Parent Feedback Form I value your feedback, please do fill this in if you have time
Music is great for so many reasons, and the guitar is a wonderful instrument to learn to play. My main job is teaching guitar, if you would like lessons please read this page before you contact me
Welcome to all new students, I hope you find this page useful. The Table of contents should make it easier to find the information you need quickly, or do scroll down to view the whole page as normal. Please use the contact form to give any feedback or to ask questions.
Adult learning classes in Oxford are now FULL :) Please do look at the tuition page if you are visiting for the first time (guitar tuning video is there under resources).
some schools are preparing for performances in following weeks, Watchfield performance is for Y6 (and leavers) only this time. please look at the performance video to help. The more practice in front of people the better.
I am not full time in any one school, so please do ask class teachers if there may be other performance opportunities I'm not aware of. Children who are on book 2 should be able to perform pieces from book 1, and many students will be able to play pieces from earlier in book 1 when confident. It may be possible to create a performance environment at home, or somewhere else if school is too busy!
This is a fun video sent to me by the head teacher at Caldecott on playing together!!.. enjoy
Welcome back
Happy New year to all guitar students
Welcome to all new students and a farewell to students who are moving away
In the first week back we will be recapping book material (no more christmas songs!), and also looking at dynamics.. (loud and soft) SEE RESOURCES FOR NEW VIDEO!. PLEASE ensure your child ticks when they practice this week to get into a good practice routine, I will check this. Trev
Some schools have opportunities to perform some Christmas songs. It is worth asking class teachers if you can when ready, but is it also good to encourage performance at home over Christmas break. Make a 'stage' and listen intently. it's very good for students to develop performance both to small and bigger groups. see Resources, PERFORMANCE CARTOON for some tips.
Week 3/4 JINGLE BELLS
I'm putting this up now to give you all plenty of time to see it before Christmas
NEW VIDEO! in Resources, JINGLE BELLS. Hopefully this is achievable for a lot of the beginners to play before Christmas itself. Those students who have had the piece already might like to think about performing it in class..
Week 2
Please can parents who haven't filled in a contact slip do so ASAP
This term is 7 weeks, look in the practice book for fees due or do contact me if you don't know how much you owe
I will be checking practice ticks, please ask your child to tick when they practice, you won't need to oversee this when they are in a good routine
NEW VIDEO! in Resources, look near the back of the yellow guitarists way book for scales, p15.
Christmas Term!
Welcome back to guitar students! Hope you had a good break. Try to get into good habits straight away and remember to tick your red practice book when you practice.. I'll be checking this! Most students have a Christmas sheet and hopefully pupils who have learnt for a year will have opportunities to perform also! As ever keep an eye on this tuition page for updates. Happy strumming!
Half Term
It is a bit early for Christmas! but hopefully giving students a good few weeks will mean some of them will be ready to play songs in front of people around this time. The two songs I would recommend from Guitarist way when ready are The Star and Good King Wenceslas, and this will tie in after half term also.
For students who have been learning a while, and have done the Christmas sheet before their homework is to write a song of their own for Christmas/Winter. There is a video on songwriting here, it can be a melody or chords and words.
week 5
Thanks again for feedback, I am finding putting weekly updates is working well so I plan to continue this. Last week students were concentrating on TUNING and CHORD CHART.. there is a video on both of these on this page. IMPORTANT tuning is a difficult skill so please don't worry if it takes a while to fully master, the main element for a beginner is to understand the string and the tuning peg, and how a loose string sounds lower and a tight string sounds high. Please look in the back of the yellow book for the Chord Chart
update week 4
Watchfield and Dunmore school now have a waiting list for tuition, the youngest age i would start tuition is Y2 although often it is good to wait till Y3. I am really please with the new guitarists progress, please continue to make sure they tick when they practice at home as finger strength will grow gradually.
Schools update Week 3
Welcome to all new students, and thanks to parents who have paid their fees and given back the reply slip already! Once again thank you to parents who have taken time to give feedback.
NOTE about practice books.. I try to not spend too long writing in books in lessons so please do use the contact form if you have a question that isn't answered here. Please encourage your child to use it and check they use the tick chart to record their hard work!.. they enjoy showing me ticks when they have practiced! If your child is struggling with practice do remember the animation video below which might help. I have also found these recordings to help with the Guitarists Way pieces GW Sound Clips. Regular short practice is best to start with
Caldecott Y5 and Y6 are away next friday.. if you have paid for this lesson it will carry forward as a credit
TUITION DATES
Private tuition starts on tuesday 6th September 2011
School tuition Starts week commencing monday 12th September 2011
Adult Learning starts Monday 19st September 2011
NEW adult learning courses are now MONDAY EVENING in East Oxford
If your child would like to start this term please contact me in the first week of term
END OF YEAR REPORT
I've written an End of year report for Guitar Teaching.
