student TestImonials

I am a parent of two teenagers who have been taking lessons with Austin for 1~2 years.  They have had private music lessons for other instruments in the past, but they all seemed to come to a natural point where they were no longer interested for a variety of reasons. (I am the sort of parent to let children take a lead with these things; I tend to believe that music is more about enjoyment and enrichment of life rather than progress or achievements.)  

If honest, I am pleasantly surprised that they have kept up with Austin; and even more, I am really impressed by the progress they have made—they started as beginners; now between them, they play 3 types of guitar (acoustic with a bit of classical, and the base) and the drum, and they are able to play through some pieces on their own or some scales, and beginning to play duo as part of lessons. I think what this shows, is that Austin is a patient but also ambitious teacher for his students; he gently challenges his students to take a leap during their learning journey, but does so while being attuned with the ups and downs of their learning experience, as well as other factors of life. The latter I think, has been particularly helpful for our children who are going through teenage years.  On the day I contacted Austin via an online search, I found it daunting, but I am so glad I did! 

In the summer of 2022, I made the promise to myself that I would learn guitar. I had grown up in a musical household and spent my childhood learning piano, violin and singing. However, when I moved to Glasgow, I felt like I had to leave a lot of these passions behind to focus on studying, navigating a new city and making friends, all whilst Covid-19 kept us confined to our houses.

So, as things began to open up, I started researching different guitar tutors in the Glasgow area, which led me to Austin Miller. We had our first lesson in Autumn 2022 and it was the best decision I could have made. Over the next two years we had weekly guitar lessons, both in person and online, and we covered everything from Taylor Swift, to songwriting, technical tips and finger picking. I learnt so much from Austin and always looked forward to our lessons as they never felt stressful or like an obligation, they were a fun break from the demanding nature of university and brought me so much joy.

Now I play guitar every day, have the skills to learn whatever songs I want, have continued writing songs and have developed the self-confidence to perform at open mic nights. I was so nervous to start a new instrument and be a beginner at something again, but every day I am so happy I did. I would encourage anyone who has been thinking about learning guitar to just go for it and to not put it off any longer! And I couldn’t recommend Austin Miller more highly as he creates a warm, friendly environment and truly tailors each lesson to the interests of the student.