I know that we all like to be in the studio with our teacher, but for many of us, that driving time from here to there and back again is just too much. A single half-hour lesson can easily eat up an hour and a half with travel to and from your teacher’s location, but sometimes the cost of having them come to you puts it out of reach.
As a mom, I get it, and if there’s something that will help me keep from having to run around like a crazy person without breaking the bank, I’m willing to give it a try.
Do they work?
Yes! I’ve developed a very effective teaching style using verbal and visual direction. Your kids will learn proper posture, violin and bow hold; they’ll learn music theory so they can understand music, and lessons can even be recorded so you can watch later if there are any questions. They can even play along with them during the week to help perfect all those little things that are frequently forgotten the next day.
Video lessons with a live teacher actually have a few advantages over in-studio lessons, and many advantages over pre-recorded YouTube videos. They’re especially great for kids who are visual/auditory learners, or who have sensory issues that make physical proximity difficult.
No travel time
This is terrific because…
…you don’t spend valuable time and gas travelling to and from lessons. A 30-minute lesson could easily take 1 1/2 hours, when you include travel time.
…students can practice a little immediately following their lesson, while it’s still lesson fresh in their mind.
We can record video lessons
This is one of my favorite things about video lessons, and it reminds me how helpful a tool technology is. Every once in a while, I can’t record them because I’m travelling, or because an app crashes, but we can record about 95% of your lessons.
Students can…
…watch and re-watch the lesson all week, and even months later.
…play along with me while I demonstrate their current music by playing it.
Become self-sufficient more quickly
Because they’re immediately responsible for things like tuning, rosin and having music in front of them, they’re more likely to become self-sufficient a little more quickly. Learning to tune a violin can be a challenge, but I walk you and your child through it, one step at a time, for as long as it takes to get it right.
Flexible time
We can…
…usually start a little earlier or later if you need to head out somewhere
…avoid missed lessons due to minor sniffles and traffic jams
…make up a little in lost lessons if a student was sick
In addition to this, there tends to be less “chit-chat”, making lessons more focused and productive.
What do you need?
In teaching these, I’ve learned that the best connections are high-speed cable – satellite works, but weather can be a factor in quality. The minimum you’ll need is 10 mbps – but higher is better if you have multiple people sharing the connection at the same time as the lesson.
As far as applications go – I will use anything that will work for us. So far, I’ve taught lessons through Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Discord.
I have come to prefer Zoom, because of it’s built-in flexibility for screen-sharing, writing on the screen, and a whiteboard. Like the others, it’s free, but it’s also not resource intensive, as Skype and Google Hangouts can be. Not all applications have recording capability, so if that is important to you, it’s something to consider.
Getting started online
If you start part-way through a month, I’ll pro-rate that month. After that, I’ll either bill you for the full rate of $90 per month for four (4) 30 minute lessons that you can pay with a credit card; or you can set up automatic payments via PayPal or your bank.
Before we sign up, I ask that we do a video chat at no charge. We will go over things like how to tune your instrument, what books to purchase/download, and what to expect during lessons.
I accept kids of all ages, with the following caveat: If your son or daughter is very young (under 6 or so), you must be present to aid during lessons in hand and finger placement, at least until they’re a little more solid on their own. I can teach you how to tune their violin or viola over video too! In fact, we’ll spend time on that at the beginning of each lesson until you are confident.
