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My musical skills (as meager as they may be right now), along with much of my electronics skills, are mostly self-taught. Yes, I did attend RIT for a while and took electronics courses, but nothing that even mentioned microcontrollers and programming them.
I have, on several occasions, had the benefit of music teachers from time to time, when I could afford them and could devote enough time to practice. But most of what I’ve learned musically has been on my own.
I never thought much about it until I spoke with someone about the piano exams offered by Trinity College London (available in the US), which I was considering just to check my progress. Early on in our conversation after I told her I did not have a teacher and was learning on my own, she asked (seemingly with an air of disbelief), “How do you learn on your own?” as if the possibility had never occurred to her before. I don’t remember my answer; it seemed such an absurd question. After all, don’t we all have an innate ability to learn, if we allow ourselves?
There is a word for what I’ve been doing. It’s autodidactism: self-teaching. And there are many autodidacts in the world of music, especially in jazz and rock music.
The autodidact, or self-directed learner, identifies by himself what he wishes to learn or his goal, and sets about acquiring the needed knowledge. With music, this is often a little reading and lots of time spent practicing. The autodidact sets his own pace, too, which is especially important for adult learners who often have other competing commitments.
One thing that has pushed my learning faster than it ever did under a more formal educational path has been performance. By a peculiar series of events, I am now attending a small church where, if I don’t play the organ, all music is recorded. Which isn’t bad–the pastor picks some nice music I haven’t heard before. But I have been encouraged to play. And since I want to play well on Sunday, I commit myself to practice and improve my playing each week. I think formal music education seriously under-emphasizes the importance of performance early in a student’s education, whether that student is 5 years old or 50. Performance motivates more than anything a teacher can say.
So how do I learn on my own? Naturally. And quite well, thank you.
If you have a desire to learn something, whether music or something else, and you don’t have or can’t afford a teacher, don’t wait. You may be your own best teacher.