Tugce Bryant
Cellist/Instructor
HONOLULU&ONLINE

ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN THE CELLO?

Now is the perfect time!

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Cello Academy Hawaii is now offering Real-Time online lessons to anyone and anywhere in the world!

 

 

 

WHY ONLINE LESSONS?

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​When it comes to learning a musical instrument, online lessons have specific advantages over traditional classroom settings. Each lesson is recorded. This allows you to review your lessons time and again long after your private session is finished, which is the biggest advantage of online lessons. No commuting required! You can save time and money—while staying in the comfort of your home—during online lessons. The only things you will need are a strong internet connection, a device of your choosing, and your instrument. 

Music is proven to be healing in times of uncertainty and chaos. Think of your private lesson time as a meditative session for yourself. Your lesson time will allow you to step outside the stressful reality we all face and bring comfort and joyful purpose to your life.

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BUT NOT ALL ONLINE LESSONS ARE CREATED EQUAL.​

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Today's sheer number of online learning options can be overwhelming to discourage you from beginning your music journey. Questions like 'Who to trust?' or 'Which online learning style is best for me?' became harder to answer. This is primarily due to the abundance of marketing-biased offers, unrealistic claims, and the ambiguity of the teacher's qualifications. At the top of the list of these claims come statements such as `teaching anyone how to play the cello in 10 lessons!` Some even claim you don't need to learn to read music.

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I am here to clarify misunderstandings and bring explanations to exaggerated claims.

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There are 2 main styles of online learning:

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Pre-recorded lessons and Real-Time (live) lessons.

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Let us begin with Real-time live lessons.

Our environment is the only difference between online live lessons and traditional classroom learning. Instead of our brick-and-mortar studio set-up, the teacher and the student are in their own preferred setting without the hassle of commuting, saving time and money. Wherever you may be in the world, you get the chance to study with the teacher of your choosing. This brings a considerable amount of flexibility to the student's busy life.

Mothers who have young children can still perform their online classes with me or reschedule if an emergency occurs. Because younger kids cannot commute without their parent's presence and assistance, online classes after school reduce the number of responsibilities parents must rush about after. I have fathers who take lessons with their children. Attending a live class with one child while being there for the others is invaluable for parents with more than one child. Ultimately, online lessons should make your life easier and leave more time and money for the things that matter.

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You will always have your recorded lesson to view after each class should you want to go over your live session.

I provide my students with all course-related materials (sheet music, method books) as PDF files.

 

However, not all online lessons are created equal. Now let's talk about pre-recorded lessons enticing to anyone with lots on their plate.

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The instructor typically sells these pre-recorded classes in bulk without knowing the student's specific needs. It is the one-size-fits-all approach to online learning.

Every student's attention span, learning preferences, strengths, and learning needs differ.

It would be time-wasting and discouraging to think anyone—regardless of their background and learning styles—can learn how to play the cello if they buy these videos and follow through. Many students tried these methods before meeting me and almost quit learning this instrument.

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Most writing-enhanced learning approaches, such as arithmetic, literature, and history, require little teacher assistance, which may be accomplished using pre-recorded lectures. However, other activities that require regular practice to build skills, such as athletics, arts and crafts, or eventually music, require instruction from the teacher.

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Think of it like this. If you need to use your mind to solve a puzzle, you must learn and follow the thought process. But if you need to add motor skills, say to perform a task with your muscles and perfect it, then you need a different kind of guidance.

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I would like to review the disadvantages of pre-recorded classes over real-time classes.

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INTERACTION

Interaction is everything when it comes to learning a new skill or honing your existing knowledge. Lack of interaction causes the student to doubt themselves because there is no real-time feedback. If they are doing repetitions of a particular practice wrongly, there is no system in place to correct them until that becomes part of how they play. Practice makes it permanent, not perfect.

FEEDBACK

Students cannot know if they are practicing something accurately without proper, constructive, timely feedback. Effective feedback is encouraging and tells us where we are headed. When you set out on a journey to learn the cello, the last thing you want is to get lost in the silent ocean. Pre-recorded classes lack efficient techniques of evaluation that can be used to measure both learning outcomes and the effectiveness of the developed online program. Nobody is there to monitor your progress and provide feedback on your work for the majority of the pre-recorded courses. If you have questions or trouble grasping the principles, the instructor will not respond.

SPONTANEITY AND EXCITEMENT

are other real-time learning ingredients that don't exist in pre-recorded classes—missing out on the enjoyment these two bring results in a less-engaging learning environment. When the student isn't engaged, they soon quit. With pre-recorded classes, you are responsible for keeping your self-motivation and focus alive. Without a personal connection, feedback, and specialized direction, keeping motivated and paying attention becomes a chore rather than something you look forward to as you study the cello.

COMFORT ZONE

It's human nature to feel comfortable and put off non-urgent chores. Recorded classes foster this tendency by attempting to be flexible, but learners wind up repeatedly delaying them. In turn, the student feels they are not talented, or it isn't for them to learn to play an instrument.

CONCENTRATION/DISTRACTION 

Pre-recorded sessions have no viewing limits or deadlines for finished lessons. In today's world, being distracted and sidetracked while trying to complete a recorded lesson is challenging. When we have the option to pause the class and do something else, that time we set aside to learn the instrument gets lost.

 

In my two decades of teaching private and group classes, I have never encountered two students whose learning styles and speeds were one and the same. The teacher's responsibility and joy is to cultivate curiosity, feed positive encouragement, and administer a timely adjustment to ensure healthy overall progress.

Come and join the Cello Academy family, where playing duets, having recitals, and collaborating with peers are all a part of your healthy cello journey!