Teaching?? I don't think so.

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I'm just saying that I'm not a ukulele instructor, and I don't want to be one.
 
just think of 'teaching' as sharing the info you know and use, with someone else, esp someone who asks for assistance.

you're probably 'teaching' all the time, and just don't consider it 'teaching' :)

of course, formally preparing something for a group of people who expect to learn something from you, and are paying
you for the experience, ... that can be off-putting and daunting... but doable :) you must prepare yourself and be aware
of the needs of your students. OK, that may have been too 'simple', but teaching is sharing information for the benefit
of the hearer.

anyway, keep uke'in', :)
 
Mutual benefit

I'm teaching a guy now who has a great ear and a knack for song writing. He doesn't know anything about music theory other than what he hears intuitively. So, I'm helping him go further. I write myself and so we're co-writing, spring-boarding off of each other. He has a beautiful voice and I have a way with chords. We both have a way with melody and we both have deep respect and love of standards.

So, I'm teaching him for free and I'm getting taught by him. We inspire each other. That's what I like. No money involved.
 
being able to do something and being able to teach it... 2 completely different skill sets
 
being able to do something and being able to teach it... 2 completely different skill sets

I agree with you. I'm not a teacher. Leave that to people who know how to teach.

but teaching is sharing information for the benefitjust think of 'teaching' as sharing the info you know and use, with someone else, esp someone who asks for assistance.

you're probably 'teaching' all the time, and just don't consider it 'teaching' :)


I don't agree. It isn't just passing information. You don't just go sit down on a Saturday afternoon over beers and teach someone to play the ukulele. It is much more than that. But when people ask me if I will teach them how to play the ukulele, I tell them to go to Uncle Rod's Ukulele Boot Camp, get a few songs under their belt, and come back. We'll jam.
 
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You all are teaching me every time I read posts and ask questions here. Not the same as formal teaching, but you all are teachers.

There are lots of different teaching styles, (and theories), so one person's fantastic teacher might not be a good teacher for someone else, though.
 
Oh man. Teaching take sooo much patience.
I use all mine up for my own very slow moving progress :)
 
Depends on how you define "teaching." To me, it's an active process of deliberate actions designed to present information that will allow the learner to "learn" the basics of how to play the ukulele and all that goes with it. It often involves demonstrations, both hands on and hands off, lecturing using visual aids including handouts, a chalk or marker board, as well as visual aids that include instruments and accessories. This is because I have a strong background in formal "instruction." I also believe that there are other less formal strategies to teach something. It's my understanding that most of the Hawaiian uke legends learned by observing an older player, often dad, grandfather, or uncle, This is how they "taught" and it obviously worked. Of course if the student doesn't study their instrument and practice, it really doesn't matter what method of instruction is used.
 
I love teaching, but have a lot to learn about teaching ukulele. I also love learning, and usually pick up as many things teaching as a student probably gets from my ramblings.
 
I'm just trying to understand the purpose of the thread. As a music teacher, I guess I'm at a rare loss of words?
The purpose of the thread is to say that just because someone can play the ukulele, that does not make them a ukulele teacher. There is much more to teaching. Good ukulele teachers are good teachers first.
 
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I enjoy teaching only people who are serious about learning an instrument and growing as a musician. These folks I'll happily teach for free. (If this is you and you live in Guangzhou, China, please feel free to contact me.) People who just want to pick up the instrument once in a while and plunk a chord or two can go bug somebody else. My time isn't worth their money.
 
I thought I was a pretty patient person, but I tried to teach a few relative beginners and found out that I am probably not as patient as I thought I was. I wound up showing them Justin's tips on learning to make a clean chord and then how to practice chord changes. Then told them they'd have to work on that before they could really move on to anything else. I felt frustrated because it's hard to help folks who seem like they just aren't putting any practice time in. One lady had long nails on her fretting hand and I couldn't really help her at all except to tell her to cut her nails. Teaching's apparently not for me.
 
They say one of the best ways to get better at something is to teach it to someone else. After retiring 10 years ago from being a propman in the movie studios for 25 years, and diligently using a Macintosh for 20 years, I started teaching people how to use their Macs. Although I was told I'm a good teacher, I finally gave it up a couple years ago because too many of my clients never took the time to practice what I was teaching them. It became very frustrating that they kept making the same mistakes or asked to be shown the same things over and over again.

I couple of weeks ago one of the members of the uke group I'm with asked some of us to participate with her to teach middle school kids the uke. I opted out, just couldn't bring myself to be put in that frustrating place again.
 
I'm more of an enabler than a teacher, I can show what I do, & can normally explain how I do it, but it's down to the person to learn the best way for them how to do it. ;)
 
By answering questions, giving advice, sharing videos of songs and giving reviews.. even by asking questions you are learning and teaching. Both are hard to avoid while actively participating in a forum like this...
 
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