Let’s say you are an adult who wants to “come back” to piano after several decades of a break from piano.  You took lessons as a child (perhaps you were forced by your parents) and finally quit when you had too much homework and outside activities.  That forced your parents to stop the lessons.  But now you are older and want to get started again (and maybe even regret quitting when you were fifteen).  

Or let’s say that your parents were having money issues when you were a child and could not afford the high price of piano lessons.   You thought that you were musical but your piano playing skills never got very far.  You might have had a cousin or friend that taught you a couple of pieces by ear or even some early music reading, but it never got very far.  You sadly gave up, eventually forgot about it, and concentrated on other activities.  

What do you hope to accomplish as a piano student?  Do you want to study with a private teacher or online?  Each avenue has its own benefits and disadvantages, depending on your busy schedule, money, and family obligations.  You may prefer to study at your own pace.
A private piano teacher has its advantages: you get individual attention as the instructor can answer your questions immediately.  You have to accountable to someone who is “training” you, so you may feel compelled to practice so that you can complete your assignments. 

There is also the chance that you will progress faster since you have a private teacher.  This is not always the case, as some teachers may not be in touch with what is going on with a student—unless he or she tells them.  Don’t expect a teacher to be a mind reader.  They aren’t.

The main disadvantage for private lessons is the fact that you have to pay the piano instructor a monthly rate.  Very few top notch piano teachers will take a “pay as you go” basis, as some teachers have done years ago.   Some will also expect you to sign a contract where they expect you to comply to their expectations.  This may include a policy about make up lessons, in case you cannot make it to a lesson. Some will not even make up a lesson if you missed it, even if you give them at least 24 hours notice.

 
 What other option is there?  You can take classroom piano at a junior college or at a studio of a group lesson teacher.  This type of lesson is not good for many students, especially older students.  For one thing, the teacher may not always cover all the content in the assigned book—making it very confusing for some students.  Some classes are very fast paced, and the many students feel intimidated and won’t want to keep asking the instructor questions if they are feeling “lost.”   Some younger students learn fast and often had some exposure to keyboard already, and they have no trouble with it.  

The last option is:  learn piano online.   There are several fine courses that are available online that you can choose from.   You can download the course to your computer.  These courses are usually covered with a month or two month no risk guarantee. If you do not learn anything or do not like the course, you can ask for a refund.  

Often, the creators of the courses offer online email support for any questions you might have about the course.   What’s best is that you have a one time only charge and you can work at your pace.  No ongoing expensive monthly lesson fees.

The disadvantages are:  you are accountable to yourself only, so you have to set up a plan for your lessons and try to stick to it as best you can.   Set up some goals and try to get problems and questions solved when and if you get to them.  There’s no interpersonal interaction between teacher and student, so you have to make it a solitary pursuit.  One solution is though, to learn along with a friend or family member, which will make it more fun.  The odds are that one of you will know more than the other, so you can help each other when you get “stuck.”

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