Click HERE to read it.
Have a good summer and see you in September! :)
END OF TERM - RECORDING
I am teaching right up till end of term (Caldecott have assembly on last day so will be week before for them). In final week I am doing recording with the students, so they can hear back their own playing. Please make sure they practice one piece to record (not their most difficult piece)! I may also bring in an electric guitar to show them..
** Please make sure you have paid outstanding guitar Fees, check in RED BOOK if unsure. If you child is continuing at the school I will put them on the list to continue guitar lessons, please inform me if there is any change i'm unaware of.
If your child is in Y6 or leaving please do ask if you want a brief report about their playing before their last lesson.
ADULT LEARNING tuition final session is 14.7.11
Private tuition stops in line with term.. please keep an eye out for summer tuition availability
Strike - Watchfield thanks
Thanks to parents and staff at Watchfield school for bringing in pupils despite todays strike! some committed young guitarists there! :)
Glastonbury - no teaching
There is no guitar teaching Wednesday 22nd - Monday 27th AM, as I am off to Glastonbury festival to check out what the big bands sound like! please do practice in your week off remember the sheet also!
Also Longworth guitar is on 13.6.11 MONDAY due to school trip
AL assessment
My recent guitar assessment for Adult Learning received a grade 1. :) 26.5.11
watch the video a few times, this is a difficult skill to master!
There is also a good website to get the pitch of all strings HERE
Fees
I write how much you owe for guitar lessons at the start of each half term in the red Practice Book. Fees are due next lesson/start of each half term. Cheques (payable to Trev Williams), or cash in an envelope are both fine. If for whatever reason you wish to stop the guitar lessons please give as much notice as you can. If a child is sick you still need to pay for the lesson (as I still have to be there for it, please contact me if there is a known/prolonged absence). If there is an inset day I haven't accounted for, or if I am ill, any money paid for a lesson not given will be carried forward. If you are delayed in paying please write a note so I know you have seen the amount that is still due. Fees are now in line with Musicians Union Rates, please contact me if you require more information on this
If you require a letter/invoice please let me know, generally I try to minimise extra paperwork (as fees are every half term), but I am more than happy to provide one if you need one.
Please try to be prompt when paying fees, I realise it is a difficult time so if you are delayed for any reason please write in the red book or contact me directly via the site
Guitar Practice
Practice Books
I write in the red Practice Book every lesson (you and your child can write in it as well). Please tick the practice book when you practice. Aim for 3 ticks a week if possible. practising for a short time regularly is better than a lot in one go. When encouraging practice it is good to try and do a bit of 'hard work' reading notes, and a bit of 'fun playing' chords and songs! Mixing both makes practice more effective.
NEW Tips
Practice! please ensure your child ticks in the red book when they practice, I can reinforce this in their lesson to encourage regular practice. I will check most weeks as a few parents have given feedback about practice being hard to encourage sometimes at home.
**Well done to every pupil that managed to get 3 or more ticks this week!!**
Get your Guitar OUT!
when you get home from a lesson get your guitar out of its case right away! (check the tuning if you can also) Even if you don't have a guitar stand, having a guitar which is out of it's case is much more appealing to play for a short time.
No Time to practice??!!
One tip to create time is to practice in TV advert breaks!. mute the TV in adverts and use the 3 minutes to practice. A few add breaks would make a whole practice session!
Pick and Mix!
Try practicing, a piece you know well, an easy piece, your newest piece, a scale, a chord, a difficult piece, your newest piece, your oldest piece, a song you can sing, a piece you've made yourself, a piece you can play fast, a chord change, a piece you know off by heart, a strumming rhythm....
Theres lots to choose from, let me know if you think of any more!..
NEW PUPILS
If your child would like to start and hasn't, please do get in touch, some schools may now have to wait till half term for new starters, other schools do still have space
Here is the letter you can print and hand to the office, or Email me if that's easier :
startingguitarlessons.pdf.
I currently teach in the following schools:
Abingdon Dunmore, Abingdon Caldecott, Watchfield, Longworth, Hanney St James, Buckland, King Alfred's (I also have students at Stanford, and Fitzwarren please get in touch for more information).
OLD PUPILS
Thank you for visiting the site again! Do let me know how your music is going, It's always nice to hear from old pupils I've taught in the past! :o)
schools I have taught at in the past include, Chaddleworth, Shefford, Uffington and many through cover work at OCC
Cancelling guitar lessons
If for whatever reason you wish to stop the guitar lessons please give as much notice as you can. Please write to let me know if your child wants to stop guitar, I can generally encourage most students to continue by adapting lessons, but learning anything requires commitment, it's not always easy. It is important to let me know if there are reasons to stop which I am not aware of.
