The 2 Key Differences Between Local Music Lessons and Learning Online
Online music instruction is prevalent these days and of course, it’s convenient! But convenience comes at a significant cost in the case of music lessons. Here are the two key differences in how online lessons differ from in-person musical instruction, that you need to be aware of before you spend a dime on lessons.
In-person music lessons are better than online ones when it comes to ensuring the instructor can hear your sound with accuracy
We all know that online video calls are never up to the same standard as in-person meet-ups. The sound that comes through the instructor’s earpiece or speaker is never up to the same standard that they’d hear if they were in the same room with you.
Most people taking lessons over the internet run into one or more of the following problems when they attempt their online music lesson:
- a slow internet connection that isn’t capable of transmitting an accurate reproduction of the sound from your instrument or voice
- a mic that can’t transmit your sound properly
- the teacher may not have a speaker capable of producing an output that accurately represents your ability to play your instrument, or sing (in the case of voice lessons)
These three points of failure for sound transmission mean your instructor won’t be able to pick up on the nuances of how well you’re playing. They may think you’re out of tune when you’re not. They may think you’re not keeping the beat, when in reality, the internet is cutting out and only making it appear that way.
Don’t underestimate the importance of high quality sound to the music student’s ability to maximize their learning and progress. If the teacher can’t hear the student properly, they can’t help them to reach their full potential.
There’s no substitute for human contact and encouragement
Technology is absolutely fantastic and growing more and more sophisticated by the day. But there’s still a lot of room for improvement and we’re simply not yet at the stage where online interaction is able to capture the degree of human contact and encouragement that one gets from an in-person session with highly qualified music instructors.
Unlike a local music teacher, an online instructor can’t:
- show you exactly how you can tweak your hand position for better results and accuracy of notes when playing your instrument.
- give you an encouraging pat on the shoulder if frustration strikes you down.
- readily hear the results of any adjustments you make to your technique.
A local music teacher who you see in person can do all that and so much more. Because they’re right there in the same room, they are perfectly positioned to pick up on the nuances of how you learn, understand what you’re doing, change position as needed to get a good view of your technique, hear how you truly sound, and provide accurate feedback for everything you do.
If you have a choice, choose in-person local music lessons
Make full use out of what in-person musical instruction can do. Don’t limit the learner’s potential by giving them second-rate lessons where the student and teacher are prevented from demonstrating their best work. For musical instruction to be fully effective at helping students of music reach their full potential, there’s simply no substitute for local instruction – the high quality sound, ability of the teacher to pick up on the details of how the student is playing, and the ease with which the teacher can offer encouragement when it’s needed, are unmatched.
If you’re in Burlington, Ontario and would like to visit our music centre and meet our teachers, please contact Capstone Music today. We’re Burlington’s best as voted by residents in the Burlington Post!
