References
Two of my sons are guitar students of Perrin Madsen. My eldest son Liam (age 13) has been taught by Perrin for nearly five years and is now working towards his Grade 7 RGT (Registry of Guitar Tuition) exam later this year. My younger son Marcos (age 10) has been attending lessons for approximately two years and will be sitting his Grade 3 RGT exam this year. I took my boys to Perrin because I wanted them to learn the guitar properly in both theory and technique. My wife and I initially attended Perrin's first student concert in 2010 before we enrolled Liam, basically to meet Perrin and see what his students had to say about him. We came away amazed at the talent and confidence of his students, not only the kids but also the adults performing in front of an audience. It's one thing to learn and instrument in your bedroom and become a proficient player. To get up on a stage and play through a full PA and play a part in a song , either singing lead vocal , a harmony or a lead guitar solo is an entirely different thing. To play with a group of people can be a very uplifting and rewarding experience as it requires so much more than simply knowing how to play your instrument. To me this is the most important part of Perrin's teaching style and it not only shows how much fun you can have playing your instrument but also shows the level of passion and dedication Perrin has for his students and music in general. I have seen first-hand how hard Perrin works to ensure his students achieve and exceed their goals and the best example of this was the recent accolade for Perrin Guitar Tuition achieving the highest student aggregate score across New Zealand for the most recent RGT exams. Learning music should be fun and Perrin has always struck the right balance of keeping things fun whilst also ensuring the absorption of knowledge is taking place. I think that is why a lot of people start to learn an instrument and don't carry on as the fun factor disappears and it can all seem like hard work. Perrin's approach has opened up a whole new world to my sons in terms of what they can explore musically by doing simple things such as recording them playing a song and putting it on a CD or singing through a vocal harmonizer whilst playing the guitar etc. which all goes towards keeping it fresh and exciting. Thanks Perrin for making my boys much better guitar players than me! Jared Lawson
I have found Perrin to be a fantastic guitar teacher for my 12 year old daughter. Perrin shows obvious passion for music, and the teaching of it. He has been teaching Miss12 for three school terms. Perrin has inspired my daughter to play the best she can, and believe in her playing ability. He acknowledges her progress at every stage. She has since begun to write lyrics, write tunes, sing and play her guitar simultaneously. She has gained tremendous confidence in both her guitar playing and vocally. She always looks forward to her lessons with Perrin. Perrin has a lovely teaching style, gentle, funny and firm. The best Guitar teacher on the planet according to Miss12.W. Dunn
I love having Perrin as my guitar teacher, his style of teaching is amazingly precise and easy to follow he is also helping me with my vocals. Through out his lessons he pushes you to aim for more than a hundred percent while giving a slightly laid back approach.I appreciate Perrin being my teacher as he has taught me to have faith in my guitar and myself . I recommend Perrin to anyone who has a passion for guitar and music.Louise (12)
My nine year old son and I began guitar lessons with Perrin a year ago. I was pessimistic as to how long learning the guitar would captivate my son, before he decided that it was too hard and gave up. We started with joint lessons and it wasn't long before I decided that a one hour long shared lesson a week, just wasn't enough for me. Perrin's love of music and teaching captivated and inspired not only myself, but my son also. Perrin has a real talent for teaching. He has the ability to connect with people of all ages and seems to be able to adapt his teaching style to suit the student. He has unlimited patience and understanding and is always encouraging. He spends many extra hours preparing for his students lessons, also utilizing technology, often emailing through practice material that he has prepared outside of our tutorial. My son has also shown a real interest in singing and Perrin has not only encouraged and mentored him, but also produced a very professional CD of him singing and playing the guitar. This included a photographed cover and backing tracks for some of the songs. The CD was a huge hit with family and friends as a Christmas gift this year. I don't know of another guitar teacher who would bother to go to the time and effort this took. It was truly amazing and something that will be treasured forever. I simply can't say enough about Perrin as a person and teacher. I can only tell you that I leave each lesson excited and anxious to experiment with what I have learnt. Fun is the only way I can describe my lessons and what better way to learn and spend your time? Karen McCullough (Mum of 9 year old Dylan)
I began to learn the guitar not more than 6 months ago and in that time Perrin has guided me, not only to become more skilled at playing the guitar but more passionate about music. Perrin teaches in a way that is well suited to whatever level you are at. I started not knowing more than the most basic chords, but have now progressed to a level that impresses my freinds given the short time I have been learning. Perrin knows how to teach. He will guide you and show you the techniques that will help you improve your playing, whilst keeping a casual and warming environment. I consider Perrin to be more than just a teacher. He is a good friend. He teaches from experience, and it shows. Steven Crutchley
I wanted to learn to play the guitar and began lessons with Perrin in May 2009. I found Perrin to have a very warm and friendly personality which made me feel at home right away. The guitar tuition that I have received has been on a personal, one on one basis. He is young at heart and has a fresh approach to teaching the guitar while giving me a lot of motivation. He gives me the choice of learning songs that I like and am interested in learning. He is sensitive and quick to tune into my needs, discerning what stage of learning I am at and is very practical and innovative in his teaching methods. I enjoy taking lessons with Perrin and have progressed from a complete beginner to having quite a fair repertoire of songs that I enjoy playing in just over a year. James(age 11)and Colleen Thompson (Mum)
What makes Perrin a great teacher for someone starting out is that he will ask you what sort of music you would like to pursue and with his wide background and experience quickly get you on your way. With Perrin I have gone from playing Crowded House and Cat Stevens, to classical and beyond! Perrin has been very inspiring and encouraging and the fact that I am playing the guitar more than ever after 18 months is a testimony to his teaching skills. Rob King (Adult)
Perrin was an inspiring teacher for me and had great influence on my passion for playing that has grown and grown and is hopefully going to take me to university next year in contemporary performance. Not only did Perrin teach me privately but he also mentored me in a band situation which improved my musicianship immensely. There's a lot to learn from Perrin in many genres and techniques, this is refreshing, rather than being barrelled with one style your whole childhood. Caleb Nott (age 17)
