity Scheduling Student departure Parent liaison School hire Teaching supplies School keys Fretvision keys Guitar hires Fretvision bags Practice journals Lesson books Fretshop Orders Student reports 20 Acuity Scheduling Acuity is used to show when each class is scheduled, the students enrolled in each class, to mark student absences and know where a student is going after class. Be sure to pay attention to the scheduled class time and plan to arrive with at least 15 mins before it starts to set up and get prepared, 20 - 30 mins would be preferable. Alway perform a roll call at the beginning of each class based on the list of enrolled students. You can find this by clicking on the class in Acuity. If a particular student is absent, mark them as such by using the label function on the far right of the student’s name. It’s the red label. It’s very important to do this accurately and while the roll is being marked, not later in the day or at some point during the week. When a student misses a lesson, they normally submit a lesson credit form so they aren’t charged for the lesson. If it hasn’t been marked as absent by the teacher, it causes confusion between the reception staff and the parents and makes us look unprofessional as well as generating unnecessary work for reception. Student Departure Once the class has ended and all every student has packed up, let the students out of the classroom. Using the list in Acuity, see that each student goes where they are supposed to go, i.e. afters, picked up by parent, walk home by themselves, etc. The children are in your care and you are responsible for them until they arrive at afters or are picked up. ‘Free to walk’ means you can just let them go off by themselves. If a parent doesn't show up to pick up their child by the time the next class is due to start, bring them back into the class with you and get in contact with the parent to have them come and pick up their child. You can call them directly by finding their number in Acuity or text reception 21 to take care of it for you. Bottom line is to keep the student with you until the parent comes to get them. Parent Liaison When a parent picks up their child, they may want to have a brief chat about how they are going. Use this opportunity to let the parent know what they are working on and the progress they have made as well as any trouble they might be having. You can also bring up any misbehaviour or difficulties with behaviour if they warrant mentioning. This should take no more than 30 - 60 seconds and won’t be needed for every parent each week but some may need it more than others. School Hire This covers the hire space, or building we hire, and any equipment in that space that we use during the class. We have a hire agreement in place with each school that allows us to use the space. It is very important to respect the space and equipment, return desks and chairs back the way you found them upon arrival and clean up any mess at the end of the day before leaving that is made during the classes. To ensure our continued use of the space and good relations with the school, it is vitally important to perform this task religiously. If, for any reason, you do not have sufficient basic equipment (e.g. tables and chairs) to properly run the class, let reception know immediately and we will get in contact with the school to sort it out. Don’t try to do it yourself unless there is a very simple solution, as this may just cause further problems. Teaching Supplies Each teacher is responsible for ensuring they have all of the supplies they need to run their classes. Fretvision will supply you with what you need, you're not financially responsible but must ensure you do have what you 22 need and notify us via email if you are running low or are missing any equipment - email [email protected]. Generally, you’ll be given everything you need at the beginning of your first term of teaching. You’ll have a bag/case which will already be populated with the supplies you need. This includes pens, pencils, markers, stamps, tuners, picks, spare strings, fretpoints, blank sheets and spare books. School Keys This only applies to Charles Weston School currently. You will need to go into the school reception at an arranged time to sign out a key to use for the teaching space and the school gates. Fretvision Keys As a schools program teacher, you must have keys for the Fretvision Studio as there will be times you are required to go in and pick up books, student bags and or hire guitars for your students, generally at the beginning of each term but sometimes during the term also. Another common scenario is where you may be low on supplies and need to go past work on your way to a school in order to restock. Or you need to pick up a fretshop item for a student who has ordered one. Fretvision Keys As a schools program teacher, you must have keys for the Fretvision Studio as there will be times you are required to go in and pick up books, student bags and or hire guitars for your students, generally at the beginning of each term but sometimes during the term also. Another common scenario is where you may be low on supplies and need to go past work on your way to a school in order to restock. Or you need to pick up a fretshop item for a student who has ordered one. 23 Guitar Hires Teachers are responsible for giving, and receiving back, hire guitars to, and from, students. These are normally given out at the beginning of each term when new students sign up and are collected back from a student when they have terminated lessons. Hire guitars for new students are put in your room at the studio for you to pick up before your first class of the term. They will be separated out into different piles for each school. Each