RobK wrote
I'll offer an apology here, since it's most likely that my first post got the topic getting more serious than it should have.
I will say that, as a potential student, I experienced quite a bit of the negative things mentioned in the posts. When I was looking for a teacher, most would just give me prices and available times. Most were inflexible in what they teach and how. Most didn't even bother to sit down and have a chat to find out what was going on in my head (with regards to guitar, of course - the other stuff noone can decode ? )
So from my experience, finding a teacher is easy, but finding a good one is the difficult part. I know, it took me a while to find one.
Well I think it's OK for a teacher to confine their activities - as long as they are clear about it. I'd rather they were clear about it when I call them than after I've driven all that way and paid for a lesson. I know of a couple of teachers who only take on advanced players, a couple who only teach specific styles and a couple who take only absolute beginners who they teach to a certain level and then refer to other teachers. All good - they have for whatever reason decided that these are the constraints within which they wish to operate and they're clear about it from the first contact. Others are more open ended and versatile as regards styles they teach. Also OK. The trick is to find the right teacher for you now. This may involve some shopping around, but that's what you need to do to find a good fit.
