The Technological Age Meets Private Lesson Instruction
About a year ago, I began taking private flute lessons through Anderson University in South Carolina as a fulfillment of the performance requirement for a master's degree. I was not sure how lessons online would work out. I was skeptical because I knew that the sound quality would not be nearly as good. It turns out that it worked out quite well. I learned a great deal, was taught by a fantastic instructor, and I really enjoy playing the flute.
When I would tell people I was taking online lessons, they would often cringe. They would argue that it seemed like it would not be very effective and that they could not see themselves teaching like that. Fast forward to COVID-19 2020, and many of these same individuals are now being forced to teach online lessons. It has been funny to me seeing some of them post about how online lessons are not that bad.
There are a few things I learned about online lessons that improved how I learned and how I teach online:
Find the right video platform. Google Hangouts, Zoom, Facetime, Instagram Video, etc. are all out there. I have found that Zoom and Facetime tend to work best for me, as the connection just seems stronger.
Use audio and video recording. Yes, the audio and visual quality will never be the same as being in person. You can get better quality though by having recording yourself or having your student record something and send it to you. It does not have to be anything long. The microphones in most phones are pretty good and because it is not being streamed, the recording will sound better. If you plan on recording a lot, you may want to invest in a higher quality digital recorder; I have had a lot of good experiences with the brand Zoom. As a student, I have sent recordings to my teacher and received feedback. As a teacher, I have sent instructional videos for both the general public, specific classes, and individual students that provide instruction. During lessons, it gives us more time to focus on actually getting better as a musician.
Play around with the settings. Sometimes, you can find in the various video platforms settings that will enhance the audio or video. Figure out what works best for you.
Record accompaniment tracks for your students to play along with. Duets are a wonderful experience for students. It might not be exactly the same, but at least it gives your students the opportunity to hear your sound in real time with theirs.
Do not be afraid to treat it like a traditional lesson. Ask questions, act like you are in person, make sure you can see aspects such as fingers, embouchure, hand position, breathing, etc.
Even before COVID-19, there were several websites out there offering online private lessons. I believe that we are going to see an increase in this after the world goes back to "normal." People are realizing that they can receive instruction within their homes, no matter if they live in a city where there are plenty of private teachers or an environment that has an absence of private teachers. As technology advances and we receive even higher speed internet, it is likely that we may even see higher quality audio and video. Who knows? Within our lifetimes, we may even see the instantaneous response of video and audio to the point where we can play duets with one another in real-time or have digital ensemble rehearsals. Only time will tell. Until then, we will have to make do with digital lessons. Make the most out of the lesson time you get, whether it is in person or digitally.
