Online Music Lessons in Shaw Strings Private Studio
Since November 2018 I have been teaching music lessons online to students in times of poor weather, travel, parental illness and now pandemics. Regardless of the reason we’ve moved our lessons online, I’m so grateful to be able to offer this to my students and their families to keep things going. Today’s post is for any of my students looking for a quick guide to online lessons in my studio!
Okay, so how do online lessons work?
Online lessons are held at a regular time each week. Students can choose between FaceTime or Zoom for their lesson – Please be sure to let me know which platform you will be using. Students using FaceTime should contact me through my phone number or email address at their lesson time. Students using Zoom will receive my Meeting Room ID and password for our lesson and log in at their lesson time.
Here’s what I see when we use FaceTime.
Here’s what I see when we use Zoom.
At your lesson time I will be ready to meet with you through whichever platform you choose. We’ll make sure you are tuned, shoulder rests are on, bows are rosined and more at the beginning of your lesson. The more you can take care of these issues ahead of your lesson time, the better! Once those items are taken care of, we’ll move on to our regular lesson outline. Expect to play your scales, any etudes and then your solo pieces at your lesson! Then in the last three minutes of your lesson expect to review our lesson and summarize your new assignments for the week. Pretty simple, right?
What is the best lesson location?
Do your best to have your lesson in a room with good lighting and a way to set up your camera so that I can see you play. Have all your materials in the room and ready to go at lesson time. Some items you may need include:
- All lesson books
- Pencil
- Metronome
- Tuner
- Shoulder Rest
- Music Stand
- Headphones
If you have these materials in the room and ready to go, things are much more likely to go smoothly!
It is also important to make sure that your room allows you to set up your video feed well. Please make sure you are showing your full bow arm and fingers from your fingerboard when you set up. Placing your camera on the music stand will not give the best view and can sometimes cover the very music you’re trying to play, so please plan accordingly. Find another shelf or desk if possible. Some parents have enjoyed holding up the device for our lessons, too!
For an example of the points I’m looking for, you can check out this video I shared on Facebook here. It is your responsibility to make sure I can get as much information about your playing as possible. Once you find a set up covering all these areas, you’ve found a great lesson location!
How will I remember what to practice?
Since we are not meeting in person, I will not be able to give you a physical copy of your practice sheet. Don’t worry though, you will receive a typed practice sheet at the end of your lesson after the review portion of you lesson. When I go back over your lesson with you at the end of our time together I am also reviewing your practice sheet to make sure you have everything you need on your practice sheet to make your week’s practices successful. Parents, please make sure your student has access to this practice sheet that I email you each week!
How do we pay you?
Lesson payments are always due at the beginning of the month, whether we meet in person or online. Students have two ways they can pay: Zelle or by check in the mail. Having these payments in the first week of the month and ready for bookkeeping is so helpful to me, so I appreciate your consideration in taking care of this in a timely manner.
What if we can’t make our lesson time?
Each week I have a specific time set aside for your use. One benefit of online lessons is we have more opportunity to find a make up slot because location is not a factor – If I have any opening in my regular teaching week from someone else being out I will let you know and we can meet at another time so long as it is within my regular teaching schedule. Letting me know with as much notice as possible is a great help in trying to find another time! And who knows, it might help someone else get a make up lesson time in during your slot, too.
What information do you send us when lessons need to be online?
Whenever lessons need to be moved online, you will receive an email from me that looks something like this:
Given today's forecast/illness/world pandemic, I have decided to reschedule lessons to our online platform options. This will give everyone time to adjust their schedules, set up their space at home for the video call and prepare for our lesson today. Below you can find the two platforms we will be using for private lessons:
· FaceTime: This app comes pre-downloaded on Apple products such as iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. Students using Facetime should direct video calls to 240.313.0757 at their lesson time.
· Zoom: Zoom is a video conference service available through a website for all computer types and smart devices. Zoom users should use the link provided here at their lesson time. This will direct you to my personal conference room. It is possible to use either an app or the website link provided for this platform, so you may want to visit that website now to view your options and see what you would prefer to do before our first lesson through this service. When I first used this website last fall, it was easy and quick to set up, but I was glad I did it before the online event I was participating in.
Once you've determined which service will be easiest for you, please confirm which method you intend to use so I can be prepared and ready to answer your call at our lesson time.
Some tips and tricks I've found to be useful while conducting lessons online are:
· Frame your instrument and body in your video's feed. I need to be able to see both your left hand fingers and bow hand, so you may need to adjust how closely you stand to your camera to get both in the frame. I will be happy to trouble shoot this with you during our lesson time, but a little prep before our lesson goes a long way.
· Come to your lesson time with a pencil, tuner and metronome in the room and easily accessible. You may find a set of head phones to be useful as well.
· If you are using a phone for this call, please be sure your connection is through the Internet and not your cell phone's data service. This makes a big difference in our call quality.
· Please be mindful of your lesson time, so that I might have enough time to review your practice sheet with you before I send it to you in an email at the end of your lesson. This will also help me be available for the next student in a timely manner.
A lot of that probably sounds similar to the information provided earlier in this article! By reviewing this page and your email I hope you feel well informed and know what to expect at your lesson time.
Online Lessons and Shaw Strings
Teaching online will never be front and center for my studio, nor will it take the place of lessons in person. While I love that it protects the continuity of weekly lessons and therefore weekly progress, there is a different energy when we meet in person. Online lessons are more draining for me and require more prep and creativity. It is special for us to make music together when we play duets or I accompany students on piano. Trust me when I say I miss all these parts of traditional lessons!
But when I look at the alternative, I know the online lessons are a blessing to my students and me that allows us to continue learning together. Even though there are occasionally circumstances outside of our control, that’s no reason for us to roll over or accept that we won’t have lessons. There are still areas we can cover that will benefit our music goals and this gives us a great opportunity to focus on those areas!
If you have any remaining questions about online music lessons in my studio, please feel free to leave a comment below, contact me on Instagram @shawstrings or email me at renee@shawstrings.co!
