I was delighted when I read this article! My only hesitation was- ok, well, where are all the students? 🤔
I think it’s absolutely wonderful for people to explore their new instrument on their own, figure things out by ear, or learn how to play songs from YouTube tutorials. But those things can only get you so far, and this can be particularly dangerous if you are a true beginner. (Unless you’re a prodigy, of course 😊). There will inevitably come a time when you will need a teacher to help you progress past a certain point or overcome a specific challenge. But if you wait until you get to that point, the chances are very high that there is more than one issue that needs to be resolved in order to move past it. You will most likely have developed a few nasty habits that you were completely unaware of. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- it’s more work to have to undo bad habits than to learn something correctly from the start. It might be a little more slow-going in the beginning, but it is much more productive and far less frustrating in the end result. Use a real human teacher at various points, even if it is only for a couple of months, bi-weekly lessons, or even just one lesson a month. It will help to make sure you are moving along your piano journey well, and it’s inspiring to learn from a good teacher! A lot of teachers are more flexible with their schedules nowadays (particularly with adult students), in order to more specifically cater to students’ schedules and needs (learning, financial, or whatever they may be). Of course, the ideal situation is to have weekly lessons, but this is not always a possibility for students anymore.
That said- play away, all of you aspiring new musicians! 🎵👏😀 I hope it brings you as much joy and comfort as it does for me ❤️