When you or your kid comes home from work or school, the brain feels fried. How can we stay sharp even at the end of the day? A recent study done by Northwestern University shows that constant engagement with musical notes not only enhances neuroplasticity, but also enables the nervous system to provide the foundation to begin learning.

We all know that learning music has benefits that include enhancing creativity, boosting self-esteem, developing motor skills, and improving spatial reasoning.

So why are parents hesitant to put their kids in music? For some, they may prioritize academic learning or other life skills. Some parents also feel that it’s daunting to teach something that they don’t know very much about, particularly if they’ve never studied music themselves. Or simply it’s, “Sure, I’d love to them learn an instrument, but I just don’t have the time to take them to classes.”

Well, never fear. There are options now. Technology allows for a variety of different options at our fingertips all for our convenience–from Youtube videos to music apps to online private lessons.

What kind of lessons is right for my family–traditional or online?

Face-to-face lessons are often the preferred choice for a more advanced student or for students younger than 7. For a beginner over the age of 8, however, online courses are cheaper, more convenient, and accessible. Here are 10 reasons why online lessons may be the better route for you.

  1. Flexibility: Your kid is an early bird? Easy; schedule that music lesson at your most convenient time with the teacher whose calendar that best matches yours. Now you have the entire afternoon to run your 50 other errands.
  2. Convenience: Your child comes home and excitedly tells you he chose the saxophone for Band. That instrument weighs around 25 pounds. Imagine taking that in and out of your car. Why do all the heavy lifting when lessons can be done in the comfort of your home? You can get dinner ready while your child is practicing for his next band performance.
  3. Affordability: On average, traditional private music lessons range from $35-60 per hour. Now you factor gas money and time spent getting there. Does the teacher come to you? Then their transportation costs are added on to that hourly bill.  Because online lessons often don’t have overhead costs, they tend to be more affordable. Nowadays, you can find subscription models or monthly plans that best fit your budget.
  4. Versatility: Not sure what instrument to learn? You have different options available online to choose from. Most likely, you can even have the option to virtually meet your teacher and discuss what’s best for you before signing up.
  5. Relaxation: This is the time when your child gets to destress by playing music and you get to take a nap. You can also join in on the lesson and get some extra bonding time.
  6. Options: Are you still opening up the Yellow Book to find the nearest best mechanic? No? Ok, good, because you don’t have to with your music teacher either. (And yes, we understand the mechanic does have to come to your house). You can now find the most experienced musician to teach you or your kid from anywhere in the world.
  7. Pace: Depending on how you or little you learn, you can book lessons dependent on your speed.
  8. Safe: Most teachers online (at least all of ours) go through a rigorous vetting and background check process. Our lessons are even recorded, so you don’t have to worry about leaving your child unattended for the full hour.
  9. Record: …and because they are recorded, your child can repeat the same course over again, which helps him or her learn faster.
  10. Technology: Nowadays, you can video chat with anyone thousands of miles away and talk to them as if they were sitting right next to you. Features have also been added to video conference rooms, such as multiple screen views, group video options, messaging portals, recording, etc.
 Have a conversation with yourself and/or with your child to find out what’s the best option. At the end of the day, learning music someway somehow will improve memory, social skills, and elasticity of the brain. So, just get ROCKing.
Need help picking an instrument or teacher? Email us at hello@care2rock.com.