In our previous blog posts, we focused on the extraordinary benefits of music for the brain across the human lifespan and on how musical learning supports a child’s development during the critical early years. With the rapid expansion of technology in music education, music students and parents are asking an important question. Is it better to learn music from a human or an app?
In this blog, we examine the research on skill development, motivation, and long-term retention, all of which pertain to musical learning.
- Metacognition in Music
- Posture and Position
- Sound and Listening Skills
- Human Teacher or App
- Learning from a Professional Musician
- Watching Teachers Perform
Metacognition
The term metacognition literally means “above cognition“. It refers to the awareness of how thought patterns manifest. In simple terms, it is “thinking about thinking“. Studies consistently show that students learn music more effectively when they are emotionally engaged, receive real-time feedback, and personalized guidance. Musical learning and the expression of creativity are inherently human. No app can replicate the connection among emotions, memories, and imagination that a human music instructor fosters. The metacognition skills developed during music lessons raise awareness of one’s own strengths, weaknesses, and biases and foster independent learning, goal-setting, and self-evaluation, with long-lasting benefits.
Posture and Hand Positions
Foundational to learning any musical instrument is developing awareness of your body. This includes, for example, posture, finger position, how to hold a drumstick without tensing, or the strength of your breath when you blow into a wind instrument. A self-learner relies only on themselves to identify mistakes. A teacher can touch and adjust your hand, arm, elbow, shoulders or back to help you along. If not corrected in the early stages, the errors compound, leading to frustration and loss of motivation.
For example, playing a piano requires both hands. Since the C Key on the right hand differs from the C key on the left hand, pianists learn to play differently with both hands. A teacher can work at your pace to strengthen your hands and fingers to develop the muscle memory essential for playing with both hands. You may want to learn as quickly as possible, but they can judge when you are ready to increase the speed of the melody and move to the next level. Firsthand criticism and guidance from an expert foster accountability and motivation, thereby continuously improving your skills. It’s tough to imagine how any of this can be accomplished by learning music from an app.
Sound and Listening Skills
Musical learning involves understanding sound. The pinnacle of sound training is developing “perfect pitch”, which is the rare ability to identify a musical note without reference. This skill is acquired within a narrow developmental window in children aged 5-9 and is influenced by genetic factors. It is extremely difficult to master as an adult. While perfect pitch is a coveted skill in professional music careers, most of us can acquire “relative pitch”, the ability to identify a musical note by its relationship to a reference note. This enables musicians to improvise, harmonize, tune instruments, and compose melodies.
Introducing a child to a musically rich environment in which singing and note naming occur while they are mastering language skills lays the foundation for learning perfect and relative pitch. A human teacher can provide interactive lessons that encourage singing with play. They can correct pitch in real time and provide a varied environment for children to expand their knowledge of sound, timbre, and rhythm.
Music Lessons From A Human or App?
While music apps are accessible and cost-effective, they cannot replace the depth, responsiveness, and inspiration that come from learning with a human teacher. The essence of music lies in nuance, emotion, and connection, not in algorithms alone. A skilled music teacher listens, adapts, motivates, and models musicianship in real time, guiding students through challenges while celebrating progress in ways an app simply cannot. For those seeking not just to play notes, but to truly understand, express, and grow through music, learning from a human teacher remains the most powerful and enduring path.
Learning From A Professional Musician
It’s not uncommon in schools these days to receive lessons from a teacher who is trained in pedagogy, but not in the subject matter itself. Perhaps your child has a French teacher who does not speak French fluently, or you might be taking a painting class at the community centre from someone who has not created art. How does this impact the quality of learning?
Learning from a professional musician, who is also well-versed in music education, provides a student with access to their experience and performance skills. Such teachers model and integrate their lived experiences through verbal explanations and demonstrations. Familiarity with a piece of music they have already mastered allows them to break it into manageable practice segments. This prepares students for recitals, step by step. A professional musician teacher can also offer students practical guidance for overcoming nervousness and performance anxiety. This significantly improves a student’s confidence in learning and in showcasing their talents.
All teachers at On The Off Beat Music School hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in Music, and some also hold a doctorate from reputable universities and colleges. They understand music theory and history and are experienced in a broad range of music genres. Many have played musical instruments since childhood and have invested an impressive number of hours in practice.
See Your Professional Musician Teacher Perform
Students who attend live performances to see their teachers playing music receive an inherent advantage in terms of motivation and inspiration. Seeing your talented teacher improvise jazz solos with fingers flying over the keyboard, or watching their drumming technique, timing, and passion in action, can fuel your excitement to acquire the same mastery. Ultimately, the opportunity to perform alongside a professional musician can be an exhilarating and pivotal experience for any music student.
Here are a few kid-friendly venues, with food and drinks, where students can watch their OTOB teacher perform tricky compositions:
- The Rex Hotel and Jazz Bar (enjoy an afternoon jazz show with burgers/fries).
- The Hirut (an east-end venue with excellent Ethiopian food)
- Mirvish musicals with a live band/orchestra
- TSO or concerts at Koerner Hall.
- The Aga Khan Museum music concerts
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On The Off Beat Music School is a family-owned and operated community music school in Toronto, Ontario, conveniently located at 1113 Queen Street East in the heart of Leslieville.
