What is a teacher to do when he has to be gone and the sub knows nothing about music! Have the students lead the rehearsal...after all, they probably know more than the sub.

A student led rehearsal is different than having a student conduct. Nobody conducts in a student led rehearsal. The students collaborate.

I stole this idea from Dr. Menghini of Vandercook College of Music, who presented a session using his own students. I have used it with much success almost every time I have a sub.

Join me as I interview Bill Swick - master guitar teacher. We dig into several strategies for how to effectively teach guitar, especially if you are a band teacher.

When I started at my current school 12 years ago, I had no experience as a guitar teacher. I must confess that in the back of my mind I planned on getting rid of the guitar class as soon as I could. How dumb I was! Guitar draws in a whole different group of students who may not be drawn in by band, orchestra or choir. It doesn't take away from the other classes...it adds to it.

Out of 18,000 teachers in Clark County, Nevada, Bill was selected as the 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year. He has developed a year-long lesson plan that follows and covers his state's curriculum. Find out the biggest mistake guitar teachers make. Pick up several strategies for how to teach guitar more effectively, including some discussion of Prodigy software for assessment.

You can sign up for Bill's free newsletter, which includes free resources, by sending him an email with "Free Newsletter" in the subject. Send that request to: billswick at msn.com. Find out more about Bill and order his materials at www.billswick.com. 

Also see Episode 33: You CAN teach guitar and orchestra