the problem is the language

Filipino is one of those languages that has gender-neutral pronouns. He, she and it can all be "siya". Isn't that convenient? You want to be respectful, use the plural form. It will be like the "usted" or the "vous" form in Spanish and French. There would never be any need for that line in the signature that people now frequently add at the end of the their emails: Pronouns she, her. What? Nobody wants to be called "it"? In the streaming/tv series Alien: Earth, they have cyborgs, synthetics and hybrids co-existing with regular people. So if they're not all human now, do they still have a right to a gender-specific pronoun? Do they even have gender if they're pure synthetic? If we spoke Filipino instead of English, we wouldn't have this problem. There's no need to walk into the room with your gender identification in hand. 

What languages do they speak at home?

I brought this up because when I was signing up for lessons at Guitar Center, I asked if there were any female teachers who could teach guitar or give recording lessons. I have no issues working with a male teacher but I did wonder if in some cases, a female might have a different perspective or be able to offer advice that a man wouldn't come up with. I figured, a woman was also more likely to know female-performed pieces and I was eager to find that one woman who was up for the job. At least two people mentioned the one female teacher that they had who could handle the recording lessons but was a drummer by trade so guitar wasn't her main instrument. I said that I would be happy to try a demo lesson and see how we would get along. 

When I came in for my demo, I was a little surprised and in a way, I felt slightly misled. The female teacher in question, did not appear to me as all female. The young person who stood before me had a somewhat androgynous appearance, tall and skinny for a woman, with gentle features and long straight hair. The second she spoke, there it was, the tell-tale traces of manliness that led me to believe that she was, well, I'm not sure. This wasn't what I had in mind but I worked with her and I assessed the lesson just as I would have normally. I did appreciate the differences between her and the other teacher. The other guy was very, pro-Mac, Garage Band is better. You need to get this, you need to get that. She was actually more careful and calculated. Asking if I wanted her to explain the different buttons on the interface (not really, but I said sure). In the end I felt that I was still getting basically two male options but there were marked differences in their strategies. I sense that she is more willing to work with what I had, even if she admitted, she doesn't work with Reaper. The other guy had more experience and in our 30 minutes together, I learned more from him than I did from her. It's just that I like her better. So there's that quandary now. 

A part of me is wondering if I should approach the first month as more of, let's get guitar lessons and just watch tutorials on Reaper then when I have all the pieces mastered enough to record, then I can sign up for a month of those lessons and try to get a master done of one song so I have the process down and then I can work on the rest on my own. Or I can just see what their lesson availability looks like and pick the teacher and lesson that has the schedule I want. That strategy has worked for me a lot in the past. 

Playlist Recommendation: Make Up Your Mind, Theory of a Deadman