In recent years, online piano classes have become increasingly popular in Singapore. With the rise of technology, more students are turning to online platforms to learn the piano. While there are benefits to online classes, there are also some drawbacks to consider.
Advantages of learning the piano online
First of all, there is no denying that taking such online classes is the cheapest way to go about doing it. Because there are no overhead costs associated with a physical learning studio such as those music schools at Singapore’s shopping centres, and because the teacher does not even need to travel to your house such as those private tutors, these course providers can slash their prices deeply. If you are a teenager who wants to learn the keyboard or piano on a budget, or because your parents do not wish to sponsor your learning, then taking online courses is a good alternative.
Secondly, if you have a really irregular work or school schedule, online learning may be suited for you. Although most private piano instructors are able to understand and hence fix their schedule to suit yours, if you learn irregularly, such as once every few weeks or perhaps only randomly at midnight, then online programs will be your only solution to learning the piano.
Cons of online programs for the piano
Firstly, it is incredibly difficult to know what you are doing wrongly when you are a beginner or even at the intermediate piano playing levels. Self diagnosis is usually only possible if you are a highly advanced pianist. However, even the best online programs are unable to help you detect any mistakes you actually make during your actual playing on the instrument. If left unchecked, these mistakes can turn into your bad habits, which can then take years or even decades to unwind in the future. If your goal is to be a great pianist, this can be a big problem.
Secondly, online courses for musical instruments such as the piano is less necessary, because Singapore is a high population density country and also has lots of capable and ABRSM accredited piano teachers throughout. If you lived in a rural farm in New Zealand, tough luck finding a piano tutor to travel to your home. However, in Singapore, this is actually pretty easy to do. You just need to discern which tutor is good, and then only hire those. Therefore, in Singapore’s context, private piano tutors continue to be the vastly popular option among Singaporean students.
In conclusion, if you are just wanting to learn the piano for fun, and have no real ambition with it, but just to play a few simple songs, then taking online classes may be the sensible and cost saving method. However, if you want to be serious about becoming a pianist, and want to be able to play the piano at high levels of proficiency, then it is recommended that you take physical piano lessons in Singapore from a qualified local teacher instead.