March 2020 - Beth Fischer's Online! Piano Studio
FaceTime - (585) 203-6030
Skype - bethelaine27
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Ways to make online lessons successful
Less than a week ago, I was teaching lessons in my living room. Also less than a week ago, I taught my first ever online piano lesson. I’d always written off music lessons that were taught over a computer as a waste of time, certainly not anywhere close to the “real thing.”
Are online lessons the same experience as having a teacher right next to you? Absolutely not. But they’re the next best thing, and right now, I’ll take it! It’s something for your child to do that’s a scheduled, familiar, educational activity. And it’s FUN!
How do we make this work? Honestly, it’s pretty simple...
Try to make the room as free from distractions as possible. I know there are pets and smaller children and toys everywhere. It’s OK. I am unflappable. Just do what you can.
Have all of your lesson materials ready beforehand - books, practice notebook, and a pencil.
It’s helpful to have your device (phone, iPad) on a tripod, or some sort of stand, so that I can have a view of the student’s hands at the keyboard. It’s good to be able to make eye contact. If you are using a laptop, make sure it’s on a stable surface! Otherwise, simply prop your phone at the end of the keyboard and enable the forward-facing camera.
Technology isn’t perfect; the sound will never be as good as we want it to be, and picture quality won’t be crystal-clear. If we get disconnected or the screen freezes, I’ll call back. If we’ve tried everything and still can’t get a good quality connection, we’ll just schedule a different lesson time. It helps if others in the house can stay offline until the lesson is over, but I understand that’s not always an option.
Additional Resources for At-Home Piano Instruction
Now would be a fantastic time to delve into the Sightreading and Theory books for each level of the Faber Piano Adventures method. For younger students using the My First Piano Adventures lesson books, there is a corresponding Writing book for each level. Books are available on Amazon and musicarts.com
Another excellent resource I’ve recommended before is the Piano Adventures App for iPhone and iPad. Downloading the app is free; every level is $4.99 for a complete song library.
I use this lightweight portable tripod - $25 on Amazon
Reach out any time if you have questions or concerns. The only thing I can’t do is reach through the phone and physically move your child’s hand position around, or adjust their posture, but I can coach just about anything else. It has been such a joy to see my students’ smiling faces this week and it brings me comfort to know that the gift of music is something which we can all share without any fear.