| I come to this topic from the point of view of | | | | Yet now, in the 21st century with the advent of |
| both a consumer and provider of music lessons. I | | | | the Internet there are better and more efficient |
| am a consumer in the sense that I had the good | | | | ways to learn any aspect of music, whether it's |
| fortune in my student days to be taught by | | | | the instrument of your choice, or simply how to |
| some of the most respected musicians in their | | | | read music. The combination of improved sound |
| fields. A provider in that I have now been a | | | | recording technology together with quality video |
| teacher of musical instruments for over 35 years | | | | recording means that lessons can now be |
| and have taught thousands of pupils in that time. | | | | recorded and made available to anyone at the |
| As a student I was grateful for the fact that I | | | | click of a mouse. What's more these lessons can |
| was able to tap-in to such unique and valuable | | | | be produced by the best in their field - anyone |
| expertise and guidance. I always found it | | | | can now have that access to the best teaching |
| frustrating though, between one lesson and the | | | | that I was fortunate enough to receive, but |
| next, that there would be no one on hand to | | | | without having to attend a conservatoire. |
| offer help when I needed it the most. | | | | In comparison with the cost of face-to-face |
| As a teacher I quickly became aware of that | | | | lessons with such illustrious teachers the digital |
| exact same problem, but in reverse. | | | | option also provides a much more affordable way |
| For any pupil who decides to learn to play an | | | | of learning from the best, with digital courses |
| instrument the format tends to be fairly standard: | | | | costing a fraction of their face-to-face equivalents. |
| one lesson per week for an agreed length of | | | | The problems of having to keep pace with a |
| time. This lesson length would be perhaps most | | | | demanding expert teacher have also been |
| commonly in the region of half an hour or an hour. | | | | eliminated. Video courses mean that a student can |
| Believe it or not, when I was teaching in schools it | | | | go at their own pace. If a point is missed or an |
| wasn't uncommon for lessons only to last for 15 | | | | exercise is misunderstood it is a simple matter to |
| minutes, and even at that your lesson would be | | | | rewind and go over it again and again if needs be. |
| shared with other students! Such are the | | | | In a live, face-to-face lesson, the words, the |
| limitations of budgets in public education. You | | | | imparting of knowledge is there but for a |
| would only expect a substantial increase in direct | | | | moment and then it is gone. In a video lesson it's |
| contact time with your teacher if you were | | | | there for perpetuity, to be re-visited on a whim. |
| fortunate and talented enough to be studying at | | | | We all have talent to a greater or lesser degree. |
| the highest level at a conservatoire. | | | | For the talented, learning to play in the midst of |
| Even during this contact time it's possible, as in all | | | | others presents no problem. For the less talented |
| 'face to face at that moment' teaching for things | | | | it can equally be an embarrassing nightmare until |
| to be mis-heard, mis-interpreted, or simply not | | | | your skills begin to develop. With video tuition, all |
| fully understood. That is valuable lesson time | | | | of those problems are removed. Not only can you |
| wasted for both student and teacher alike. | | | | learn at your own pace, but you can also do it in |
| This is all nothing new. It has been thus for as | | | | the privacy of your own home. |
| long as mankind has sought to make music. Even | | | | So, what can you learn in this way? Well, in the |
| as far back as the late 1980's I was | | | | field of music the possibilities are endless. There |
| experimenting with producing courses of music | | | | are courses available in all the popular instruments. |
| instrumental lessons on video tape with a view to | | | | When it comes to the guitar for example, as well |
| students being able to refer to them between | | | | as the basics you can choose to learn in |
| lessons with their teacher. In fact, I was even | | | | whatever style takes your fancy, rock, classical, |
| exploring the possibility of the student and | | | | folk, rhythm & blues, jazz, country. |
| teacher never even having to meet face to face | | | | Not only instruments are covered. There are |
| in order to make lessons more accessible to | | | | courses available to teach you recording and |
| more students - remember those budget | | | | studio techniques, how to be a successful DJ, |
| constraints? The problem was, at that time the | | | | even down to the best way to get yourself |
| technology was in its infancy and the results were | | | | known in the business and how to land that |
| at best cumbersome. | | | | elusive contract. |