About Practicing Musician
Practicing Musician was born out of the fact that although practicing music is enjoyable and provides tremendous and well-documented benefits, many people do not have access to music education opportunities to become practicing musicians. This injustice will take a village to correct, which is why Practicing Musician has become a collaborative movement between people, organizations, and government entities.
Together, we build multi-media courses for at-home learners of all ages, K-12 music programs, and homeschool families and co-ops. Our shared belief is that inclusive and diverse music education opportunities should be accessible to all practicing musicians everywhere.
We will provide all online courses and teaching tools to learners, teachers, and parents free of charge. For practicing musicians who want one-on-one help, we offer highly effective and efficient research-based private lessons at 1/3 the cost of traditional private instruction.
Our small staff operates as a social purpose corporation based in Seattle, Washington. Our large number of volunteers operate under our 501(c)(3) fiscal agent, Realize Impact, and our partners and PM Artists operate autonomously but in unison with our efforts.
Our courses vs. other tools
Practicing Musician and our Founding Member volunteers believe music education tools need an update. Why? Because the primary tools used by private instructors and K-12 teachers are method books. Think about that for a minute. Why would we continue to use a visual stimulus to teach an auditory discipline? Technology is inherent in most people’s day-to-day lives; let’s use it.
Self-paced online courses, apps, and YouTube channels attempt to fix this issue. However, most of these tools are designed to teach you how to play songs, not how to become a practicing musician. Why does this matter? Well, imagine a math teacher telling you that the answer is 4 when you see 2+2 on a worksheet… but that you can’t apply 2+2 to paying your grocery bill because it falls outside the scope of seeing 2+2 on a worksheet.
We want you to be free to apply your musicianship in every scenario. That’s why Practicing Musician’s Fundamentals of Music Mastery online courses combine time-tested instrumental music education methods with up-to-date research on how humans learn – to accelerate your growth into a well-rounded musician. Our courses consist of a growing library of 3,500+ video tutorials, sheet music, assignments, and assessments neatly organized into an intuitive learning management system – perfect for self-paced learners of all ages at home or as the primary teaching tool for private instructors, homeschool parents, and K-12 teachers alike.
Affordable, efficient, and effective private lessons
While many students and teachers worldwide believe Practicing Musician offers the best online courses, we do not claim to replace the teacher-to-student relationship. Music requires subjective feedback from an expert. Even the most accomplished practicing musicians in the world attend master classes to learn at higher levels!
The average cost of private instruction in the U.S. is $60 per hour, which is not affordable for many people. So we pored over the research on how humans learn to design a highly effective and efficient private instruction model at about 1/3 the price – only $90 per month for four lessons. It’s simple.
Our teachers personalize your learning by assigning our online content. Then, you meet 10 minutes per week for one-on-one feedback. You will receive 60 minutes of tutorials, practice materials, assignments, and feedback – all personalized to your needs for an equivalent of a $60 per hour private lesson.
Community-drive cultural adaptation
Standards and assessments
Practicing Musician is honored to work with the leaders of the teams that researched, wrote, and piloted the National Core Arts Standards and Model Cornerstone Assessments for Music. The standards and assessments were developed over three years before being published in 2014. Now, Practicing Musician integrates the Model Cornerstone Assessments directly into our method so teachers, parents, and students across the United States can rest assured of the validity and reliability of our service.
Learn about “Your Passion, Their Success”
self-paced professional development here!
