I was wondering what everyone thought of cake decorating classes. In my area I have 2 options for classes to take for cake decorating. One being at Joanne's and the other being at a bakery a couple towns over. With both I would be spending a decent amount of money on something I could also learn online. With two babies at home money/free time is something I try to be very careful with. Would you guys recommend just forking over the money and going in person for a couple weeks or do you think I can just do it all online? Did any of you choose one over the other? Any input is appreciated! Thanks!!
Hi! I attend a weekly cake decorating class. A local college runs it, and its a year long course. I am in Level 1, and it goes up to Level 3. Before this course I was staying at home, and not really succeeding at teaching myself with online classes. For me, it wasn't personal enough. Don't get me wrong, if there's a technique that I want to learn, sure, I'll look it up online and more often than not I'll get the answer I need. But being in an 'in person' class as you call it, there's a certain security in that my tutor is always ready to help. She has years of experience, and its also fun to collaborate with other cake decorators in my class. So much so that I do a write up on my blog of what we do each week. If you want more of an idea of what we do, just head on over there.
If there's anything else, let us know!
As a former Wilton instructor I really think the in person class is a much better way to spend your time/money . I would also recommend the bakery over the Joanne's class.....Wilton instructors are usually not very experienced.....many have *just finished* the classes themselves and ONLY know the Wilton way:( I'm thinking the bakery teacher has more experience/knowledge.
In persone classes show you how to do each technique. If you have any trouble 'catching on' the instructor is there to help you. You don't get that personal help on line :( Nor is there any 'back & forth' from others in class & the instructor that makes it fun to learn......that often lets the instructor give more help that isn't 'in the book' or class outline.
One example of hundreds from when I taught: One gal keept having trouble w/her tip pluging up. It took much time and work to figure out that there were bits of plastic in her icing. Then several others in class spoke up.......the too were having the same problem. After comparing notes We finally figured out that it was the powdered sugar.... there were shreds of plastic all through each bag!
For a beginner, I think online classes is a good place to start. It's a way to explore the craft without a major financial invest; allows you to tailor your schedule around you life's obligations; and gives you access to online videos to review as many times as you like all techniques that you find challenging.
If you decide to do traditional classes, keep in mind there can be more of a time and cost commitment than meets the eye.. The Joanne classes are more likely than not run by Wilton. You will have to bring your own cake to decorate. So in addition to culling time out of your schedule to attend the class, you need to factor in cost of baking and schedule your baking to the class schedule.
There are also limitations with Wilton classes. Wilton classes are designed to sell Wilton products and instructors are not allowed to used non-Wilton products. So instruction is limited to what Wilton manufacturers.
The private bakery could be a richer learning environment given they are not restricted by a corporate mandate. I recommend you obtain details of both programs and compare the two to decide which one best suites you needs.
Thanks for all the responses! I'm thinking what I may do is do a class at the bakery or two and see how I like it. I guess there is no better way to form an opinion than to jump into it! After I get a good feel for that setting I can go ahead and try a Craftsy class. The bakery is a well known establishment in my area and has good reviews from people on their chocolate making classes and such. Just two more weeks until it starts! I'm excited!!
I think if you can get a good teacher at a reputable institution then actually going to a class can be really worthwhile. I've recently heard of someone in my city teaching cake classes and saying it's fine to use normal glue to stick things on the cake so that's an example of the other end of the spectrum and someone you definitely don't want to learn from! Having a great teacher can be very inspiring though.
I think the Craftsy online classes are also great. You can ask the teacher questions and there's also the online community where you can discuss things as well. It's not the same as just trying to follow a Youtube video or anything like that, it's much more interactive if you want it to be and the quality of the course has to be up to a certain standard which is good.
It just depends on what your learning style is :)
I read your post and remembered my own decision to get started. We did not have online courses or video tutorials online but did have books. My daughter was a few months old and my son was 8. And I know I benefited from in person classes, not only because I got to see from different angles and had direct contact and coaching from the instructor, but it was an opportunity for some me time. I highly recommend in person courses, even the Wilton ones, as they are sufficient introduction to the craft. You can go in any direction from there.
I think for me, a combination of both work but as an absolute beginner doing a class 'in person' worked best. Now I have more experience - but still rate myself as a beginner although perhaps I am now at intermediate level - i am happier watching stuff on videos unless the entire technique is entirely new and then i'd want to have a person I could ask to show me things 'hands on'. struggle with commitment to a long in person course - i recently did a 10 week one and missed the last 2 sessions because of work and i was beginning to find it a bit tedious. I have really enjoyed doing a variety of flower courses in person but that's probably because I really like the tutor and there are only ever about 3 or 4 students.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%