Short answer: Yes! Longer answer? Well, it depends.
For most people, online music lessons offer such convenience. There's no waiting in traffic, no need to wear masks and deal with foggy glasses, no adjustment to an instrument that isn't yours. Busy adults tend to really benefit from this style of lesson.
Where it can be a bit tricky is with really young beginners trying to start Suzuki lessons. Distractions abound in in-home lessons. Dogs are barking, people are talking, the TV is going, and not only is it hard to practice through all of that noise, it's especially difficult to stay focused enough to learn something new.
Something that really helps is if an adult in the household can help demonstrate some of the techniques in person during the lesson. Very young beginners really need to be shown rather than told. However, once children reach about 7 or 8, traditional classical lessons are essentially the same online as in person.
When the world changed in 2020, music teachers everywhere found themselves having to shift their focus to teaching music online. At first it was definitely tricky, with setup, lighting, and sound issues. Personally, it took me a few weeks to adjust to the "new normal" but overall has made me a better listener and much better at explaining what I mean, since the shortcuts of pointing to things and demonstrating has been changed quite a bit.
As a result of so many activities shifting to online, I've noticed a huge influx of new online piano students, and I am absolutely thrilled that I'm able to reach people from all over the country and share the joy of music together!
I wanted to share this video of one of my students, Gavin, who started in-person piano lessons in October of 2019. We had a few months of in-person Suzuki lessons, before the shutdowns happened. He has continued online piano lessons since then and I am so proud of his work. He is now reading music quite well on his own and is progressing quite nicely through Suzuki Book 2. Here he is performing a very famous Minuet in G Major that you'll probably recognize.
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