Over the past several years, music education has seen a sharp rise in the use of virtual lessons instead of traditional in-person methods. What saw its popularity skyrocket due to the COVID-19 pandemic has become a convenient standard for many music teachers and students all over the world in 2024. To some, beginning their child’s music education journey in this way can seem daunting but in reality, going virtual introduces benefits that in-person lessons just don’t provide. Let’s explore some of the ways virtual music lessons can make your life a little easier.
The Benefits of Learning Virtually
Let’s start with some broad benefits of virtual learning and look at how they can make learning music remotely easy.
Convenience & Flexibility
Virtual music lessons offer a more schedule-friendly way to go about learning. Between a parent and child’s busy schedule, adding yet another drop-off and pick-up to the mix can throw a wrench in any musical ambitions they may have. And in the case that they forgot their instrument at home? They may have to miss that day’s lesson entirely. Virtual music lessons remove the hustle and bustle by bringing the music lessons to your student’s home, or anywhere you have access to a webcam and an internet connection. They also remove the need to make another trip out for both teachers and parents, saving some gas money in the process as well.
Say a child has a schedule packed full of extracurricular activities already, but really wants to move forward with learning an instrument as well. With virtual lessons, they’re much more likely to be able to find a teacher and time slot to accommodate. Whether it’s later on a weekday or earlier on a weekend, going virtual opens up new opportunities to give and take music lessons that fit with your schedule.
A Centralized Learning Experience
Oftentimes, teachers offer a variety of online resources to help provide additional support for each lesson. Since the lesson itself also occurred on the computer, the students are only a few clicks away from being able to further their education or get a jump start on their music homework. With access to smartphones and laptop computers, virtual music education can be given and taken from almost anywhere.
How Students Benefit from Virtual Music Lessons
We’ve covered some of the broad benefits of virtual learning in general, but now let’s dive into a few of the specific ways that students can benefit from virtual music lessons!
A Wider Range of Teachers and Styles
By opting for virtual music lessons, you remove any geographical restrictions that would apply if you were attending in person. Let’s say a parent’s goal for their child is to learn how to play jazz piano (your specialty as a teacher), but the teachers in their area only specialize in classical-style instruction. Virtual lessons provide a family the opportunity to seek out the best teacher for the job, even if they live hours away! This opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to teachers, students, musical styles, and the variety of instruments being taught.
Time Management and Independence
Virtual music lessons are a great opportunity to help teach children about time management in addition to learning an instrument. Students will need to make sure they are signed on at their lesson time to not be counted as late and get the full benefits of their teacher’s instructions. This helps instill a sense of independence in children, making them partly responsible for their own attendance. This also extends to practice and homework outside of the virtual lesson!
More Affordable
Ok, so this one might be more of a benefit for the teachers and parents! Without the need for a brick-and-mortar music school or even practice room rentals, teachers who utilize virtual music lessons may not need to charge as much when it comes to tuition for each student. Without the additional overhead of running a full-blow music school, the savings can be substantial and passed along to the students. Lower prices could mean an increase in registrations for teachers and the savings could mean a nicer instrument for your child’s learning.
Virtual Teaching Styles
One of the common concerns when it comes to virtual learning lies in its effectiveness. How do teachers conduct virtual lessons in a way that actually benefits the students? The short answer is more communicative teaching styles. A virtual music teacher generally must be more communicative and involved than a standard one. Aside from the real-time feedback that teachers can offer on camera, they may use a wide variety of interactive online elements like quizzes, interactive music sheets and video demonstrations. This communication often extends to parents as well. It’s a good idea for teachers to utilize some sort of skill tracking to keep parents involved in the progress that their child is making or even offer some helpful reminders sent through a custom mobile app.
All in all, virtual music lessons are a fantastic way to learn music in 2024. They offer flexibility, convenience, and a wealth of resources, making them a popular choice for many students, teachers and parents! With their popularity continuing to rise, it’s never been easier to navigate the world of virtual music lessons than it is here in 2024!
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