Many people perceive online lessons as being inferior to in-studio, but is this true? 

Social distancing has required our studio to rapidly switch to online music and voice lessons, at least for the immediate future. Over the few weeks that we’ve been giving them, both our instructors and students have adapted very well to the changes that online learning require. Let’s look at the differences that instructors and students need to make for online, and if or how they impact the effectiveness of lessons.

For instructors, online lessons require more prep time, and this is good. With the lag that comes with an internet connection, it’s not possible for a student and instructor to play together, so more of the lesson deals with actual instruction.

Instructors also need to pay very close attention to critique their students, which again is good. As the audio isn’t always ideal, as a guitar instructor I find myself watching my students hands very closely, as it’s not possible to hear everything over the connection like it is in person.

As performing together isn’t possible, more time is spent on actual learning, which again is good. I find that my online lessons usually have several actual learning objectives, which is beneficial for the student.

For students, from a learning perspective the major difference we see is that a student needs a better sense of engagement with online lessons, which is a huge benefit. Instructors will be demonstrating techniques and expecting their students to observe and ‘do’. So how does this differ from in-studio? Since students and instructors can’t play together, this back-and-forth continues for the entire lesson, which requires a great deal of concentration and engagement from the student.

Lastly, since students and instructors can’t perform together, students are under (self-inflicted) pressure as they perform their pieces on their own, which means that students prepare more for their lessons. Most students want to impress their instructors with their skills, and they’ll practice harder when they know the spotlight is on them.

So there you have it. Online vs. in-studio lessons are very much a different experience, but overall it’s been our experience that, outside of the usual benefits (no travel time, more flexible lesson scheduling, etc), we find that online music lessons are at least as, if not more effective than in-studio for the reasons above.

That said, most students and instructors prefer traditional in-studio lessons as they are more relaxed, they allow performing together, and less stressful for both the students and instructors.

Thinking of trying music or voice lessons? Make Manchester’s NHTunes YOUR music studio and you’ll see all of the extras that our studio offers our students!

Here are the MANY benefits that NHTunes offers to our music students!

1. No registration fee… EVER! We are honored to have your business and would never charge a new student for taking lessons at our studio.
2. We have the most competitive pricing around – just $29.50 for a half hour private music or voice lesson!
3. All of our instructors are music professionals with BA+ in music!
4. Free offsite student recitals every 6 weeks! What a great opportunity to gain valuable performance experience and confidence in your music abilities.
5. Try without a commitment! Schedule a single music or voice lesson HERE.
6. Don’t want to commit? Schedule weekly lessons at your leisure! Our online scheduler makes it EASY!
7. Convenient month pay for those who decide to take regular weekly lessons. And with auto-pay, your tuition will NEVER increase!
8. NHTunes offers free in-studio loaners for those who do not yet own an instrument. Want to rent? We have a GREAT rental program!
9. NHTunes is a locally-owned small business that has been at their current location for over eight years!

Our mission is to be a valued part of this community; a place where students of all ages and abilities can learn from qualified and enthusiastic instructors at a reasonable cost. We offer our students opportunities outside of their lessons for their musical development and growth. We know that competency in music can instill self-confidence that extends to many facets of a student’s life, and we see our students use this empowerment as they grow. We want to be YOUR music school; a place where student’s lives are transformed by providing guidance, mentoring, and opportunity.

In addition to music and voice lessons, Manchester’s  NHTunes teaches voice over and audio engineering courses. See below for our latest course offerings.

Learn  Voice Over! (Level 1) – Begins Monday April 27th @ 6pm

Our Voice Over course is perfect for someone considering a career in the field of voice over! The course takes place in the NHTunes recording studio, and is taught by voice over artise JC Haze, a 35 year broadcast and voice over professional. Courses generally run on Monday evenings from 6-8pm.

Voice over sign-up HERE, more details on the course HERE.

Learn to Record and Mix! – Begins Saturday April 25th @  10:00 am

Our Audio Engineering course is designed to teach students to record and mix their own music. The non-credit course if offered through Manchester Community College, and generally runs on Saturday mornings 10am-noon, in our professional recording studio. Students work with real-world sessions to learn the tools used to create a great mix, focusing on the application of compression, EQ, and gating.

Audio Engineering sign-up HERE, more details on the course HERE.

If you or your child are involved in musical theater and are seeking professional voice training, NHTunes voice instructor Valentina Bashindzhagyan has years of experience with singing training for musical theater, and is an EXCELLENT choice. Professional voice lessons will give your child the edge, and will help them to develop a strong, healthy, and versatile singing voice. Many of Valentina’s students have gone on to attend Berkeley and other distinguished music programs.

Valentina’s area of specialty includes:

• Classical repertoire, Opera, Broadway, Disney, classical jazz, etc.
• Audition and performance preparation, including college audition prep.
• Breathing and warm up exercises (especially critical before that big audition!)
• Sight reading
• Vocalise (vocal exercises)

Valentina graduated from the Music Concentration School, located in Baku, Azerbaijan for musically gifted youths, as a pianist. She continued her musical education at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree in operatic singing. She has worked as a soloist in both the Baku State Academic Opera Theater and the Moscow State Academic Russian Chorus. She also formed and directed the children’s chorus Vasilyek in Moscow.

