Better Practice BlogWant to get started teaching online after reading Why Remote Music Lessons?
Here’s a quick list of things you’ll want to consider before starting:
1. Do you have good internet service?
You’ll undoubtedly need a quick, reliable connection to internet for this to work. If you live in a rural area, you might have to consider ways to get better internet. Same would go for your students. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to start a lesson but not being able to connect, or having such a bad lag that it’s unproductive.
Internet recommendations:
For video calling, you’ll need a recommended minimum of 300kbps. If you want HD video, you may need to go up to 1Mbps. Nowadays, even the cheapest internet package available will cover this so you probably don’t need to upgrade your bandwidth. If you don’t know what your internet speed, take the broad speed test to see how fast your network is.
Choppy video? How is your router? Try moving closer to the router. If you’re on older wireless technologies (Wireless B or G), it may still work, but coverage and speed may not be as good. Consider a better/newer router. Here are some tips from Apple on choosing one.
Another tip for if your video seems to be lagging/choppy: lower your video resolution if possible. Some apps do it automatically like Facetime. Others, you can choose.
2. Camera placement
For pianists, ideally, you’ll have 2 cameras: one aimed at your face so you can speak to the student, and another with a bird’s-eye or side view of the keys. An easy way to do this is to use your laptop to face you and find a way to hold your phone camera above the keys. Most other instruments would only require one camera since you can, for example, have your phone on the music stand facing you and you’ll get both yourself and the instrument in one shot.
If you only have one device/camera available and you teach piano, try to angle it above and diagonally behind you - so you can see the keys on the piano and can still easily turn around to face the camera. You can also use a separate webcam this way.
3. Microphone
Don’t forget you’ll need a microphone. Luckily, if you’re using your phone/laptop, it’s already included. The quality of those mics should be good enough for most purposes, but if you require a much higher quality sound to conduct your lessons, you might consider asking your student to invest in a mic. Otherwise, if you or student use a desktop computer, you’ll need to buy a mic anyway.
4. Video sharing platform
You’ll need to choose a service to use for video calling. Some services that come to mind are Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, WeChat (and these are only a few). Keep in mind that for FaceTime, both parties will need an Apple device. Most of these services are free, and most support group calls if you do group lessons.
5. Assignment platform/practice tracker
When you’re not there to write assignments and instructions into a student’s notebook, you’ll need an easy way to share notes and materials with the student (and vice versa!). With an assignment platform like Better Practice, you can update and assign as you go so the student has everything they need the instant you enter it. It also doubles as a practice tracker and communication tool, so you can be better connected to your students, no matter how far the distance!
Better Practice is also great for uploading files of sheet music you’ll be using in the lesson. One thing to consider is making sure you and your student are synced on the exact files/sheet music that you’ll be using during the lesson. For example, if one of you has sheet music with measure numbers and the other doesn’t, it’s going to take a lot longer to explain something than if you could refer to the same page and measure number.