The aging music teacher sits in his cluttered office, surrounded by all the instruments he teaches. He plays guitar, mandolin, violin, drums, bass, harmonica and ukelele, as well vocal coaching. He checks his email for students looking for lesson quotes. In the past ten years, his student roster has decreased by fifty percent. The decrease in students is related to increase in electronic music as well as reality televisions that focus on vocal performance like the Voice.

Why are kids attracted to rap music?

The average child wants activities that don’t take a great deal of practice to achieve a high skill level. They can program “beats” on the computer in their bedroom and sing into a microphone without a music lesson. Raisa Bruner in her article How Rap Became the Sound of the Mainstream, https://time.com/5118041/rap-music-mainstream/ discusses just how popular rap music is and what’s required to create a song. Electronic music doesn’t require many instruments, it consists of programmed “”beats” on a computer and a microphone, and with addition of streaming platforms like SoundCloud or Spotify, no longer requires the acceptance of the mainstream record industry.

Youtube Can’t Teach You Everything

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Even commercials echo the current attitude that Youtube video lesson greater or equal to a lesson with a music professional.A benefit of working with a music teacher in person is that they can correct bad habits, for example, my violin teacher used to tug on my bow so it went in the right direction. The student may be holding the instrument the wrong way, and the teacher can fine tune the correct posture. In person music lessons are different than watching a video lessons,or even taking lesson on Zoom or Skype.It's harder to read the physical cues like are they getting bored or tense, not absorbng the lesson. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/02/piano-stores-closing-kids-snub-lessons-compete-technology

Why Parents Want Kids To Play Musical Instruments

To achieve a high level of skill in playing a musical instrument long practice sessions are necessary, also the ability to read and write musical scores. Some musicians don’t depend on musical scores they ” play by ear”(improvise), but they still need to know how to adapt to songs played in different keys to be able to play with others musicians.

Music was the only TV

Before the twentieth century, there was no radio or phonograph. Travel was challenging before the existence of automobiles; most people weren’t able to go to music concerts. If family members did not play a musical instrument, they would not hear any music. Family members made music with improvised instruments made from jugs, washboards and cigar boxes. Some do-it-yourself folks are making some groovy cigarbox banjoes recently. Making music at was an inclusive family tradition, all generations could participate. https://newrepublic.com/article/114733/stop-forcing-your-kids-to-learn-musical-instruments

Music Lessons Were Worth it to Me

Music lessons aid in developing cognitive abilities, manual dexterity and self-confidence. Many adults were happy their parents required them to learn some rudimentary music skills, even if they don’t play at the moment. Learning music with the help of a music teacher allows the student to learn more techniques and skills compared to learning from an online video. The portability of musical instruments like the guitar and harmonica or fiddle can entertain people without requiring electricity. What’s a campfire without a guitar to lead the singing?