Is it possible to learn an instrument using online resources?
Due to the global pandemic situation, strict restrictions have been placed, and a lot of the people are forced to stay at home. Parents are working hard trying to balance their work, leisure and family time, working from home whilst taking care of their kids. While we are not allowed to travel, many have asked:
Is it possible to learn an instrument using online resources?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes but you probably need a music teacher to guide you to go further. Fortunately, we are lucky enough to be living in a digital age, where as long as you have internet and a smart device or a laptop, anything is possible. Music lessons are definitely possible too, and in fact there are a lot of teachers out there who are started teaching online well before the pandemic occurred.
When we talk about online resources, we are talking about apps that teach you to learn how to read music, YouTube videos that teach you how to play your favourite songs and pieces etc. It is certainly possible, but when you are learning by yourself, you are essentially taking the risk of learning the wrong technique, which might do you more harm than good in the long run. In extreme cases you might even risk injuring yourself.
How do online music lessons work?
A lot of online platforms that the teachers have using to teach such as Zoom and Skype include a screen sharing function, which is very handy as the teacher can show you the sheet music and annotate on it. After the lesson, the teacher can either email you a copy of the lesson notes or you can just click on ‘Save’. It makes it incredibly convenient as everything will be digitized. Furthermore, you can save a lot of time travelling back and forth to the studio.
While a lot of the parents might be worried that the lack of face-to-face interaction might mean that the lesson will be less effective, that is not necessarily true. There are plenty of apps and platforms for music teaching out there to help facilitate learning, and most of them are designed so well that they capture students’ attention easily, or even motivates the students to learn more. Teachers can also track students’ progress easily through these apps too.
It is also advisable for the parents to sit in during lessons. Parents sitting beside will be able to help the students to adjust their hand position according to the teachers’ instructions, understand what the students are learning and help them our during their practice sessions throughout the week.
What do I need to make online music learning work?
- A smart device with the teaching platform installed (preferably a tablet or an iPad so the students can see the screen clearly
- An external microphone (optional – this makes a difference for advanced students as it improves the sound quality and capture more details)
- A stand to position your iPad or tablet (you need to position yourself to make sure the teachers can see you clearly, and it does not have to be any fancy stand – sometimes stacks of books might do the job!)
- Good internet connection
- Pencil to jot down notes
In conclusion, it is important to have a professional music teacher to guide you when you are learning an instrument, and online music lessons certainly can work if you do it the right way.
Happy music learning!
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