Books and New guitars
There is a music shop in Wantage, (8 Newbury Street, Wantage, tel: 01235 770353). There are also music shops in Swindon, Oxford and Abingdon which are good. A few people have recommended www.musicroom.com as a good online place to buy the music books.
NOTE - new students will need to get their own guitar, or have access to one for practice at home. I do have a spare for lessons
When buying a first guitar don't spend too much, try and get a 3/4 size guitar if your child is primary age. Full size guitars are fine for teenagers, adults and bigger children. 1/2 size guitars are good for infants but they soon grow out of these. If in doubt go into a shop and try one. Ebay often has second hand guitars if you cannot get to a shop easily
** If you have an old guitar you no longer use I can try and pair it up with a student do let me know if you have one and I'll post any news here **
Electric guitar for sale
"£50, it comes with a basic amp (with lead), strap, carry bag, picks and a little tuner. It is a behringer "strat" shape guitar (black and white body, wood neck)." from stanford in the vale, contact Mark for any more info. SOLD
Sound files
Alison Bendy has recorded some excellent mp3s of the Guitarist Way tunes, I recommend buying these recordings to play along to.. here are the free samples from her website you can use to try! I sometimes use these in lessons mainly for timing. The link to buy is http://www.alisonbendy.com/
Trinity Exams take place at the end of every term, there is an Exam centre in Oxford (although currently they are changing staff I am told), dates to enrol are 27th Jan (for March Exam), 4th May (for June/July Exam). I hope a few students will enter this year!
I encourage students to think about exams, but especially with young children I do not want to push anyone into exams who doesn't want to do it. It is fine to work from the grade books and not do the exam.
Please note exams cost £35, and I would not necessarily be able to accompany them there, with this in mind please make sure they are confident and ready at home also.
Groups
Hopefully most students will be in their preferred size group choice. I realise some individual students are in groups at the moment, this is generally in schools with enough students for group streaming. Also some schools did not have enough students to make larger group. Please let me know if you wish to regroup, it isn't always possible but it is helpful to get feedback when planning. There are benefits from both individual lessons and group lessons so it is good to try both at some stage in learning.
SCHOOLS
If your child is at one of the following schools :
Abingdon Dunmore, Abingdon Caldecott, Watchfield, Longworth, St James Hanney, Buckland, Fitzwarren (Stanford, King Alfreds School, Challow please get in touch for more information)
You can ask for lessons with me via the school, generally I can start new pupils at the beginning term. There are different prices depending on group size, or individual lessons
PRIVATE
If you want private tuition, I currently teach in two locations
in Stanford in the Vale, which is in-between Wantage and Faringdon on the A417. If you are a beginner it is better to do one of the above options first if possible. This is almost full so a waiting list will be created
I have recently relocated to East Oxford, and there is a bit of space for private tuition there, please
Please NOTE there is a beginner and an improver course, please email if you are unsure which one is right for you.
I am now teaching guitar for Oxfordshire Adult Learning in East Oxford! monday evening beginners and improvers (blues focus). search for guitar and enrol now!
NOTE all other AL sept guitar courses have been canceled due to lack of numbers and also tutor time to cover them. apologies if you were on a course and can't make the rearranged time/location
NEW FORUM
(please Email if you forget the password, *NOTE the password is lowercase letters!*)
Singing Tuition
I teach singing, currently privately and in a few schools as an addition to instrumental tuition. If you would like to find out more about singing tuition please contact me.
Uke Tuition
I am starting beginner Uke tuition, Uke is ideal for small learners and for those keen on singing and strumming.
PRICES
Prices vary depending on the type of lesson you want,
if you contact me with details I can happily give you an individual quote.
Also if you want any more information Contact me
If you would like to send anything to me by post please do so at this address : Trev Williams Music, PO BOX 2894, FARINGDON, SN7 8WT, ENGLAND. It is also worth sending an Email if it's urgent for me to pick it up.
if you would like me to teach in your school or organise a workshop Contact me
My qualifications
I have a BA(hons) first class degree in Popular music and recording from Salford University
I have a current, CRB certificate for children from berkshire and oxfordshire, and also for adults with health concerns, I am a current member of the Musicians Union.
I am a current member of the IfL 2012
My recent guitar assessment for Adult Learning received a grade 1. :) 26.5.11
I was inspected for Adult Learning in an OFSTED inspection, for which my session was awarded a grade 2, you can read it here
I have been employed by the county music service to cover guitar work in secondary schools in Wantage, Faringdon, Didcot. and also Stanford in the Vale (my old school)!!
I have passed a PTLLS teaching course at level 4
I have recently passed a DTLLS teaching course Yr 1, I plan to continue studies working towards an FE PGCE/PGCE at a later date
