During this year, we’ve learned that almost every face-to-face activity can be done online, too, including piano lessons. As most music schools have been closed because of the ongoing pandemic, online classes have become the only option for those willing to learn to play this instrument.
After some time of such practice, people have formed different opinions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of learning piano online. Some teachers claim that online piano lessons can be highly beneficial.
On the other hand, others believe that online classes will never be as good as in-person ones. In this text, we’ve tried to present the most common pros and cons of learning piano online and see which side outweighs the other.
Advantages
Both teachers and students would agree that learning music online is more convenient than the traditional teacher-led method. There are many reasons for this, and the first one includes schedule flexibility.
Namely, regular music schools operate the same way as other educational institutions — there is a schedule according to which classes are conducted. Teachers and students have specific timings that have to be adhered to at all times.
However, if you go for online classes, you can schedule a class anytime you want, as long as both sides find the timing appropriate.
What’s more, online piano students are spoilt for choice when it comes to piano teachers.
The internet allows you to choose any available piano teacher from any part of the world. You can even learn piano in German if you speak the language fluently and manage to find a good teacher living in that country.
Finally, learning piano online is cheaper than taking in-person classes, as it excludes expenses for transportation to and from a music school.
Downsides
Although there are many benefits of learning piano online, there are also some downsides to take into consideration.
One of them is a poor internet connection that might prevent you from contacting your piano teacher. It doesn’t matter which side experiences connection problems — both teachers and students must have high-speed internet so that the class can run smoothly.
Speaking of the internet connection, a problem might occur in terms of delayed response as well. For example, a teacher might want to interrupt a student’s performance after a specific mistake.
However, due to a signal delay, the student might not hear the teacher on time and the mistake will go unnoticed. Furthermore, after hearing the teacher’s voice, the student will stop later than intended and get the message that some other part of her performance wasn’t satisfying enough.
In other words, confusion can easily occur unless the internet signal is impeccable on both ends.
Finally, a piano teacher has to pay attention to many aspects of students’ performance, such as hand positioning, finger movement, and many other vital things. Yet, not all of these things can be noticed on a video call, even if its quality is perfect.
For a flawless performance, a student needs to be closely monitored by a teacher, preferably in person.
Conclusion
Learning piano online definitely has several advantages, especially when in-person classes are not an option. However, the method is not flawless, as a few of its aspects might cause some issues.
While it is great that one can stay at home and get piano lessons from the best teachers worldwide, the lack of a teacher’s presence will highly likely result in a student’s average performance.
Therefore, the final verdict is that online piano classes can be a good choice for beginners who have just started their music education. Even if the internet connection is not that great, almost every teacher will be able to help out with simple piano exercises.
However, if your goal is to get ready for a concert or a piano competition, it would be best to have a teacher next to you, so that they can accurately assess your overall performance and correct any potential mistakes.