Music lessons online
Adapting to a new teaching enviroment…
Piano and Strings Tutors London now offer online classes for all available instruments and tutors. Whilst many are understandably skeptical of this method of lesson delivery, both tutors and students are surprised at how well the sessions work. There are particular benefits for hosting piano lessons online and some people would go so far as to say that they can achieve even greater and faster results than face to face lessons. This may be for two simple reasons:
Firstly, in conservatories and specialist music schools all over the world the teaching rooms usually have two pianos available and this is the primary benefit of online piano tuition. Most teaching studios/student homes will only have one piano, often due to space restrictions. Whilst this is absolutely fine for standard face to face lessons, the benefits of two pianos mean that musical examples can be communicated quickly and concisely without the need for verbal explanations (or the kerfuffle of the teacher and student constantly needing to swap places!) This is both a time saver and a direct path to the musical intention and desired result, which is fundamentally the purpose of each session.
A musical approach…
Time Management…
Secondly, the other obvious benefit for all instrumental lessons is time management. Whilst we strive to keep the same weekly appointments for our tutors and students there is a certain flexibility of rearranging dates and times for lessons which are delivered online, primarily because there is no travel time involved for either party. Whilst online lessons can be less straightforward for very young children this can vary on an individual basis and we have seen several of our younger pupils of five and six years old making good progress through online classes. There is the added benefit for both student and teacher of the comfort of being in one’s own environment. This can mean that the students are far more at ease during the lessons than if they had to travel to a teacher’s house. Also less time is lost at the start and end of each lesson, meaning valuable teaching time is used right up to the end of the video call and this adds up towards their progress over time.
Tutors also have found that they have more time to make extra-curricular videos, worksheets and practice schedules to help students with their practice. Example videos in particular help to implement important habits at home especially in terms of posture. A correct posture at the instrument is crucial for students, giving them the freedom to express their musical ideas through their performances. Students also find that they develop further independence and responsibility for their work as they will often be marking their own score with musical details and taking notes in regards to homework and practise.
Parents of students have found certain benefits from online lessons as they are able to be more directly involved in their children’s lessons, should they wish to be. Even just being in the next room and hearing the progress through each lesson brings another level of reassurance and of course again there is the added benefit of no travel time taken out of their schedules, which are often very busy.
The initial set-up and planning for lessons online is worth spending some time and consideration over to maximise potential of the experience. It is best if you use a device with a good screen size such as a tablet or laptop so students can see clearly when the teacher is demonstrating something. The camera should be at an angle giving a clear view of the pupil and for piano lessons a view of the full keyboard. If you have a music stand or a tripod that can hold such devices this can be very useful as adjustments of the height and angle can be made more flexible to suit requirements.
There are many applications which are possible to use to connect for online music tuition. We recommend using Facetime if both the student and teacher have apple devices. Otherwise Skype and Zoom work very well however each tutor will have their preferred method for delivering online lessons and this will be communicated before the start of the initial session.