Randy Soller 31 E. Center St. Suite 200G, Fayetteville AR, 72701
Instruments:Composition, Ear Training, Electric Bass, Guitar, Theory, Ukelele
Styles:Classical, Jazz, Folk – Country – Bluegrass, Rock – Alternative, Blues, Other
Levels:Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Experience:23 years
Rate:$50 / hr
Share
Personal Statement
Hi! My name is Randy Soller. I have taught guitar, bass, and theory for the past 23 years. I also began teaching ukulele this past year. I started teaching part time during my last years of college. After completing my Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, I began to teach full time and have continued to do so to the present day. I have taught thousands of students and I average teaching 50 students a week. I am a performing singer/songwriter and have also played in various bands and groups throughout the years which has allowed me to gain much experience playing many different styles of music which I believe helps me to be a much better teacher.
Below are some common questions and answers that will help give you an idea of how I teach and approach music.
So what is your general approach to teaching a new student?
With a new student that has no previous music experience or background, I usually start the student with a sight reading book. This will introduce the student to individual notes and basic music theory. Please understand this doesnt mean you must become a master sight reader to reap rewards. I just firmly believe that students who at least know how to read music usually learn music and aspects of music theory much faster and more thoroughly.
I also start students in a chord and rhythm playing method book. This is what you normally hear played in popular music. It also allows you to accompany yourself if you are singing a song.
Finally, I incorporate songs of the students choice to practice techniques of guitar playing learned from the books. The songs are not chosen from any list and you do not have to have the written out music for the song. As long as you can bring me in a audio copy of the song on CD or bring your MP3 player, I can figure out the song by listening to it. By doing this, the student is learning to play songs that they really like and really want to learn.
What makes you a unique teacher?
The way I view music due to my college training makes me a unique teacher. Music is music. I dont think, hey, heres a guitar song or heres a piano tune. If you teach a student the primary concepts of music and how music works, in essence the language, you enable the student to learn different styles of music and even other instruments much more easily because they dont see music by style, genre, or instrument. They start to see that music is simply music. This thought is very evident when I teach the student music theory concepts.
What styles of music can you teach?
I can teach most styles of music except flamenco. Though I teach classical guitar, I dont consider flamenco to be in that same category of style. My strongest areas are rock, pop, blues, jazz, and country. However, as I stated in the previous question, if you learn the primary foundations and concepts of music, adapting to various styles of music is relatively simple.
How much time do I or my child need to practice?
Realistically, 20-30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and dont take 2 days off in a row. For children under 10 years of age, 15-20 minutes a day, 5 days a week and no 2 day breaks. Also, parents if your child is under 10 years of age, it helps tremendously if you sit down and go through his or her lesson once a week together.
Education / Training
Bachelor of Arts in Music – University of AR