taken note. The Berklee College of Music in
Boston has BerkleeMusic ( www.berkleemusic.
com), which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, according to Mike King, director of
marketing. The school offers a wide range of
online music classes for students at all levels of
expertise, including Guitar Scales 101 and the
Berklee Keyboard Method.
Students can interact with professors
online and through audio and video chat. “Our
goal is to bring Berklee’s content and faculty to
people who can’t get to Boston,” says King.
Each course is $1,400 for three months, he
says. But that includes six hours a week of
instruction, so the hourly rate is reasonable.
If that price isn’t in your budget,
Berkleemusic also has its own You Tube channel, www.youtube.com/berkleemusic.
“If you’re looking for a quick lesson on
something, You Tube is great,” King says. “It’s a
taste of what you’ll see inside our courses. We
support the idea that someone can learn a certain amount of stuff from watching videos. If
you want to figure out how to play a C chord
on a guitar, you can definitely find that online.”
And if you get stuck? Try an online support group, such as a Facebook page for
adult piano students ( www.facebook.com/
groups/FAFPL).
Practice makes perfect
Whichever method you
choose to master this rewarding
new hobby, plan on daily practice
to meet your goals. Older children
and adults need a minimum of 30
minutes of practice a day, says Corrigall.
Practice makes perfect
How you practice is important, too.
Instead of just playing through your pieces sev-
eral times, focus on problem spots. “Pick out
the little spots where you have mistakes and
practice until you’re comfortable,” Bennett
says. “Music is self-learning, too.”
Your practice space is also important. If
there’s a TV in the room, it should be off when
you practice, Bennett says. Same with your
phone, the radio and other competing sounds.
And once you start, plan to stick with it,
because the rewards of music study are endless. “Music,” says Corrigall, “is a friend you
can visit however late it is.” C
Karen Haywood Queen has been teaching piano
for 18 years. She also plays in a jazz band.
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