Live online music lessons: how they run, what you need and what they cost
Singing, guitar, ukulele, harmonica or songwriting: whichever you choose, I'm the teacher, and the price is the same. Every lesson is live and one-to-one on Zoom (FaceTime if you ask), with students across Canada and in the US as well.
I've been teaching music for more than 16 years, privately since 2009. To try a lesson, start with a message on my contact page.
Start with the instrument you want to learn
Each instrument has its own page with what you'll work on. This one covers how the lessons I offer online run, so pick your starting point below.
singing
In my experience, the voice takes well to a lesson through a camera, so singing lessons sit naturally online.
Harmonica
Harmonica lessons are on the diatonic harmonica, in the folk and blues I play myself or any other style you like.
ukulele
You'd take ukulele lessons with the former Artistic Director of the Victoria Ukulele Festival (2017).
guitar
My guitar lessons cover acoustic and electric, so bring whichever one you have.
I teach all ages and skill levels: adults who always meant to learn, complete beginners who've never played, returning players, and people who've played for years and want to get unstuck. Lessons follow your pace and the songs you actually want to play, and they're welcoming to 2SLGBTQI+ and neurodivergent students. Read what students say about learning with me.
“Jessica didn’t just teach my son music; she opened a world where every step in our musical journey was met with patience, understanding and warmth. For anyone looking to embark on learning music, I cannot recommend Jessica Benini enough.”
A lesson on Zoom, from setting up to the recap
All you need is your instrument (for singing, that's your voice) and a laptop, tablet or phone with a camera. No special microphone, no software to buy. Lessons run on Zoom, or FaceTime on request, for 30, 45 or 60 minutes, Tuesday to Friday. You set the screen where I can see you and the instrument, and take the lesson from the comfort of your own room.
The lesson carries on after the call ends. I send a short recap after each lesson with the week's practice, and short demo clips to replay when you practise. Singing lessons, and only those, can also be recorded.
Booking, paying and cancelling a lesson
For an individual lesson, I charge $50 for 30 minutes, $75 for 45 minutes and $100 for an hour, in Canadian dollars. Those rates hold for every instrument, online or in person, and for students in the US too. A semi-private lesson for two or more people costs the lesson fee plus half for each extra student, and the rates page has the full price list, shared lessons included.
To schedule lessons, you write through the contact page, the two of us agree on an instrument and a length, and the lesson happens on Zoom. Lessons must be cancelled at least 48 hours in advance, or you're charged for the session.
Tell me your time zone and the weekdays that suit you, and I'll suggest a lesson time.
Practical questions about lessons through a screen
Do online music lessons actually work?
Yes. While you play or sing, I watch your hands, your posture and the way you breathe, and I respond to what I see during the lesson. Afterwards you have a recap and demo clips to work from until the next one. Most of my online students progress at the same pace as my studio students.
What time zone are you in?
I'm on Pacific time, in Victoria, BC, and lessons run Tuesday to Friday, for 30, 45 or 60 minutes. When it's afternoon here in Victoria, it's already evening in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, so students farther east can take their lesson in the evening.
Can my child take online lessons?
It depends on the instrument. Guitar works online from about age four. Singing online starts from about eight, with a parent sitting in for the first lesson, and in person or a group class usually suits younger children better. Ukulele and harmonica are open to all ages and levels, with no minimum age online. Whatever the lesson, tell me your child's age when you write.
What if I don't have an instrument yet?
Book anyway. In the first lesson I'll help you choose one that fits your budget and your hands. For singing, your voice is already the instrument. As a rough guide from me, a 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C costs around $40, a soprano or concert ukulele is the usual place to start, and a starter guitar costs a little more.
Do you teach students outside Canada?
Yes, I teach students in the US as well. The lessons run the same way, live on Zoom, at the same rate, in Canadian dollars. Tell me which city you're in when you write, so I can work out the time difference.
Can I learn music online for free?
Yes, for the first steps. Free videos cost nothing and will get you through your first chords or notes, and apps and video courses are cheap, there at any hour and repeatable. On your own, though, nobody notices a habit forming. A live lesson adds someone following your playing or singing as it happens, plus a recap and demo clips. If free videos are working for you, keep going.