As a music educator, one of my greatest fears is of a student watching a video of a musician online and thinking that he or she is so great based on comments and number of views when the performer really isn’t too awesome.

But what exactly is the standard of something GOOD and of quality about a performer? For me, I am a firm believer in the concept that musicians should know how to read music, or music literacy. For me, I have always seen it as a method of greater understanding the inlays of music which may not always be apparent to the ear. Online, there are many people who believe in the greatness of learning music by ear and are even resilient to the idea of learning notation. To me, that is the same thing as saying “I don’t want to learn how to read,” and the mere thought of that for children in English, for example, is absurd. 

There are also videos of people online still developing as musicians - and it is important for the music teachers to introduce such videos and then critique them. For students who browse the web, they need to realize that such musicians have much room to grow and a potential that is endless - a key belief I have for all of my students. It is then my duty to make sure this thought is conveyed in my own teaching.