As a public school teacher of music and art, and a private, after-school teacher of music lessons for over 20 years, I've often found students are sometimes afraid to invest in music lessons because they believe that they can just figure it out on their own online using the many resources available. Now, certainly, there are boundless ways to learn a musical instrument online, but in this article I'm going to highlight 5 reasons why, in my experience, taking lessons is still quite simply the best way for a young student to grow into becoming a strong musician.

1. You don't know what you don't know: This might not sound like it makes a ton of sense, but the fact is, as you scroll on the online sea in hopes of finding something that catches your fancy to learn, you don't realize what you should be learning next, what is too complicated or simple and therefore you actually waste time in the searching process.

2. There's many mistakes being made online: Certainly, there's great teachers online, but there's also a ton of people out there just making content, that don't have the experience to know what's right for you to learn. This can set you back.

3. Trust and Communication: By working with an instructor on a weekly basis, you have an ability to communicate and build trust, so that if any problems or confusions happen, there is an easy way to get things sorted out.

4. Guaranteed Results, professional system: Music instructors of any merit have a detailed plan or system that you will work through that will build and scaffold your skills in a productive and solid way, helping you through all aspects of learning an instrument and more importantly, becoming a knowledgeable musician.

5. Dedication: The most important reason to take lessons from a quality, certified instructor is that by having a weekly schedule to follow and an investment made will tend to keep you dedicated to your practice.

Again, you may feel like the type to just want to explore online, or through things you learn through people such as that uncle that plays guitar (and I certainly recommend you learn anyway you can), but I highly recommend a solid, certified music instructor who has experience, not just in playing music, but in teaching it. Ask questions of this instructor to ensure they have a system, dedication and can prove their results. It might just be the best experience you'll ever have, learning music is one of the true joys in life.