Lesson Information
Toby's Music Lessons was started with one simple aim:
to provide consistently great 1-2-1 Guitar and bass lessons.
“Toby is great at breaking down songs and making it possible for me to learn stuff through playing songs which is much more engaging for me than learning to pass exams. I like the way the material I get from Toby is customised for me. ”
“Toby has a wide range of resources and uses them well. His knowledge of music production is very helpful, notably making recordings to use when I am practicing alone.”
What makes a great lesson?
It's a difficult question to answer, we have all had good lessons and bad lessons in the past but it can be difficult to pin-point the exact reasons that made a lesson 'good' or 'bad'.
Generally speaking, a great lesson (in any subject) consists of four key elements:
Lessons should be planned - there should be a logical progression to lessons; learning something new takes time and it is important to know the steps you have to take to improve and what's needed to get to the next level.
Lessons should be structured - there is always a high level of consistency to great lessons, this makes consistently good students. If lessons are structured well, students improve in a lot of different areas and show consistent improvement.
Lessons should be engaging - great lessons are able to immerse students into a particular subject. They are interactive and the student comes away with a much deeper understanding and knowledge of the subject.
Lessons should be rewarding and fun - rewards give students something to work towards, they also recognise a student's achievement, and when someone is having fun and enjoying a lesson, they become more open and receptive to new information.
Toby's music lessons delivers all these elements every lesson
How your lessons are planned at Toby's Music Lessons
Before each lesson, Toby will upload your own personalised folder of techniques, songs, and general musicianship onto your Google Drive folder.
This way, all your music and backing tracks are in one place and can be easily accessed.
“Always having new songs to play and a collection of material for me to access on my Google Drive so that when I’m not with him, I can play and practice is great. Toby also listens when I am struggling to understand something and breaks it down simply so that I eventually feel more comfortable with the more technical things he has explained to me.”
How your lessons are structured at toby's music lessons
Your lessons will always follow the same overall structure:
We start with a re-cap of your previous practice targets and have a talk about what we're going to do that lesson
We will then work on your techniques such as your chords and scales if you’re a guitarist, scales and groove styles if you’re a bass player. Developing these techniques will help your overall playing, and your knowledge of music enormously
The main part of the lesson is devoted to learning songs. Even if you're a complete beginner, songs can be adapted to make them easier to play. You will also be periodically getting lessons in General Musicianship which will be tailored around the songs and artists you're learning to give you a better knowledge and appreciation for the music you're playing.
Your lessons finish with setting practice targets so you can confidently continue developing your guitar or bass playing at home.
To help you with your practice time and to help you see accelerated progress, at the end of every lesson you'll receive a digital Practice Log which reviews everything you covered that lesson and sets you exactly what you need to be working on.
All of the resources we will be using, including your techniques, songs, practice log, and mp3 recordings are stored on your own GDrive account. GDrive is a cloud-based storage system meaning you will be able to have access to your resources and songs on any computer or smartphone wherever you are.
“After a lesson with Toby I feel a sense of achievement, that I have made progress in understanding and that I am walking away with achievable practice targets that I can work on to progress my playing.”
how your lessons are engaging at toby's music lessons
The great thing about 1-2-1 music lessons is that they can be easily tailored to fit your own musical tastes and preferences. This means that you will be learning the music you want to learn and the techniques needed to play your music authentically. After all, the main reason why people start learning the guitar or bass is that they want to play a certain song - Toby's Music Lessons will get you playing the songs you love, and sooner than you think!
The resources that you get at Toby's Music Lessons are designed to best-suit your own personal learning style. Not only will this help you learn material quicker, it will keep you more engaged and help you learn easier. You will be engaging all learning styles in the lessons but if you are more visual or auditory we will rely more on diagrams, pictures, and demonstrations. Whereas if you are more of a reader, you may find your resources to be more text-focused.
Your 10 Lesson Plan isn't set in stone from week one; it's a working document, this means that it is adaptable and changeable as you progress. You may well find that during your lessons you will discover a new artist, band, or genre of music that inspires you and you would like to learn more about - and you can! We simply adapt your 10 Lesson Plan to include techniques, songs, and general musicianship topics focused around your new musical discovery.
How your lessons are rewarding and fun at toby's music lessons
Thanks to the inclusion of general musicianship into your planning, your lessons become much more than just instrumental tuition, you'll be learning about the history of your favourite artists and bands, the culture surrounding your favourite genres of music, the equipment used to 'get that sound', and how to best maintain your instrument and equipment.
Thanks to great recording facilities, you’ll be learning how to create, record, mix, and master your very own music.
One of the most rewarding things you'll find at Toby's Music lessons is the library of mp3s of your playing that you will build up. These can serve as physical landmarks in your development, they will give you something to show your friends and family, and you will be learning about how recording studios work and practice how to get good takes in the process.
techniques, songs, and general musicianship
Toby's Music lessons works by combining Techniques, Songs, and General Musicianship into every 10 Lesson Plan. This means that you will be receiving balanced and well-rounded guitar or bass lessons.
Toby's Music Lessons is also designed to best suit you and what you hope to get out of the lessons: the songs you learn can be tailored to your musical tastes, the techniques can fill in any gaps in your knowledge, and the general musicianship topics will support the songs you are working on.