So I’ve been checking out the OAIM website and thinking I might sign up. During my last whistle phase, I was doing the online whistle/flute course that Blayne Chastain has put together, and that worked out really well for me (actually better than the in-person lessons did, as far as complementing my personal learning style went). Anyway variety is nice and the OAIM membership fee also gives me the option of checking out other instruments too, so I"m tempted to give that a try.
Would anyone like to comment on the OAIM lessons, what aspects have or have not worked out for them, etc.? Does anyone have comparisons with Blayne Chastain’s program? Or whatever observations might spring to mind about your experiences with either?
I’ll start the ball rolling: I really, really like being able to rewind my teacher , & replay him/her as many times as I need to. I also seem to do much better when I get to try out unfamiliar things all by myself. I’m awfully klutzy when attempting something new, and having a person observe me and make suggestions as I try work through my initial clumsiness just prolongs & intensifies my spaz-out, and often makes me internalize very sticky mental garbage like THIS IS REALLY HARD and I JUST CAN"T DO IT.
Also, working from a video seems to really help with my not-so-stellar learn-by-ear skills.
On the less happy side: I found with Blayne’s lessons that it would really have helped me to be able to slow down the videos. It doesn’t seem like the OAIM video player lets you do this either, does it?
I tried OAIM but found I preferred Blayne’s relaxed conversational style where I found the OAIM tutors a little more formal. Here’s some help for you on the video front. If you have a PC, you should be able to download for free QuickTime Player 7. On a Mac it’s included automatically. It also has to be the “7” version. And its great. You can slow down videos and MP3s to half speed. I have all my MP3s set to automatically open on on the software so I can vary pitch and speed if necessary. Only if I need to be more accurate in pitch control or need a much slower speed do I open Amazing Slow Downer.
Squidgirl,
It seems to me that you have already best answered your own question. I agree with you that ultimately it comes down to self realization of your prefered learning style, finding the instruction that best satisfies those specific needs, and then applying them. It seems like you have largely done this. Like yourself, I would find the ability to “rewind” the teacher and the examples of instruction provided as many times as one wishes, to be very useful (the latter point being more important in applying learning by ear skills). I would also agree that the low pressure environment is advantageous depending on a persons personal learning style. It seems like Chastain does offer personal / Skype critique if you choose to bring it to that level. I thinl Mike raises some good points specific to the ability to use available technology to slow tempo and ajdust pitch as needed (for those having adequate access to such tools, this would seem particularly nice when trying to learn fast tunes). You seem to be very introspective and analytical in your approach to learning, something that I think will help you become a continually improving player as you progress.
Glad to see you getting back on the proverbial horse, enjoying music, and contributing to this forum. Take care and continued good luck to you.
I like OAIM and have been a member for over a year.
I use the expert lessons and find that I return to earlier lessons often and get a bit more out of them as I progress so never consider that I have ‘done’ a course.
I haven’t found the speed too fast, although Mikie Smyth does tend to go very quick, Thomas takes it steadier. I haven’t used the beginner lessons much yet.
I’ve also learned from Flute and concertina lessons, even the guitar but I draw the line at the banjo.
My main problem is getting time on the computer in a house with 4 kids.
I second Maki’s suggestion. There are three (not counting the beginner lessons) free whistle lessions with OAIM. I have finished The Baltimore Salute and am working on New Broom. I can’t compare OAIM to Blayne’s lessons, but as a beginner of two years, I really like learning the tunes phrase by phrase. I have not found the learning tempo to be too fast for these two lessons.
I will definately join once I get my financial house in order.
Noreen O’Sullivan recently posted on C&F as a new member. On her website in the “contact” section, lessons at each level available, Skype lessons, and such. Something new, something unfamiliar. She may be worth checking out; if you can “rewind” her playing… good on ya. I have no experience with the lessons, just a suggestion for lesson options. http://www.noreenosullivan.com/
I have a Mac with Quicktime 7 but I don’t think I know how to make web-based videos open using QT 7 as opposed to whatever other video-playing plugin has gained ascendency in my browser most recently (they seem to compete). Is this something I set within my browser*, or do I have to download/steal the videos to my computer somehow, then open them outside the browser using QT 7?
I’m currently using Chrome, but don’t feel any particular allegiance to it.
I used it for a month and had to cancel my service due to lack of time to dedicate to it. The process was painless. No problems whatsoever, no unexpected credit card charges, just a friendly welcome to come back and try it again if I ever found myself with sPare time to dedicate to it again.