You see Valentina’s schedule or book a lesson here:

See Valentina’s Schedule / Schedule Appointment

Our private half-hour lessons are just $29.50, and you can try a single lesson before deciding whether to continue with regular weekly lessons. If you have questions regarding singing training for musical theater, feel free to call the studio at 603-660-2208, or contact us HERE.

Located in Manchester’s mill yard, NHTunes is a professional 1800 sq ft music studio with a dozen professional music teachers, offering instruction on guitar, voice, piano, ukulele, drums, brass, and more! Our newly renovated studio features a large, comfortable waiting area, A/C, and security cameras in each of our six lessons rooms.

One of our six lesson rooms in our Manchester NH music studio.

– The Instructor’s Education and Experience Level

• To insure the instructor is qualified to teach, at a minimum look for a BA (or higher) in music education, preferably with a concentration in voice. Instructors with less experience tend to be younger, and may be a great fit for younger students. Adult students (or those with prior lesson and singing experience) may want to consider an instructor with several years of experience. You can see our instructor’s education level and experience HERE.

If you’re considering music or voice lessons, you already know that lessons can be quite an investment, so you’ll want to do some research beforehand to insure that the studio is a good fit, and a good value. We’ve put together a list of what we feel are the top 5 things to consider when selecting a music studio.

How is the instructor team? What are their backgrounds?

NHTunes has twelve qualified music and voice instructors

Outside of your lessons, what else can your music studio offer you to help with your musical development? Are there performance or other opportunities?Can I network with other students?

NHTunes offers many opportunities for students to build valuable performance experience

Is the studio itself clean, comfortable, and professionally equipped? Is it in an easy-to-reach location, with parking available? Is it handicapped accessible?

Our clean and comfortable professional music studio is located in Manchester’s historic mill yard

Search on YouTube for ‘guitar lessons’ and you’ll see thousands of videos offering free beginner to advanced lessons. Many offer new students an opportunity to learn their favorite songs, techniques, or even classic rock solos. But are these pre-taped video lessons a viable option for new players?

Are pre-taped online lessons a viable option for new players?

Our take on it is this: YouTube lessons are great for someone who has some experience playing their instrument (I’ll admit that I use it all the time), but can be discouraging and even a show-stopper for new players. That being said, there IS a place for them. Let’s look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of pre-taped video lessons, and how they can both fit in with, and be a compliment to your learning program.

• YouTube lessons are free: Here’s the most obvious benefit – if you have an internet connection, you have access to thousands of music lessons on YouTube and other sites for no additional cost.
  You can take your lessons when it’s convenient for you: Unlike traditional lessons, whether in the morning, after work, or at 2am, your lessons are there – you’re no longer on a set schedule.
• Some lessons can be very good: There are some players that offer great lessons which will save experienced players the time it would take to figure our songs on their own (I use it often for this purpose).

So there are definitely some benefits to pre-taped lessons: they’re free, convenient, and are (sometimes) very good. What are the drawbacks?

• YouTube lessons are not adaptive: A pre-taped video does not, for example, discern between a 7 and 70-year old learner. As you may have guessed, private lessons are adapted to many learning aspects of the student, and are therefore (in theory) more effective and encouraging.
  

  Feedback is an important component of in-studio lessons

• YouTube lessons do not provide feedback: Feedback during lessons is such an important element of the learning process. A video won’t tell you if you’re doing something wrong… or right. Bad habits, which can stall a musician’s progress, can be very hard to break. Positive feedback can be encouraging and inspiring to a student, and in part can keep them motivated and learning.
• There are no performance opportunities with YouTube: Music should be shared, and performance skills are such an important part of overall musicianship that many studios (ours included) offer their students regular performance opportunities and encourage their students to participate.
• There are no guarantees that YouTube lessons are correct: Yes,there are some great lessons on YouTube, but there are many that are just plain wrong on so many levels that it can be discouraging to new players.

There you have it; the main pluses and minuses of pre-taped video lessons. Can they be helpful? Sure! Can they be unhelpful and even discouraging? Definitely.

How can they compliment your learning plan? In our opinion, pre-taped video lessons can be helpful to those with some playing experience under their belt. Someone who knows the basics can filter the lessons and learn a lot from them. I use them all the time to quickly learn new songs (I, however, often go through 2 or three videos before I fine one that’s ‘right’ – and this is where experience is crucial). Pre-taped lessons can be great for someone with some skills and experience, but can be discouraging for new players.

Unfortunately one of the biggest concerns about pre-taped video lessons, with the lack of feedback, is that it can be discouraging to new learner – perhaps so much that it will eventually stifle their desire to play. We hear it all the time from new students – “I tried to learn online but got nowhere”. Those same students usually become successful learning at our studio with traditional private lessons.

So some advice to new learners: take traditional lessons out of the gate, develop a level of proficiency, then incorporate YouTube lessons into your learning to expand your skill set and repertoire. With some experience you’ll see that YouTube lessons can be a valuable part of, and compliment to, your ongoing learning plan.