Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Become a succesful G4GUITAR Teacher by following some simple advice

G4GUITARSCHOOLS WEEKLY TEACHING TIPS
Here's some tips that will help with improve your teaching:

  • Always check the students practice logs and encourage the students to fill them in. This will be the main indicator of their motivation levels and how likely they are to stay with you.

  • Become familiar with the student checklists for each level. Get into the habit of updating these regularly and try not to stray too far from these. This will help to focus your teaching and your students will progress through the levels much quicker.

  • Check our teacher training website to see how the songs from memory should be played.

  • Always aim to focus on weaknesses that a student may have. Identify these and show the students how to improve in these areas.

  • Always Demonstrate. By demonstrating students will always have a better understanding of what you are asking them to do and to what level.
I hope these help...
Regards
Brendan Morello

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Student Checklist Report SCL

I have added an SCL report form for students or teachers to fill in so we can track student progress more closely. Please see the link on the Teachers Links at the bottom of the B Links.

Some years ago after reading a book on the success of Checklists I decided to trial them within G4GUITAR. They were an absolute winner for many reasons. Firstly I did not need to keep notes on students. The SCL did that for me. I didn't need to create lesson plans. Students and their parents were able to monitor their own progress and the goal was clearly laid out. But the best result of all was almost 100% success. The SCL single handedly eliminated any confusion students or parents may have had about the G4GUITAR METHOD.

But there is one VERY IMPORTANT element to the SCL. Someone must be monitoring them. Unforntunately we still have a high drop out rate and the reason is students lose focus. I know from experience this is because they are not understanding how the SCL works. By reporting we will be able to track their progress at regular intervals and determine if they are firstly understanding and secondly progressing.

We will be asking students to fill in the form SCL REPORT online but if they don't we will then ask teachers to do so. Students will receive a regular email so please encourage (educate) them to fill in the form so you don't have to. This is also a vital step in working towards our vision of ONLINE LEARNING. Our ticket to freedom.

Thank you..

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Understanding the G4 Goal


Our goal is simple. We want all G4 students to be able to sit for an AMEB CPM (Contemporary Popular Music) Exam and pass with flying colours. The G4GM Levels are inline with the AMEB. The 7 Essential Skills prepare students for AMEB. We figure why reinvent the wheel. Australia's best teachers got teacher and worked out a suitable standard for students and the result was the CPM Steps 1 to 4. If you are unsure about the 7 Essential Skills then follow the link.

The AMEB CPM Step 1 Exam should follow on after the G4 Senior Level 3. CPM exams consist of Technical Work 25%, Set Works 15%, Free Choice 15%, Creative 15%, Knowledge & Understanding 10%, Aural 10% and Reading 10%. For more information grad yourself a copy of the AMEB CPM Step. 1.