Taking private, in-person violin lessons is the best way to learn the violin; however, sometimes there aren’t enough qualified teachers in your area. Luckily, there are various different video conferencing platforms that allow you to learn the violin online, and finding the right teacher for online lessons is very easy to do.
Besides having a larger pool of qualified teachers to choose from, online violin lessons can be taken just about anywhere and at anytime. With the kind of schedules most people have today, it’s not always easy finding a time to meet with a teacher. Setting up an online lesson, however, allows you to fit lessons into your busy schedule.
Before you can learn the violin online, you must choose a video platform that works best for you and your teacher. Below are some tips to consider when selecting a platform.
Tips for Selecting a Platform
There are a few things that you want to consider before you start your online violin lessons.
- When it comes to violin lessons, price is always a consideration. Thankfully, many video platforms are free, so you don’t need to worry about additional costs when taking violin lessons online.
- You need a reliable Internet connection. Every platform has a minimum bandwidth requirement, so make sure you find one that works within your Internet’s capabilities. You don’t want to have a lesson drop in the middle of a song, nor do you want to be distracted by trying to work with something that isn’t user friendly.
- The platform should enable you to set your status as “busy,” so that you can avoid any interruptions.
- Do make sure to discuss what platform you choose with you teacher, as he or she may already have a preference or suggestion for a particular one.
Once you’ve considered the tips above, it’s time to find the platform that suits your needs. The following five platforms are the most popular for learning the violin online. The platforms aren’t in any particular order, so feel free to try out different options if your teacher doesn’t already have a preference.
Top Platforms for Learning Violin Online
1. Skype
Arguably as the most popular video platform, Skype allows you talk face-to-face with your teacher over any mobile device for free. All you have to have is a reliable Internet connection to take advantage of Skype’s popular video calling service, and setting up an account is easy.
The only downfall of this platform is that if you want to have a group video lesson, you’ll need to upgrade to Skype Premium for about $5 per month. Additionally, Skype requires you to set up a username and password.
2. Google+ Hangouts
Google Hangouts also offers free video conferencing, called Hangouts. Run by the most widely-used search engine, this platform is well designed and user friendly. If you already have a Gmail account, set-up is easy—all you have to do is sync your existing account with the platform.
Google Hangouts is a bit less reliable than Skype, because the platform requires more computing power. If your computer barely meets the requirements, you’re more likely to experience freezing and buffering, which can bring your lesson to a screeching halt.
3. Tox
Tox is a new and nifty video conferencing program. The great thing about Tox—besides being free—is that it doesn’t allow advertising on the site, so you will not be distracted by scrolling text or popups while you’re in the middle of a lesson.
As a newer program, however, it is not as established as Skype or Google Hangouts, so you may encounter unanticipated issues the first few times you use it.
4. Viber
Viber is similar to Skype and Google Hangouts in that it’s free, easy to use, and available on any mobile device. Rather than using a username and password to log in, however, the platform uses your cell phone number as an identifier—which could come in handy if you tend to forget your username and password.
Like Tox, Viber is fairly new to the market, which means some technical issues may not be completely worked out. What’s more, Viber is said to have lesser call and video quality when compared to Skype.
5. ICQ
As another free option, ICQ is great for students who like to communicate with their teacher via social media, as the platform allows users to exchange messages over a number of different social networks. Video chats can happen at the click of a button.
There are known security issues with the program, however, and you may receive spam. Also, based on their terms of use, ICQ owns the information you post to their platform.
As you can see, there is a variety of online platforms that you can use to learn the violin online. If you’re not sure which one to choose, you might want to consider trying out a few to see which one you like!
There are a number of benefits to taking violin lessons online from reduced costs to more flexible scheduling. Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t learn the violin. Set up an online lesson today and become one step closer to reaching your goal!
Photo by Photo Phiend
Madalyn Danielson