COVID-19 VS. In person lessons
It’s March 18, 2020 and currently everyone has been advised to distance themselves from others and STAY HOME to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Life is quickly changing and it’s scary. I’ve had moments of stressing over the financial part of it but am trying to keep positive and reminding myself that we’re all in the same boat. We’ll get through this!
I make my living teaching piano. I’ve taught lessons at music schools, my students’ homes and my home studio. But what does one do when you’re advised to stay home and to not go outside? I’ve adapted as we’ve all had to and started my first week of teaching online lessons. I’m not going to lie; I never understood how online lessons could work with piano, but it totally does work! Here are some things that have made online lessons work smoothly for me:
1. Download the app Zoom.
I’ve never used this app before but it has worked very well. I’m sure there are other apps as well, but this is the one I’ve personally used and it’s been great. What makes it better is that it’s FREE! I asked my students to download this app prior to the lesson and let them know that I would send the invitation a few minutes before class time.
2. The right angle.
I’ve asked my students to position the camera so I am able to see their fingers on the keyboard. If they have a tripod that’s great! If they don’t, I just ask them to prop the phone/iPad on the far corner of the keyboard. Seeing their fingers helps me see if they are playing in the correct octave and if they are using the correct fingers.
3. Be prepared.
Since I’m stuck at home and stores are closed, I’ve asked my students to take screenshots of the pieces we have been working on. This makes it easy to follow the music as my student is playing. It’s easy to tell them to play a specific measure and to fix any wrong notes they may have played.
4. Using your noggin.
I find that since I’m not physically there, the student has to really know the musical terms. They should know it anyway, but this is a good push to know what I mean when I say “Let’s start at measure 14” or “What’s the time signature and what does it mean?”. These are things we go over in class anyways but I feel like they pay more attention to it when they have to figure it out on their own. I’ll also give them a “pop quiz” and ask them to name the notes, explain the time signature, define the musical terms etc… just to make sure they understand what’s on the page.
I hope you find this helpful! Hope everyone stays healthy and hopefully things go back to normal soon!
🎹 Alejandra