So I can’t fairly rate the quality of instruction, but I can say the customer service is top notch.
Squidgirl, no you can’t open a video directly in QT 7 but there are various ways of downloading a video. Every browser has video download add-ons. But I use an app called Jaksta for Mac. If you are having problems with a particular video (for me it’s often seeing how an ornament is being performed or what note is being played by a favourite whistle player on YouTube) you can download it with Jaksta and open the video with QT7, and under Window, choose Show A/V Controls.
I was looking at the Online Academy of Irish Music, but I think I’d rather do Blayne’s whistle and flute courses because currently that’s all I’m working on. Maybe a few years down the road I’ll sign up if they expand their accordion courses (which I may or may not get into when I feel I’ve more or less mastered the whistle and flute), but for now, being solely a whistle and flute player, I find $13 a month for Blayne’s courses is more practical than $20 a month for the OAIM’s courses.
There are enough sample videos to see what your getting into. IMHO it seems like a pretty sweet deal considering you get full access to all their videos. Personally I would would be tempted to surf around on multiple instruments and spend a lot of time doing it.
I want to do the piano class at OAIM so I’ll see if I can do the whistle one too. I think it’s a good deal to join for a month assuming one has time to actually do the class in that month. I guess that’s how they “get ya”, knowing me I’ll run out of time and end up keeping the subscription for a few months to do the piano class.
Also for me it’s $25 and I’m wondering if there are different prices for different regions or if it’s $25/month for everyone??
OAIM costs $20 (er… $19.95) for me here in Oregon, USA, while Blayne’s costs $15 on a month to month basis. In Blayne’s course you seem to purchase lessons for one instrument at a time, and doing OAIM gives you access to all the instruments.
I ended up signing up for OAIM… and then immediately ended up acquiring another competing time commitment (ain’t that just how life goes).
But I can’t tell whether it’s our lousy DSL connection, or whether my video stream is just having a hard time making its way here from Ireland in a timely way. I have to pre-load the videos then watch them after they load, rather than having them stream the way they should.
A friend has offered to help me with voice training. I do other musical stuff besides tin whistle (mostly piano, plus some theory/analysis stuff to exercise my mathy brain), and lately I’ve been working to bring my aural skills up to par. An awful lot of people I’ve discussed this with seem to agree that sight singing is a big help with aural skills, and I definitely need all the help I can get (I have a notoriously awful singing voice, and a correspondingly iffy ear ). So I want to seize this opportunity while I can.
I think you will find voice training to be particularly helpful in developing a musical “ear”. The aim is to develop your ear, not the quality of your singing voice. I have had more than one student who were absolute musical beginners want to learn whistle. I have directed them to voice training as a way to introduce music and put it in their inner hearing (brain). Three did so and it helped ear training immeasurably. Another one dropped out altogether. The three all made much quicker progress as they could hear the intervals in their head and were able to internalize the sound they wanted to produce. Once their fingers learned to respond to the music in their heads they made rapid progress with the whistle. They all credited the voice training to put them well down the road to hearing the music in their heads. None of the three opted to learn to read sheet music and all three became proficient players.
I’d check the currency you are paying in if you are paying a lot more than you think you should.
Also I’ve found their customer service to be exemplary so if you have an issue, contact them direct.
I feel they give great value for money. I have learnt fantastic techniques I don’t see talked about and that have changed my sound for the better. I’ve learnt some great tunes from all the different instruments - you get access to all of them in the same price, even ITM Tuba (well probably be a course in it soon). The people seem very pro active with lots more things added all the time. They have people like Tola Custy on fiddle and Kevin Crawford on flute but the other tutors are all excellent too.
Like others here my problem is getting face time with the courses as my kids occupy the PC, however I sometimes get a go on the iPad.
A real teacher woudl be best of course, but I think this has been fantastic for me as an intermediate player looking to develop a character to my playing.
, & replay him/her as many times as I need to. I also seem to do much better when I get to try out unfamiliar things all by myself. I’m awfully klutzy when attempting something new, and having a person observe me and make suggestions as I try work through my initial clumsiness just prolongs & intensifies my spaz-out, and often makes me internalize very sticky mental garbage like THIS IS REALLY HARD and I JUST CAN"T DO IT.
). So I want to seize this opportunity while I can.