At Forte we provide the optionality to switching to online lessons when we are feeling under the weather. This helps us to avoid missing a lesson when a student has a case of the sniffles, but still feels up to doing their music lesson. We have compiled a quick and easy resource for our students and parents for 5 tips for a great online lesson. We hope these tips and tricks elevate your online music making, and aid in a great online lesson!
1. Limit Others Streaming During Your Lesson
It is tricky these days with everyone home all the time; but try to limit other people in your household streaming during your lesson time! This means having other family members pause their Netflix watching, game playing, or even other video calling during your lesson time. The more people streaming at once, the less likely for a clear connection!
2. Location, Location, Location
Be sure to set yourself up in a quiet room that is ideal for your lesson! Try to avoid crowded areas in the household with many other noises and people around you; this will help you focus and make music just as if you were in the studio. The better the at home lesson location, the easier it will be to continue to learn your proper technique and keep yourself from developing any bad habits! Just because you are at home, does not mean we should be approaching proper technique with your instrument any differently. For singers and guitar players, this means using a music stand if you have one. Singers should also be standing as they would in their lesson.
Don’t have a music stand at home? That’s okay! Be creative and prop your binder or music book up so it is at eye level. The recycling bin is a great place to look for old boxes that can be used for this!
3. Use Headphones
We find it works well to use headphones when doing an online lesson. This eliminates background noise and allows you to hear your teacher, and their instrument a lot better. This can also be a great option if you are doing your lesson in a room that has a bit of distraction around.
4. Learn How to use Annotate on Zoom
One of the biggest transitions for our students has been the elimination of using games in lessons to comply with our Covid-19 Safety Plan. On Zoom however, there is an ‘annotate’ function that allows both the student and the teacher to write on their screens. This has been incredible for online learning as it allows us to do interactive worksheets, play games, and much more.
Follow these easy 4 steps to using start using the annotate function in your online lessons:
- Once a teacher has shared their screen, click the “View More Options” tab located at the top of your screen.
- Scroll down and click “Annotate” in the drop down menu.
- A toolbar of symbols, colours and functions will appear!
- Choose the pencil (and colour!) option and begin to write or draw on your screen!
5. Have Patience!
One of the most valuable pieces of advice we can give is to have patience! Technology has its glitches, and the best we can do is learn to roll with it. All we can do is try for optimal circumstances, and still understand that there may be some speed bumps along the way.
We look forward to making music with you online! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. We would love to help you in any way we can to help with a smooth online lesson. And remember…”Practice Makes Better”!
Not a student yet? Register today at: Sign Up For Lessons | Forte School of Music