Private Lessons vs YouTube

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Let’s face it, there is a DIY video for everything on YouTube. This includes videos of people teaching music from guitar to didgeridoo. There was a day when YouTube did not exist and people paid exorbitant amounts of money for bandwidth to watch videos online. As YouTube gained popularity and the cost of Internet service dropped, many music educators thought this would be the end of their private lesson careers. What’s interesting, is that the opposite seems to be happening. Why?

Many people come to the music store frustrated trying to teach themselves using YouTube. They get a taste of what they could be musically yet find the ideal too hard to reach on their own. The fact of the matter is that you are still learning on your own with YouTube and there are unforeseen or overlooked details in the learning process of music that leads to a dead end. Real time interaction and instruction is critical for learning anything within the arts. You can’t learn to paint by simply watching someone else do it. There are nuances and minutia that make all the difference in the world when learning art forms. Unfortunately for Youtube there are no filters for competence or depth of knowledge. You could investigate one song or technique and see 10 different ways of doing it. This isn’t all bad as long as you know which out of the 10 is acceptable. The only upside of teaching yourself on your own utilizing YouTube is that it is free. After that, the upside list diminishes dramatically without private instruction.

There are some parts of private lessons that seem self-evident. What most people don’t realize is that there are small hinges that swing huge doors when it comes to learning an instrument. Seasoned music instructors know what those hinges are. A great instructor can save you hours of time and frustration by understanding how you learn. They can observe and adjust what you’re doing properly and improperly. Great instructors will also know what your interests are while focusing to stay in that lane. A great instructor will keep it fun yet allow for accountability in progress. A great instructor will be your biggest cheerleader and musical confidant helping you to focus on your musical goals. We build lifelong relationships with our students. As people come to our store for music lessons, they experience a culture, friendships and common interests of other people in the community. Music and the arts are what makes us human. It connects us all.

So, what about YouTube? Is it a waste? Absolutely not! At Wickham Road Music we use YouTube simply as a tool to expedite learning. If you know what you’re doing, YouTube can gain a student exponential results. We will direct students to check out certain videos that will help them with their playing while giving one-on-one instruction covering every base. The synergy between professional music instructors and the use of YouTube as a tool within music lessons is powerful. If you struggled to learn an instrument on your own, just know you’re not the only one. Also know that it doesn’t mean you are incapable of playing that instrument. Great instruction with practice guarantees positive results. If you are tossing around the idea of learning to play an instrument, now is the time to sign up and get started. A few months from now you will be able to look back and see all the progress you made, friendships you cultivated and all the fun you experience just by following through with what was in you to begin with.

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