Kevin Muintir
When I began searching for a guitar teacher for my 9 year old son, I knew I was going to have an uphill battle - my son has the attention span of a typical 4th grader, and we have been having difficulty identifying activities/hobbies that he likes and that will engage him enough to stick with. After speaking with several guitar teachers all around the Albany/Saratoga areas, I found Andrew, and I must say it was a breath of fresh air. I spoke with Andrew over the phone and described my son, and what I wanted to get out of introducing him to the guitar - and he got it. He explained the methods he uses to engage such a young student, and how his teaching will grow to encompass music theory and more formal instruction as my son becomes comfortable and competent with basic skills - all while making sure it stays fun for him (understanding that if it looks/feels like homework or a chore, my son likely will shy away from it).
Our first lesson with Andrew was at his home in Albany, and suffice it to say it was a huge success with my son. Having never picked up a guitar before (except mine from when I took lessons as a kid), within minutes my son was learning how to play simple notes and bridge them together. As he began to play the notes on his own, I could see an immediate shift in my son, from someone that was "trying guitar lessons for Dad" to someone that actually liked it for himself - and this can be attributed directly to Andrew's ability to tap into him and read him. Andrew has a great way to balance easing students into the lessons with jokes and funny ways to remember hand positions, notes, etc with making sure they understand the concepts and actually LEARN the lesson before they move on. By the end of the 30 minute intro lesson, my son was playing Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, which to a Dad who grew up on that music, was a big moment. When we finished the lesson and left, my son asked to hear Nirvana's version on the way home, and was talking me through how he thinks his and Andrew's version were more simple, but "way better" (he was using 2 strings I'll add...). So clearly he caught the guitar bug - so much so we stopped at Guitar Center on the way home and he plugged right in and played in front of everyone. This practice continued all weekend - much to our happiness.
We've been back to Andrew since, and each time they reviewed the week's previous lessons, and added new "practice lessons" for my son to work on at home.
I know this is a long-winded post, but I wanted to give an honest review on our experience with Andrew so far. I can honestly say that we have seen a different side to our son, who has struggled with finding things to hold his interest/be passionate about (and not video games)- and for us, these lessons have been just what we were looking for.
I would recommend Andrew as a guitar instructor to anyone looking for a easy going, non-judgmental and highly skilled professional - for any age group and with any learning obstacle. My son and I have enjoyed going so much, I'm considering picking up lessons again for myself so we can one day play together...and start a band...(still on my bucket list...).
Monday, November 19, 2018