Many people think they are not creative, devoid of inspiration or don’t have the required skill or natural makeup to even improvise. Neil disagrees and believes that all of us are creative to a greater or lesser extent and it is a skill that must be practiced to be developed. He explains how he encourages and teaches his students to move beyond their own narrow definitions of themselves.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Everyone is creative at whatever age and whatever background. There is a natural drive in every human that seeks expression. 
• Give your students a safe place to express and just allow it to happen. Don’t judge it or allow your students to judge themselves.
• Give them technique and then encourage them to disrupt it to create something new.
• Creativity is often discouraged by mainstream education so it is up to individual tutors to fan that creative spark back into life.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You don’t learn much from what you already know and what you’ve proved to work, that’s a done deal. It’s when you make errors, when you try stuff out, that’s when you create something new.’

‘Make them curious. Get them to ask the correct questions of themselves.’  

‘There is no place for creativity in a great deal of the mainstream education system because that’s all about passing exams. It’s about compliance and conformity.’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Tutor Podcast

 www.Neilcowmeadow.com

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]