Home or School? Where is best to take your keyboard lessons?
One aspect to consider when taking up the keyboard is whether you’d prefer to take your lessons at home or at your school. There are pros and cons to each method. You just have to know which one will work best for you. Now ; let’s have a closer look at what’s best for you before you start your keyboard lessons.
Practice makes perfect
The benefit of having your lessons at home is that the keyboard you use with your teacher will be the same one you practice on in between lessons. You will be used to how your specific keyboard works (every one is different!) and you’ll probably have a better memory of the skills you learned during your lesson if you’re going to practice on the same instrument. Also, you will probably be more inclined to practice if you have a keyboard at home which is easily accessible and waiting for you to play it.
If you’re taking your lessons at school, however, you’ll have plenty of distractions from your friends and your schoolwork which may stop you getting in all the practice you require between your lessons. Also, you’ll have to share the school keyboard with whoever else wants to play it so you’ll need to make sure you’re organized enough to find out at what times it is available.
School attitude
However, keyboard lessons at school certainly have their merits. When you go to school, you are ready to learn and be productive. This attitude will translate to your music lessons so you’ll really make the most of the time you have with your teacher. If you’re learning at home, chances are you’ll have switched out of learning mode and will be ready to relax; this could mean that you won’t be as productive as you would have been at school. You’ll definitely need to have a good sense of discipline if you decide to take your lessons at home.
Practicalities
Additionally, having lessons at home can present some practical difficulties. Does a member of your family work from home and hate loud distractions? Do you have the space required for a lesson – i.e. a quiet room big enough for the keyboard as well as you and your teacher? At school, this is all resolved for you; there are sound-proof music rooms with the requisite space and technology for you to have a really productive lesson.
Learning at school will also grant you the opportunity to participate in group lessons as well if you think you’d benefit from learning with another student. It is very rare to encounter group lessons being undertaken at home, except for when there are two siblings wanting to play.
The wise decision
So there you have it; if you have the space and discipline to learn at home, then go for it! It will probably be easier to keep up your practice and remember all your new skills. It’s also no problem if practicalities force you to take your keyboard lessons at school instead; chances are, you’ll be more productive and focused away from the distractions that home brings.
Remember that whatever you decide you should not overlook your main objective which is to learn to play this beautiful instrument and make wonderful music to uplift yourself and entertain other people. Whether you want to take this further by playing professionally or make a career out of it is up to you. If you do take that step, you may or may not take additional piano lessons and be an intermediate piano student in the future. Take things slowly but make sure you give your heart to your practice and make the best of this fantastic opportunity.