Piano Lessons – Piano Teacher Versus Online Lessons

I have been asked many times whether it is ok to have piano lessons online or if you should spend more money and get a proper piano tutor to visit your home or even pay to attend a music school. I think you should always look at the advantages and disadvantages and decide what is best for you. The aim of this article is to take you through the various teaching methods and guide you to making a decision that is right for you.

Online piano lessons

There are many websites offering online piano lessons. The trouble is that you don’t really know if the advice you are being given is good or the not. Some websites claim to offer free piano lessons, but when you try to find these free piano lessons, you realize that they are only offering very basic information and you will need to pay to get to the real stuff.

Online piano lessons are ok if you just want to learn the basics without the commitment of a regular piano teacher. Once you have mastered the online piano lessons then you will definitely need to get yourself a qualified piano teacher or sign up for piano lessons in your local music school if you want to progress any further.

Lessons with a piano teacher

Providing you can find a qualified piano teacher that has a lot of experience and you can justify the expense of this when you are starting out (they don’t come cheap!), then this is a good way to start learning.

There are some disadvantages of having one-on-one lessons with a private piano tutor. Children tend to find individual piano lessons too serious and boring and there are no other children in the lesson to compare progress with.

Piano lessons in a music school

Having piano lessons in a music school has many advantages over online piano lessons and private teaching.

Most music schools have qualified piano teachers. Some music schools also offer group teaching which is much cheaper than private lessons. Learning to play piano in groups is also more fun because the other students in the class are usually at a similar level of learning.

From my experience, I find that children and adults learning piano in a group often progress faster in the early stages than if they had a private piano teacher. I believe that this progress is due to either the competitiveness of trying to keep up with others by practicing more during the week or the less serious atmosphere that makes learning more fun than individual piano lessons.

Music schools have a proven teaching system in place. This teaching system is controlled by the principal teacher and head of music. Music schools are normally geared towards students taking examinations, and because of this, piano lessons are structured and well organized.

Having your piano lessons in a music school is the best way to start out and will more likely encourage you to continue learning for a long time. Music school fees are normally less than half the cost of a private piano lesson.

1. Find a Qualified Piano Teacher Don´t fall into this trapp from other people saying you don´t need a piano teacher. I highly recommend you grab your local paper or phone and find a qualified piano teacher. Why? Most importantly, you will learn much faster and eventually play much better then if you have to do this all by yourself.

2. Practice Regularly Never practice when you are tired you cannot focus and concentrate well enough to make good progress. Practice Regularly Piano playing requires good coordination and music reading skills. To get best results with your piano playing practice daily for at least 20-30 minutes a day.

3. Set Realistic Goals When studying your song, set realistic goals. Find a song that is right, and fits your musical knowledge and skills. For example if you are studying a Czerny etude make a goal to learn a new page every day or even a few measures depending on your level and skills.

4. Improve Your Sight Reading If you have no trouble reading music notes you learn a new song much faster. Keep working on your sight reading skills by making it a routine to start your daily practice with playing a few bars of a totally new piano piece.

5. Read Music literature of the Composer When you are playing a Mozart sonate and you don´t know anything about his life its more difficult to play with a good “character”. Learn all about your favorite composer and try to find a good approach to play his/her songs.