TESTIMONIALS
Stephen says: "Johanna is really cool. I especially love the rock elements to our classes and how Johanna demonstrates epic stuff like effects pedals and all her various awesome guitars.”
"I would just like to add that the lessons through lockdown were a god send to try and maintain some sort of routine and normality through very strange times! Thank you!"
Each lesson spurs him on to practice before and after as he is learning songs he loves to listen to. Johanna teaches fun songs and music that all the pupils enjoy and love. An excellent guitar tutor who expertly delivers fun filled practical lessons over Zoom – I would recommend First Strings to anyone looking for a guitar tutor."
Lately, the Halloween Party (session) in particular was a proper highlight to the kids that they were so excited about. Johanna was very flexible moving our scheduled try-out session online at the beginning of lockdown and helped us stay sane during those difficult first weeks as the guitar class was a lovely constant feature each week and something to look forward to. It's also very useful to be sent material between classes so that the kids have the resources that they need to practise."
Tommy says: "Every Thursday I really look forward to our guitar lesson. We have a lot of fun and learn new songs every week! We have a Google Classrooms page so if we forget how to play something then all the work we do is on there."
“Abby’s confidence has soared since starting her lessons. She has always been a very shy girl and at first I thought she would struggle meeting new people and particularly playing guitar in front of them but there has never been an issue, she loves attending every week.
I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Johanna for teaching guitar as every lesson is tailored to each age group and abilities. The lessons are made fun for the children whilst building their skills and confidence. I am so thrilled with how Abby has come along since starting her lessons, she loves attending and wishes she could come every day!”
Johanna is extremely passionate about music and guitar tuition. It is very much her vocation and she develops an excellent rapport with her students. She is extremely positive and encouraging to her students and this is highly motivating for them and reassuring for parents, especially when they witness the great progress their child makes.
Lessons have definitely increased Alex’s confidence and self-esteem – particularly the concerts which he loves – he enjoys practicing for them and he is very proud of himself afterwards!”
“I had a perception of guitar lessons as being rather staid and academic, a serious pursuit. I now view the guitar lessons Archie has with Johanna as a joyful experience, where Archie learns to play in a more relaxed and fun way. He has been introduced to a wide range of genres, and he is very keen to investigate these further.
Archie is proud of his achievements and will happily play in front of friends and family, and at the shows that Johanna puts on to showcase her students’ efforts. He is confident and motivated and the lessons are something he looks forward to, even if he’s having a bad week. Archie plays a lot of competitive sport and I think his lessons with Johanna are almost the antidote to this. This positive experience means he is now open to trying new things even outside of his guitar lessons. If you are looking for a guitar teacher who will nurture your child’s interest in music then I would recommend Johanna.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect with guitar lessons – I thought that the format would be quite formal and that Hannah would need to learn to read music first before attempting to play any notes. Johanna’s method has made it easier for Hannah to learn songs more quickly and her lessons have the right balance of being relaxed but challenging. Hannah really loves playing the guitar and likes to teach me what she’s learnt so that we can play together. She has become good friends with the other children in her group and looks forward to the classes each week.
I would recommend Johanna as a guitar teacher as her relaxed and fun teaching style creates an ideal environment for children to make good progress in their learning. She is friendly and encouraging and allows her students to have a say in what music they learn to play, which keeps them interested and keen to learn.”
“Scott had previously been to another teacher and although he was learning new songs, there wasn’t much structure to the lessons or what goals Scott would be working towards. Since starting lessons with Johanna Scott’s skill base has vastly expanded and it gives him confidence when he can try new techniques. He loves rock music and being able to play songs that he likes. He looks forward to his lesson every week and is always practicing what he has been taught the previous week.
I would recommend Johanna due to her natural ability in teaching children. The lessons provided are well structured and feedback is available after lessons with regular updates on your child’s progress.”
The lesson each week flies by my daughter tells me, she aways leaves full of beans wanting me to hear a new tune or chord she has practiced. We hear her improving all the time which is helped too from the homework given out. For me personally Johanna is an outstanding guitar teacher, and I feel lucky to have found her for my daughter.”
“We didn’t really know what to expect from the lessons except that we wanted Hugh to feel confident and enjoy it, so when he started we were delighted to see right from the start how much he loved it. We had an idea it might be quite formal which would have been OK but Johanna has a way of teaching while still making it fun – Hugh never moans about going to his guitar lesson! He loves the relaxed surroundings and the pace of the lessons. Hugh also loves that he is consulted about what songs to work on so if he has heard a tune at home and loved it he can maybe learn that one during the lesson.
I would certainly recommend Johanna’s lessons to another parent. The children learn well and never seem stressed about what they are doing, it is a lot of fun and Hugh is happy that he may just be a rock star one day! I feel Johanna is really interested in every child and takes time to get to know them a bit so they are comfortable with her.”
“I believed guitar lessons would probably take some getting used to for Jonah and maybe quite difficult initially for him learning all the music symbols/notes etc. Upon speaking with Johanna about the classes she offered I soon discovered she had a whole different and much easier method in the way she taught and I was bowled over after Jonah’s first lesson that he was able to play me a tune! Jonah’s favourite part of the lessons is learning new songs to play. Its also a great opportunity for him to meet new people out-with his home and school environment and he has shown leaps of confidence in himself which has contributed in his adjustment into high school.
Johanna has a very warm, caring, super positive and fun-bubbly personality. It’s so apparent she loves to teach and my son has definitely felt the benefit of her enthusiasm in class. I would recommend these lessons with Johanna as they are a fantastic way to introduce or continue on guitar for your child! (Secretly hoping she will branch out to teaching adults soon!)”
“When Benno wanted to learn the guitar I was a bit worried that he might give up if the classes would be too formal, directed towards exams etc. and the “wrong” music. Since Benno is into rock music I thought it would be difficult to find the right class for him. When he came to Johanna for the first time he left highly motivated and started practicing right away. The fact that Johanna teaches him songs he likes or he can relate to motivates him to practice, makes him play well and as a result he enjoys the whole experience. He loves his electric guitar and the relaxed, fun atmosphere during lessons.
The sense of achievement whenever he plays really well is very good for his confidence. He even taught a friend, who had never played the guitar, how to play “Smoke on the Water” recently. We can highly recommend Johanna’s classes. Benno loves the fun, relaxed atmosphere, the cool songs he learns and always comes out with a big smile on his face.”
Adam is much more aware musically, and has taught himself various tunes on the piano since learning the guitar. Adam has only ever been to First Strings for lessons, and we see no need to go elsewhere! I would recommend First Strings as Johanna is friendly and approachable.”
Alex isn’t always very confident, particularly about new things, but learning the guitar has given him something that he knows he can do and that he can impress others with. Alex genuinely looks forward to his lessons every week and has learned an awful lot in a relatively short space of time.”
