When I was young, I had many career aspirations. At school, I always wanted to be a vet. Working with different animals would have interested me. When I was studying music, I wanted to study music therapy. However, at school I didn’t achieve the required qualifications to study to become a vet, as I struggled in the environment. I couldn’t study music therapy in my hometown, as I wanted to study at home rather than go away to university. The thought of going away was a huge step for me. I realised that I needed to be creative to be happy at work, and music is one area I was interested in.
Anyone can start learning music at any time in their life. We all need to start at the beginning, and it takes time. We can’t rush it, and consistent practise is necessary to achieve success.
I have been a music teacher for over 20 years now. I have been spending time lately improving my teaching skills through research. Music teaching has been changing over the years, with online teaching as the major change, and I want to keep up with this. I have noticed that some people like to teach themselves a musical instrument rather than getting a teacher.
I can provide my own views on the benefits and pitfalls of the different ways of learning.
Learning a Musical Instrument with a Music Teacher
Learning from a teacher provides human interaction and relationship-building. This way, your playing is critiqued, including mistakes and technique issues. A teacher checks that your posture, fingering, embouchure, and the way that you handle the instrument are correct. When you are playing, you don’t always hear what you are doing wrong. When you record yourself and listen back to what you have played, it can sound very different.
A teacher can provide a structured path, especially for music exams, and the progress can be more consistent than when learning on your own, as you are more likely to stick to a routine.
Image by Ralf Ruppert from Pixabay
Teaching Yourself a Musical Instrument
Learning on your own through YouTube or courses can be flexible and inexpensive, with plenty of resources online. You can experiment, focus on what you enjoy learning, and choose what you want to learn (you can still do this even when learning with a teacher). Teaching yourself can benefit you if you are curious about the instrument you want to learn and can experiment to see whether you want to continue with it.
However, it requires strong self-discipline, and you can develop poor technique and create gaps in the musical knowledge you need to succeed. You may be tempted to skip certain learning areas you find challenging, because there is no accountability, encouragement, or feedback. It is one-way communication, which can negatively affect learning for some students.
Teaching Music to Neurodivergent Students
For me, learning through a teacher was significant. I benefitted from structure, routine and teacher support that I could not achieve through self-teaching. My teacher adapted to me by using shorter activities and clear instructions.
However, others might find the lessons overwhelming and require a more relaxed, informal way of learning. They can take lessons at their own pace.
It depends on the student and the goals.
Which One to Choose
One is not necessarily better than the other. It depends on your goals. If you want to learn casually and are on a limited budget, self-teaching can be the right path for you and a great way to start.
However, if you want to reach a higher level, develop technique, learn in greater depth on your instrument, progress faster, and pass exams, getting a teacher might be a better path for you.
On the other hand, choosing both, if you have the funds and time, can be a good way to make progress overall.
Final Thoughts
Starting to learn a musical instrument can be an exciting experience that can provide years of enjoyment for the student. You can start at any age and get as far as you wish, provided you intend to overcome challenges.
However, learning a musical instrument is a commitment, and there are days when it can be frustrating because the necessary techniques and skills are difficult to learn.
I want making music to be as accessible as possible.
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