Q: When my son gets inspired, he goes onto YouTube and learns some songs using the tutorials. Is this ok? I have heard from some teachers that he should stick to his current piano course.
A: There are always a few students who ask me to teach them a popular song. I typically have no problem with this and do my best to find sheet music to aid the learning. The issue arises when the student has been learning to play from the Synthesia versions on You Tube.
While I think that it’s great that the student had taken initiative, it is difficult to break some of the bad habits that have been picked up from self-teaching.
A student will use the easiest fingers, typically the index and middle fingers, leaving the six other digits of the hand underdeveloped. Smoothness and fluidity is lost when poor finger techniques are executed. If you’ve heard the Synthesia versions, you may notice that there isn’t dynamic volume involved nor are there connected tones. Students who are still developing their musicianship skills will not be aware of the choppiness and will continue learning a piece of music that way.
This young man wanted to learn Jurassic Park Theme but would play only the Synthesia version on YouTube. I transcribed the music to notation using the Maestro app, saved it to PDF, and printed it, so now, he’s reading musical notation!
Immediate feedback is absent when teaching one’s self. There is no one to tell him to correct his motions nor posture, relax his tension in his shoulders, raise his wrists to proper form, etc. All these bad habits will result in injury and loss of interest. Young students may also not be aware that they are playing a piece incorrectly by playing correct notes but not at the correct time. While these tiny, little details may not seem to matter much, young students do need emotional support when learning music.
If your child is inspired to learn a piece, let your teacher know which piece it is so that she may learn it and teach it to him correctly. She may require sheet music that is appropriate for his skill level as most teachers would like to see their students’ reading notation. Good quality teachers will require the student to learn first short pieces that teach some skills that he may not have learned yet but that are in the student’s chosen piece.
