When I’m out shopping, running errands, or conducting studio business, I meet people, and we often start chatting. Once they discover what I do for a living, I often hear about relatives who’ve never taken piano lessons and how well they play. I enjoy these stories because I love the instrument and seeing how much joy the piano brings to people’s lives, allowing people to explore their artistic side and have as much fun with music as I do.
So the question is, are piano lessons necessary? In many ways, the question is like asking, is a pilot’s license necessary? The answer is yes to flying a plane, but no if you want to play a Microsoft flight simulator. As with most things, the honest answer depends on what you want to do musically, how well you want to play certain types of music, whether you are taking exams, what sort of talent you have, how much study and practice time you want to put in, and many more factors. If I had to guess, you’d find many amateur home musicians who’ve been self-taught to play the piano but few concert pianists who never took a lesson. You’d find many local musicians who may be self-taught but probably rarely find a music professor who had never been taught music. Remember, this is from me, someone who never took music lessons until I was in the music program in college. I learned the piano independently, practiced and passed my college audition to get into the music program. So no, you don’t need lessons, do you?
Where I found lessons valuable was working with someone who shared the same passion for music as I have, was a different set of ears to critique my playing, another person to bounce ideas and interpretations off of, and provide insight and direction into music concepts both practical and theoretical that I didn’t quite understand. It was fun having someone with some lived experience to help mentor and challenge me. So lessons are more than just learning where your fingers go on a keyboard or how to read notes; they are about a shared experience of exploring and experimenting with music with someone interested in the same topic.
Ultimately, it’s entirely a personal choice; I was self-taught until I wanted to teach music and then dove into having teachers for every music subject that interested me. As a private music teacher, you think I’d tell you music lessons are essential, but nope. I suggest looking at what you want to do with your music, whether learning simply for fun or if you have more serious ambitions, and then deciding if it’s a journey you wish to embark on by yourself or with someone to help guide you. You just have to ask yourself if you want to share the experience of exploring and learning music with a teacher and decide if they can help you find new ways of discovering the enjoyment music offers. Until next time, have fun practicing.
If you are looking for piano or theory lessons, consider online lessons through my studio here. If you are a member of Outschool for Children, you can find me here.
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You may be interested in finding out more about The Royal Conservatory of Music and Conservatory Canada. You may also be interested in my blog post Is Music Theory Necessary?
