The good, the challenges, and three things to consider when sorting it all out.

Switching my mindset as a piano teacher

I’ll admit it.  I can be slow to change.  And tend to be wary of anything new regarding technology.  I like to think it’s because I’m thorough.  My teenage children say it’s because I’m a “Gen-Xer.”  Whatever the reason, I found myself professionally observing the development of online resources and the rise of the internet over the last few decades with mild curiosity at most.  My one-on-one in-person piano lessons were working swimmingly; why rock the boat with the “Wild West” of online learning?  

Then, the pandemic hit.  I was forced professionally to dive deep into technology and become more flexible in my definition of how piano learning can happen. At first, I was skeptical that any online piano learning experience could be productive. So much of my work as a piano teacher was done in real-time, responding to what was happening in a lesson with a unique learner. I couldn’t imagine the focused connection during in-person sessions could be achieved virtually. 

My pre-pandemic recipe for a good piano lesson was:

• Specific fundamental learning goals

• A loose plan for the lesson

• Flexibility in the moment for me, the teacher, to troubleshoot or redirect

How could online piano learning work without this recipe?  

Surprising online learning benefits

However, as the weeks of teaching 100% online rolled along, I  was pleasantly surprised.  Some of the benefits I saw with my students outscored in-person lessons:

• My students were more relaxed when learning from home.  

• My wiggliest little students were surprisingly focused when we connected virtually. 

• My students would try harder without being concerned about mistakes.  

• The lessons became more of a family affair.  Parents were more in tune with what was happening in the lessons and my practice expectations for the week.

Best of all, all my students, from preschoolers to adults, took greater ownership of their piano journeys. 

I observed my students becoming the co-pilots or even the drivers of their studies instead of the passengers.  Some would notice hand position quirks or note errors when watching themselves reflect on their home device.  Others would take it upon themselves to search online for sheet music or online tutorials for tunes they loved and wanted to learn; tunes I didn’t even know existed from specific video game scenes, memes, and anime shows.  

And my students would regularly show off recently mastered songs to friends and extended family, either on Zoom or Facetime calls, or by recording themselves and posting the performance. Students who hated traditional piano recitals were initiating their own sharing opportunities!

Challenges

However, these new “co-pilots” also challenged my teachings, specifically in regards to what my students found independently online.  

There was the challenge of scores that my students would find.  Free scores that students discovered were often awkwardly difficult, without being adequately edited with correct rhythm notation, expressive markings, or fingering suggestions. 

There was the challenge of “internet absolutes,” a term a colleague and I coined for the ideas students would glean from random YouTube posts, most of which would need to be debunked.  A teen or adult student would start their lesson with a statement like “I saw online that a pianist should never look at their hands when playing,” or “I saw online that my 10 fingers should always be curved.”  I would then have to work with the student first to untwist the idea that everything one sees online is not the gospel truth for piano learning and then explain that piano technique and hand position varies from piece, style, and performance situation.  

Yet another challenge is that musical pieces are not arranged in a universal “easiest to hardest” layout, and students pulling up things online often overestimated their abilities and underestimated the challenges of a specific piece.  This confidence is wonderful in many ways, but potentially harmful to the hands of a motivated yet untrained player.  Students in this situation will contort their hands into stiff, awkward positions to follow a tutorial (or piano tiles), not possessing the technique yet to play the piece with ease, and doggedly play a small section over and over, until they “got” it, or their hands cramped up too much to continue.  (In one-on-one lessons, a good instructor will help the student build up to the complex piece with a series of slightly easier projects.)  

I was reminded first-hand of the importance of properly edited sheet music, big-picture technique, and solid, incremental pacing. All three are essential for pianists to learn and progress holistically.  

I was reminded as well of the importance of music theory.  My self-learners struggled to see the “forest” (i.e., the song as a whole) before starting the piece and getting bogged down by the “trees” (i.e., trying to create a moment in the bit shown to them by the falling piano tiles.)  Students can spend hours trying to take in a piece of music bit by bit until they see the framework that makes up the song.  Often, chord progressions, phrases, and sections repeat.  Or the accidentals (black keys) are the same throughout the song because of the key the piece is in.  These theoretical observations can save a pianist hours of practice time but are impossible to see from a typical “piano tile” tutorial.    

Three things to consider with your online piano education finds

The internet truly is like the “Wild West” of old, full of glorious finds and little to no “law and order.”  There is no quality control or expertise required to post anything.  Unlike a library or publisher, there is no fact-checking or qualification checking.  But many valuable tools are accessible instantly, free of charge.  Want to hear what the Bach Invention you are working on sounds like?  A simple internet search pulls up hundreds of pianists performing it.  Want to play the theme song from the hot new meme everyone is humming?  Again, a simple search provides many home-arranged sheet music options for you to print and learn, many of them free.  

How does one separate the helpful from the unhelpful?

Consider the source  

Who is the pianist and piano educator behind the tutorials/scores/online lessons/critical assessments you are using?  The person you’re watching online may look professional, have a slick post, and have strong opinions about how you should go about playing the piano, but strong presentation and opinions do not equal knowledge and experience.   What is this person’s qualifications?  Are they professionally trained?  How long have they been teaching piano?  Do they currently play, and what does their piano playing sound like?  Do they know a little bit about piano technique and score notation?  If you can’t readily find that information, proceed cautiously when using their product and materials.

The quality of the materials you are using  

Free can be a good thing or a liability to your piano journey.  This applies to both scores and YouTube performances you may be listening to.  Suppose the score you’re trying to learn was created by someone with a computer (instead of someone seated at a piano) and contains passages that are unplayable by most of us on the planet. If this is the case, you won’t want to spend hours trying to learn it!  When looking at free scores, check for clarity and common sense editor marks and fingerings, and if something seems too complicated, feel free to simplify.

And if your project is a classical piece, consider paying a few dollars for an edited score from a music publisher.  The time you save with proper fingerings in the edition is well worth the money. 

With performances, try to use more professional-looking videos as a resource, not just the top ones in your search. If possible, try to find out a bit about the performer. From time to time, I’ve had a student use a performance given by an amateur player when studying a piece, only to have them absorb the amateur’s wrong notes, rhythms, and unmusical playing as well.  

Your level as a pianist  

It’s terrific for piano students to have aspirations!  However, remember that there are no shortcuts to playing advanced pieces.  When you hear an accomplished pianist play, there are thousands of hours of practice, technical studies, and progressive steps to get them to their current ability.  Be realistic with your projects, and enjoy the journey to get to those big pieces.  

And If possible, supplement your studies with a good sequential technique program to help you prepare for those big pieces and a good theory program to help you understand the big picture of the pieces you’re trying to play.  

Conclusion

So, despite initial reluctance, I’ve finally come to admit that the future is here, and online learning resources for playing the piano can be a tremendous asset to a pianist’s journey.  But be smart and pay attention so you don’t use materials that hinder your journey to piano proficiency.  Check your sources, check the quality of the material being presented, and check in with your level as a pianist.  

Have a specific question I can help you with?   Schedule a one-on-one virtual consultation with me here.

Have a beginning pianist between the ages of 5-8?  Find out more about “Beginning Piano for Kids,” my free online lesson program here. 

Happy Playing!