How do I make the best environment for online lessons?
It’s no secret that online lessons are hard. They’re an inelegant solution in an unprecedented time. That said, they’re probably here for a while, so here are some tips for parents and students to make the most of an online lesson.
1.Find your device and camera angle ahead of time: Do you need to see me on a larger screen to pay closer attention? One device may have a better connection than another, some devices are easier to manipulate to find the camera angle. Finding the angle and means of displaying the camera/device is important ahead of time and should be built into time before the lesson. It took some clever use of a music stand for my set up, some people use a triad, some people use a chair. What is important is the teacher can the keyboard and the student’s hands. Additionally, the less a small child is allowed to touch the device in my experience, the better.
2. Fix the audio on Zoom: For those who use FaceTime, the connection is usually better and sound quality doesn’t get so compressed, but Zoom is another story. On settings, one can adjust the sound to “original sound.” When both parties do this, the sound quality is much better overall for speaking and the instrument, and contributes to far less “what?!” from teacher and student.
3. Keep a planner or print out your emails: I write emails to the parents of young students and students who have their own email each week. This email has all the relevant information from that week’s lesson, my notes on how to practice, what needs work, and what the assignments are. If it is a nuisance to print out the email or keep pulling up email, please take the time to write out what I’ve written for the younger child. If the student is older and has their own email, I will expect them to either know exactly what I wrote, or to write it down for themselves in a way that helps them remember what their assignments are. Consistent knowledge of expectations is key to progress.
This is in no way a comprehensive list of all the ways online lessons’ potential can be fully realized, and I can’t claim to be the most technologically savvy piano teacher on the planet (by any means), but these are what I’ve found most helpful in the past 7 months of troubleshooting. I’m sure I can add further suggestions as we continue to make the best of a difficult situation together.
