Instruction Online

More than just silly videos:

When Eric Nguyen, a 20-year-old student in College Station, Texas, needed some help with a Chopin etude he was learning, he didn't turn to his piano teacher. Instead, he went on YouTube.com, the amateur-video sharing site, and posted a video of himself playing.

Within 10 minutes, three people he'd never met had given him feedback. One told him he needed to use more wrist action to reduce false notes; another suggested a series of exercises.