I am sure that among the people interested in studying an instrument some are wondering why they should go to a teacher. Oh boy! Do I have some answers for you! Stick around, pull up a chair. Here we go.
Learning music with a teacher is a tradition that’s a few centuries old now. Pupils would go to their local violinist or pianist and start studying the art of making noise. If they were lucky, their school would have a great music teacher. Sometimes they had to travel pretty far to get to an instructor or a conservatory. They did it, though because that was the way, the only way. Still: what a dedication!
There were also plenty of folks learning from their entourage, like family members or friends. A lot of American musicians got their foot in the door that way. In the big open spaces of the Wild West they tickled their guitar singing Folk song and inventing a world. They still do.
Nowadays, we got the internet. For everything. Do you want to watch penguins emigrating to the Sahara desert: internet. Do you want to knit? Internet. Do you want to know the results of the next election? Internet. Do you want to learn the drums or the piano: internet. Ah, well, let’s see.
Yes, the internet is a great thing, I can’t deny it, as I am furiously typing this blog right now. But it has its limitations, especially when it comes to learning an instrument.
Yes, there are series of music tutorial videos on YouTube. They have their purpose, for sure, but they don’t give you any feedback. Should you do something weird or even dangerous for your health, nobody will correct you. There are also lessons online with an instructor, those are usually group lessons. Fantastic, but what happens if you didn’t practice one of the lessons? How do you keep up with the rest of the group? Besides that, the personal relationship between student and teacher all too often gets completely lost and that’s an essential ingredient to the process. You need to know that you have an open and personal relationship with the teacher, that you will get his/her honest opinion on what needs to be done, what needs to be corrected. You also need to be motivated, fired up by your teacher when you get the blues about music or you hit a plateau.
As a teacher, I want my students to know that I care for their musical development. I also want them to know that I respect them as people. I want that because my job is communication and the more relaxed the student will feel, the more I can help them. The day the internet can achieve the same is the day I am out of the job. Not yet.
