Skype and other videochat programs have transformed the simple phone call, but the technology is venturing into a new frontier: it is upending and democratizing the world of music lessons.

Students who used to limit the pool of potential teachers to those within a 20-mile radius from their homes now take lessons from teachers — some with world-class credentials — on other coasts or continents.     NYT

Comment from Elk Rapids High School Band Director Dave McKeon:

Having read the article and the following comments, I’ll make a couple of points. First, this type of music education delivery has many advantages, especially in a rural area such as ours, where private teachers are in very short supply. The convenience and efficiency can be helpful to both teacher and student. I see particular application for instruments whose tone is somewhat fixed….. percussion (including piano/keyboards) and strummed/plucked strings. I see this as an exciting development with a great deal of potential primarily for beginning/intermediate level students.

On the other hand, instruments (winds and bowed strings) that require a great deal of muscle development/control to produce a characteristic tone will be disadvantaged as opposed to a live teacher because tone development is a primary area of concern for most teachers and no current computer set-ups come close to achieving near-live quality sound. Another disadvantage is the inability for teacher to play along with student in real time.
I would definitely not discourage people from exploring this approach but would hope that they understand the advantages and disadvantages when compared to live teachers.

We need improved technology that improves the sound quality of our home computers.