guitar is tagged and numbered and will also have the student's name on the back of the tag. You must be careful to give each student their allocated guitar as each has been assigned and recorded in a spreadsheet to keep track of the hires. When receiving hire guitars back from terminating students, it is very important not to just leave them in your car but to take them to reception on the day you receive them or the very next time you are in. If this is not done, we will end up over charging the parents for hire instead of ending their hirer payments and this creates upset customers and unnecessary work for reception! In the event that a student presents you with a broken hire guitar or breaks one in class, let them know that it will be replaced and not to worry too much about it. Guitars do often get accidentally broken, mostly from being dropped or having them fall over because they’ve been placed against a wall or other insufficient guitar stand. Take the broken guitar to reception and ask them for a replacement. The parents will be charged a nominal replacement fee. Don’t just grab another random guitar yourself to give them as the number needs to be recorded at reception. Or if you happen to have a spare with you, it is ok to give it to them to take home but you MUST write down and tell reception the GH number and student’s name. 24 Another thing to look for is a guitar with very old or worn out strings. The guitar needs to be replaced with a newer one. The old one needs to go in for a restring which must be organized at reception. Another instance where swapping the guitar for a new one is appropriate, is when the student has outgrown the guitar and needs the next size up. Fretvision bags Each new student is given a bag containing a practice journal and lesson book on their first lesson. They only ever get one of these, we don’t replace lost bags! Students should bring these to each lesson with their books inside. Bags for each new student will be placed on your desk at the studio, separated into piles by class. Practice journals Each student is supplied with a new practice journal at the beginning of each term. Again, these will be in piles by class on your desk at the studio to collect before the first class for the term. Once given to students, it is your job to ensure that students actually use these. It greatly improves their progress, engages parents in the learning process and is the main way students earn fretpoints. No fretpoints are to be given out for practice that hasn’t been entered into the journal or for practice that isn’t signed off by a parent. If the class rate of practice journal usage, or practice in general, is low in any given lesson, take the opportunity to explain to students the value of practice and the importance of filing out their journal: They get fretpoints, upto 14 if fully filled in We get to see how they are progressing at home Their parents get to be involved in their learning It’s easier to keep a track of where they are upto We can give them feedback and practice instructions 25 It isn't always possible or necessary to write in a student’s journal each lesson but can be good from time to time to give feedback notes to parents and to assist in the direction and focus of practice sessions. Mainly, we want students and parents to fill out and record their own practice during the week. It can be very useful to explain to students every now and then what practice actually means and what it looks like. Use the writeup at the back of the journal to help kids understand what it is that they should be doing and paying attention to while practicing to get the most out of each session. This also helps them understand what they should be doing in class when not directly receiving a checkout. Lesson books Students are given a lesson book on their first day in class, along with a practice journal and Fretvision bag. They must bring this book to each and every lesson. If they happen to leave it at home, you can lend them a spare copy for the lesson which they must hand back to you at the end of the lesson. If they routinely come to lessons with no book and tell you they have lost it, or it’s broken and can’t be used, they can be given a new one but their parents will be charged a $10 replacement fee. You must make a note of any students who have been given a replacement book and email it to [email protected]. Fretshop Orders Students will want to order prizes from the fretshop which they can do online by visiting www.fretvisionschools.com/students and scrolling down to the ‘Online Fretshop’. Here, they fill out an order form which is received and automatically added to the Microsoft ToDo app as a task assigned to you. An email notification will also be sent to you. When you receive an order, pick up the prize from the studio fretshop before your next class 26 with that student and give it to them at the end of the class so as not to interrupt the lesson. It can be done just before pack up time so that all of the other students see the prize being given, which in turn can inspire those kids to work harder themselves so that they might be able to afford a similar prize. Once the prize is given over, collect the fretpoints from the student to pay for the prize. Then, mark it off in ToDo so that we know it has been done. Student reports We don’t currently provide parents with report cards of any kind at the end of a term. However, verbal feedback after a couple of lessons is generally enough to inform the parent of how their child is, or isn’t, progressing. The only time you’ll be required to write up any in-depth report on how your students are doing is when you are leaving or no longer teaching a particular class. This is so that we can hand the class over to a new teacher with as much continuity as possible. The only other type of report is the Student Trouble Report which is covered in the section ‘Class Management and Behaviour Control’. 