Online music lessons vs in-person teaching
Let me tell a story of two music lessons…
Your in-person music lesson
You are at a lesson studio paying a lot of money to get lessons with a teacher who is supposed to be a well-qualified instructor. It’s ten minutes past the start of lesson time, the student before you leaves the small lesson room, and as you enter, the room smells like a mixture of everything bagels and wet dog.
The instructor won’t stop talking about their experiences as a touring musician, yet it’s 7 pm on a Friday and you’re wondering why they aren’t out playing a gig if they’re so qualified?!
Your online music lesson
You just finished warming up for your lesson, and you go right over to your computer to meet your instructor, who is more than happy to see you. No one can hear you from another lesson room and the instructor has all their materials ready to go on their computer and is ready with the perfect lesson plan.
You feel relaxed in the comfort of your home, you haven’t been rushed into a room and you won’t be rushed out either. You sit and enjoy a lesson with a professional musician/teacher and you have your lesson materials sent to you shortly after.
Of course, this is a bit of an exaggeration! Many music lesson studios are absolutely fantastic and some students really need that person-to-person connection to learn effectively. In fact, most of our teachers got their initial teaching experience at lesson studios and school programs.
But what many people don’t know is that doing private lessons over Google Meet or Zoom is more than just about convenience. It opens up a new world of flexibility for both the student and the teacher.
Let’s look at some benefits of online music lessons:
The time difference actually helps!
Firstly, by using TIMEZONES wisely, online students have access to lessons with real music industry professionals and world-class instructors who previously would never have been available. Say you are in NYC, London, or Dubai - many of the best musicians will be away performing or recording in the evening hours.
Now because of the time zone differences (which are handled by staff and our appointment software), these students can take lessons with their teacher, who is available and absolutely thrilled to be teaching in the morning, afternoon, and sometimes early evening.
Just today, a new adult student in Boston finished her 4th lesson with Jaime, who is based in Seattle. We are now getting weekly audio messages about how much she enjoys lessons! So before we even get into lesson logistics, you’re getting a professional music teacher who is happy to see you from the start, which makes for a happier and more successful student.
Quality teachers available worldwide
Another thing rarely mentioned is that the highest caliber teachers in the world tend to live in and around major cities. Our teachers are in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago etc. Imagine commuting into cities like this for private lessons - going up elevators, trying to beat traffic etc. It’s an absolute nightmare and at times fruitless in the case of a last-minute cancellation.
Scheduling flexibility
Flexibility with the schedule plays a massive role. Because students and teachers are teaching/learning from home, this means we have more flexibility if a student's schedule changes. Many kids learning a musical instrument also have sports and ever-changing extracurricular activities, while adults taking music lessons often have to change business schedules, family plans, or vacations.
While it’s best to stick to a planned weekly time as much as possible, with online lessons, such changes are never a big deal.
Smooth operating
When it comes to the actual class, the video and audio technology of video call software is more than adequate. Sometimes it takes a few tweaks here and there over the course of the first few lessons, but when things get rolling, it really is straightforward and smooth. Students absolutely love logging on and getting right to business
Calm and safe environment
For very shy students, taking lessons from home provides a very safe feeling. We have so many instances where parents thought their children would be too fearful or timid about private instruction, but by taking lessons from their computers or even mobile phones, they were able to relax and open up.
Organization
Files and materials don’t get lost! Nothing can be more dreaded than having all your music notes written on paper and then they get lost, which is an absolute nightmare. We like to tailor sharing documents based on the student’s preference - this can mean dropbox, google drive, email etc.
Constant support
Part of our premium rate for lessons allows students to stay in contact with teachers if they are running into issues with the week's materials. Often in very formal lesson studios, teachers and students are forbidden from communicating outside of class.
Students can take lessons when on business trips and vacations. While some students like vacations to be free of anything, others are eager to continue lessons while travelling so they keep up the momentum in their learning. Obviously, you can’t bring a grand piano with you - but students do bring travel guitars, singing lessons, use a piano at a hotel etc.
KP Music Mentors offer live Zoom-based and affordable online music lessons for students at all levels.
Whether you want to play along with some simple songs or looking to attend a conservatory and enter advanced music curriculums, we can help.