Fewer people are taking traditional piano lessons due to increased tuition, book and instrument costs, competing extra-curricular activities and competing fast paced digital learning tools. Additionally, the cultural role of the piano has shifted where individuals are opting to learn other instruments rather than the piano.
I’ve taught private music lessons part-time for over a decade, and in recent years I’ve noticed a trend where more students find traditional piano instruction less engaging and either avoid starting lessons altogether or quit after a short period of time when their engagement fizzles out from not progressing fast enough.
Modern students often expect rapid results and become frustrated when their progress feels slow. Many underestimate the challenge of learning piano and fail to commit the consistent daily practice needed to truly develop into a skilled piano player.
Traditional teaching methods focus heavily on classic piano theory, note reading instruction, technic and artistry, body form, performance skills and music composition.
This past week, I had a discussion with a woman who was taking piano lessons previously at a local music studio in Regina. She mentioned to me that she is no longer taking piano lessons and has opted to focus her learning through online video tutorials by Lisa Witt of Pianote.
She told me she wanted to learn to play Beethoven’s famous piece “Moonlight Sonata” and didn’t care about the technical skills, but only where her fingers needed to go on the keys.
I’m not going to lie; I cringed a little at her response. I’ve dedicated many years to honing my skills as a pianist. Throughout my musical education, I studied under four different piano instructors, each uniquely contributing to my growth. In a way, I was offended by her flippant desire to simply learn where to place her fingers, while so easily dismissing the intricate technical passages and contrasting emotions that make this Beethoven masterpiece as profound and beautiful as it is.
Nevertheless, I understand in this economic climate, the difficulty there is to afford the luxuries of private instruction.
In Saskatchewan, piano lessons cost between $40 to $80 per hour. This is in addition to registration fees, the purchase of lesson materials and the instrument itself.
In comparison, piano learning apps are significantly cheaper than traditional piano lessons costing between $10 to $30 per month, after free trial offers by many of the apps. For example, the Simply Piano online learning app costs $27 per month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Although online learning apps provide 24/7 access to learn from home and gamified engaging screen time, they do not offer personalized, technical instruction that is tailored to the students learning needs or interests. Private instruction can offer a student real-time troubleshooting where a teacher can identify an issue and provide suggestion or solution to remedy it.
Recently there has been a great deal of discussion over IRL (In real life) relationships. Private piano instruction offers students human connection with the opportunity to be mentored, supported and encouraged weekly by a teacher that cares about their progress, their technical skills and their ergonomic safety. A teacher can become a safe place for a student and be that positive voice to the learner in a world where the negative voices are the strongest.
Rebecca Penner is a Saskatchewan-based music educator with a Royal Conservatory of Music designation. She has over 28 years of experience teaching piano, both through the Yamaha Music School and in her private studio.
“Apps, YouTube videos, and online instruction absolutely have their role to play; however, no online platform can accurately teach a student best practice for articulation, tone, technique,” said Penner. “It’s imperative to have immediate, tangible feedback as you play. This creates well rounded musicians. Without this, poor posture, habits, etc. are formed and can be painful to break. There is no better teacher than playing live with another human being.”
For me, there is absolutely no comparison to the value traditional piano instruction offers. I will continue to encourage everyone to learn an instrument, particularly the piano, to take lessons through an instructor and to do so with the commitment and discipline it takes to become masterful at this beloved art form. Individuals will benefit from the unique cognitive, emotional and physical benefits and develop discipline and patience while learning to express complex emotions.
