Unarguably, necessity is the mother of invention.
I guess it is safe to say that, we all didn't thoroughly tap into nor explore the vastness and nuances of the online space not until the global pandemic outbreak woke the slumbering self in us and obliterated the misguided belief that "learning is more effective in the four walls of a classroom".
No doubt, the traditional learning method has long served us all, and its existence is still serving us. However, the online space has provided us with more advantages, giving it a better edge than the latter.
Pexel
While it is imperative to pick one of the mediums that is better than the other as it relates to music, I'd like to painstakingly examine the merits and the demerits of each of them before giving my answer.
The Traditional Technique; Merits and Demerits Of Physical Music Mentorship.
Prompt Response and Feedback: Physical music mentorship allows a music tutor to receive real-time responses from their students without obstruction or external forces, such as network glitches, which is a predominant demerit in online music tutorials.
Personalized Attention: Attentions of the music tutor and the student can't easily get diverted because, in most physical learning settings, the music teacher usually tries to make eye contact with every student during lectures to ensure everyone is following him or her at the pace he or she is tutoring while intermittent questions are asked by the teacher as a follow up on what has just been taught.
Demerits.
- It is not cost-effective: Employing the service of a private music teacher is way too expensive for an average individual to afford. Not only that, in a case where the music tutor is not living close to his or her student and vice versa, an extra expenses of transportation will be accrued.
The New Age Improvisation; Online Music tutorial.
The advantages of online musical tutorials are innumerable.
Its flexibility in time and space and its ability to cater to a wider number of learners has made it a preferred choice among growing adults, especially the Gen Z generation, who constantly seek and will do anything to maintain their soft life.
Music learning can be done anywhere, anytime, and even in the comfort of your home. So far, you have a stable internet connection and a workable mobile network, which consequently makes it cost-effective.
Demerits.
Unlike a physical music mentorship which learning outcomes can be achieved as predetermined, online music learning outcomes may not materialize at the end of the lesson; poor internet connectivity, poor video quality, fluctuating network, and software glitches may disrupt the learning process.
A Personal Anecdote.
I once reached out to a friend who happened to be a music guru, I mean a music expert, during my NYSC service year to be my voice trainer, and fortunately for me, he didn't refute despite his tight schedule.
Fast forward to that day, we had our first online class, and he gave me an assignment to be submitted a fortnight after that day.
I literally struggled with the assignment, and meanwhile, my friend, who is also my trainer, couldn’t be reached to guide me through it.
Apparently, his phone developed a faulty and there was no other way to get to him because we are two worlds apart ( staying in different geographical regions).
Till today, I never submitted the assignment, and he never asked me, even after repairing his phone and that was how the zeal to train my voice died prematurely.
To my answer!
Haven't compared and contrasted both mediums of music study side by side, it is quite apparent that the advantages of one outweigh the other.
Okay, let me come out straight: physical music mentorship is better off online music tutorials because of its embedded features such as hands-on experience, undivided attention, prompt feedback, and insignificant numbers of external factors that can sabotage the learning experience, among others.
©️ Medemausi