27 THE FIRST LESSON OF THE TERM OVERVIEW At the beginning of each term, there are several specific admin tasks you’ll be required to perform that aren’t done for any other class. These actions are required to set up and run the first lesson of the term for each class you teach. This lesson differs from regular lessons in a few key and important ways which will be discussed in the section. These initial lessons can be quite hectic and challenging but armed with this knowledge, you should have no real difficulty navigating its challenges. GOALS 1. Explain clearly what needs to be done before going to the first class of each term 2. Show how best to set up the class once at the school so as to reduce confusion and time wasting 3. Give a clear idea of how to successfully run the first lesson of the term and outline its challenges 28 BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL First things first, you need to go to the studio and collect some things before heading off to go to the school. Things to get at the studio As covered earlier in the list of admin duties, you’ll be required to collect the following from the studio before the first class of each term: Practice Journals Lesson books Fretvision bags (for new students only) Hire guitars These items will be placed in your room for collection and will be labeled with student names (for hire guitars) and class names and numbers for the lesson materials. Make sure you leave enough time to pick these up from the studio and still get to the school in time to set up. Give yourself a little more time than you normally would as you may need to do several trips from your car to carry everything to the music tuition space. 29 ONCE AT SCHOOL Now that you're at the school, you need to take everything in, get set up and run a successful first lesson. When taking what you need into the school, utilize two or three trips if necessary to avoid overloading yourself or dropping things! Setting up the classroom Once everything has been brought in from your car, place the books and bags in piles separated by class (if there are more than one class) so that you can easily distribute them to students. Place the hire guitars in piles against a wall at the front of the room, also separated by class. Then set the space up as usual (chairs, tuner, fretpoints, your guitar, etc.). Student arrival There will be new kids who have joined the class, make sure they are welcomed and know where to line up. Sometimes a parent might be with them, just let them know that they are in the right place and can leave their child with you now. Parents are never allowed to sit in on lessons or enter the classroom, this is a firm Fretvision and schools policy. Roll Call Before calling roll, get all of the new students seated together on one side of the classroom, away from the other students. This will enable you to address them as a group separate from the old students. Conduct roll call as usual and mark any absences. 30 BEGINNING THE CLASS This will be similar to running a normal class but will differ in four important ways: Existing students will need to be given a new practice journal. New students will need to be given a bag containing a practice journal and lesson book. Class rules and fretpoints will need to be explained. New students will need to be given a crash course on the parts of the guitar and how to read tab. Practice journals and bags You will have been provided with exact numbers of practice journals and bags (plus a couple of spares) based on the number of students in the class. Had these out to the students. 1. Give bags to new students and ask them to take out their practice journals. 2. Give out new practice journals to existing students and give out fretpoints for practice any done over the holidays. 3. Briefly go over how to use the practice journal, which must be brought in each week and signed by parents to get fretpoints and what each of the sections are. Fretpoints Show the class the Fretpoints and explain that they are earned by practicing at home and recording it in their practice journal completing songs and getting them stamped off by the teacher winning games that are played at the end of the lesson. Points are used to buy items from our Fretshop (toys, lego, balls, etc.) which they can access online and order things that they like. The teacher will then bring it to the next lesson and exchange it with them for points. 31 Class rules Take this opportunity to go over all the class rules for the whole class - especially the warning system and behaviour management system. It is important to set out clear expectations and answer any questions at this stage so students fully understand the rules of engagement for class. Explain to the students they must follow these rules while participating in class: There is to be no talking or playing guitars when, ○ the teacher is talking to the class ○ the teacher has said, ‘LISTEN UP!’ During Tuneup & Checkout ○ there is no talking to other students ○ students must be practicing a song, not just sitting there doing nothing If any of these rules are broken, ○ The student will get a warning. ○ After three such warnings, the student loses a Fretpoint. ○ If a student loses two fretpoints in the one class, they will receive an official warning - phone call home to parents. ○ On the third official warning, the student will no longer be able to participate in the class. These rules exist to help everyone get along and learn better 32 RUNNING THE CLASS This will be the most challenging part of the lesson but also the most important. You’ll need to be able to do a checkout on each of the existing students and introduce all of the new students to the guitar. Tuneup, Checkout & Crash Course 1. Tell all of the existing students to start practicing their songs and get a song ready for a checkout. 2. While the old students practice, crash course the new students. a. Show and explain the three main parts of the guitar. b. Explain string numbers and get them to play string one using their thumb until they can all make a clear tone. c. Then show them that the strings are numbered one to six. d. Explain fret numbers and get them playing fret one string one. Correct any fingering issues until they are all playing it clearly. e. Now get them to play frets two, three and four. f. Show them how to play the first bar of ‘Hot Cross Buns’. g. While doing all of this, keep one ear on the rest of the class and give out warnings for those that are talking or just sitting there doing nothing. h. If one of the older students needs help, ask them to wait and practice what they can, an older song maybe, and then try to quickly help them in a convenient gap when the new students are working on playing strings or frets. 3. Start doing checkouts on the older students who’ve been practicing. Also, tune their guitars as you go around the class as described earlier in a regular Tuneup & Checkout. 4. Keep checking in on the new students and give them help in between doing checkouts as needed. 5. Explain to the new students how to read guitar tab by showing them the tab for ‘Hot Cross Buns’ and pointing out what they have 33  already learned and what the next part sounds like while getting them to slowly follow along in the book. Tuition Strategies For New Students There are many, many ways to teach guitar and no single strategy can by any means be judged the best, or the worst. However, here are a few things we’ve found effective while teaching over the years: Get them playing ASAP. Try not to waffle theory or talk too much at the start (or ever, for that matter) – the more hands-on your students are, the more intuitively they will begin to understand what you are teaching them. If students are clearly bored with what they are working on, let them skip ahead to what interests them. If it’s a bit above their level, let them tackle it regardless (within reason). Fostering students’ intrinsic motivation is one of the strongest predictors of student retention and success. Always bring them back at some point and finish any earlier songs not yet passed. Don’t stress about learning all the string and fret numbers in the first lesson - that is very rare. Focus more on technique and finger placement instead. Make sure they can make a clear sound. Demonstration is key. If a student is struggling, demonstrate on your own guitar. It’s important to know all of the songs really well yourself. Once they have built up some confidence, get them to do it on their own whilst pointing out how what they are playing relates to the tab on the page. It will pay off in the long run to introduce them to the four keys to effective practice, covered in the back of their practice journal, early on. Teach them to practice in the lessons, going slow during hard passages, breaking songs into chunks and focusing on the hard bits and of course, looping - reps, reps, reps! Context adds fun. Consider sharing fun facts about any of the songs if you know any. 34  Don’t expect too much from the really young new students, it may take them a whole term to get through the first song. That’s ok, they will learn a lot during that time, just keep coming back to the basics and make sure they are learning how to practice. You’ll find that not all students are the same in their ability or potential and as such you’ll need to adjust your checkout standards to meet realistic expectations of how well the student can actually perform the song. Some will be a little rough with their timing or fingering, others will be able to start nailing it after a few lessons. The main thing is that they are really trying to get it right and have worked hard at it. Once they’ve been playing for a while, reassess how strict you can be with each student’s checkout. Slowly work toward them being able to play with excellent timing and correct fingering and a reasonable pace. Games Try to play at least one game if possible, even if you are running a little late. The best one to play for this first lesson is Simon Says. Just play one or two rounds and then give out points. The new students can be given a couple of second chances when they get out to maximise their chance of winning a fretpoint. 35 ENDING THE CLASS End the class as usual but pay closer attention to the new kids. Make sure they haven’t left anything behind, particularly their Fretvision bags and hire guitars. Student Departure 1. Announce that it is time to pack up. 2. Have the students pack up their guitars and books, ensuring they leave nothing behind. You may need to help some of the students put their books away in their bags or put their guitars away. Some will find these tasks too difficult and need assistance for a while. 3. Don’t let anyone leave without your knowledge. Ask students to wait by the exit and once you are ready for them to leave, let them exit. 4. See that each student goes where they are supposed to. a. Students picked up by parents are sighted by you. b. Students going to afters are signed back in if needed. c. Students who are free to walk can just leave by themselves. Pack Up Room Once the last class for the day has finished, pack up the room and put it back in the exact state it was in before you arrived. This is really important, it makes a really good impression on the school. 36