Teaching remotely has recently become a hot topic for peris and private instrumental/vocal teachers. We all suddenly need to be able to teach without face-to-face contact. Fortunately, you don't have to be ‘techy’ to use the music technology that enables this. There is plenty of help and advice online, so if you are a technophobe, now is the time to grasp the subject and get tech savvy.
A good place to start is NYMAZ, a music education charity based in North Yorkshire. NYMAZ offers support through its Remote Music Learning Network. This is free to join and the members’ area gives access to advice and webinars on how to teach remotely, including good safeguarding practice. This is as important as ever, as remote teaching gives access to your teaching space, which is likely to be your home.
Getting set up
To teach online, make sure you are dressed professionally, with a neutral background in view. The same applies to your pupils, and get parents to oversee the set-up and beginning of the lesson. Close all other browser windows on your laptop, set other devices to silent and tell members of the household that you're at work and are not to be disturbed. Test your set-up first and ask your pupils to give feedback so that it's a good experience for both of you.
Remote teaching can be done via any online video service using your smart phone, tablet or laptop, as long as your chosen device has a camera and audio. You could use any popular platform such as Skype, Facetime or Zoom. I have been using Zoom, which works well, although the experience is very different to being in the same room as your pupil.
To host a meeting or deliver a lesson, download the free app and create an account. You can then initiate a new meeting or schedule one for a future date. This generates an invitation with a link that you can send to parents; you can make it a recurring meeting so that your lesson is at the same time each week. Your pupil doesn't even need to have the app, as clicking on the link will enable them to join your lesson at the scheduled time.
The main issue with remote teaching is ‘lag’ or sound delay, which means that you can't play together – so no duets for the time being! Do consider lighting and camera angles so that your pupil can see you, your posture and your fingering up close. Some trial and error will be inevitable.
If you want to share resources, there are several safe ‘virtual classroom’ platforms for distance learning that enable file sharing or video hosting. Google classroom aims to ‘streamline the process of sharing files between teachers and students’. It's easy to set up an account, and students can be invited to join a ‘class’ through a private code.
Online resources
I have used Edmodo successfully as a virtual ‘band space’. I make quick video tutorials for pieces we are learning, playing lines slowly and in short chunks so that children can play along at home. It's easy to upload links to the original songs, and there is a forum space for information and questions from parents or pupils.
Edmodo also has comprehensive instructions on how to live-stream using your YouTube account. Live streaming is an option for running an open workshop or tutorial. Anyone can access your lesson as it happens and after the event. It takes 24 hours to enable your YouTube account for live streaming, but once up and running you can live-stream a lesson to large audience numbers.
There are plenty of ways to use online resources to practise productively and imaginatively. Backing tracks are a great way to get playing with different styles and are easy to find online. A quick search brings up links to backings in various keys and styles, including karaoke tracks of popular songs. (Some of this might be copyrighted material, which is fine to use privately for education, but may require the purchase of a licence for public uses such as live streaming.) Try making up phrases over a blues guitar track or rhythm patterns over a drum track.
Have a go at making your own backing track. If you have an Apple device you automatically have GarageBand for free. If you've never tried it before, open the app now – go on, it's very intuitive and you can't break it! There are plenty of video tutorials online if you're not sure where to start. You can easily make a drum track by using live loops. Then you can add all kinds of sampled instrumental loops by tapping the loop symbol; hours of fun with sounds from around the world.
There are plenty of other easy Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) available, including Audacity (free) and Soundtrap (reviewed in page 47), which is designed for educational use and has a bank of samples, loops and effects. Your students can have their own accounts, and it includes lesson plans and assignments.
If you haven't taken the plunge already, now could be the time to learn how to use notation software on your PC or tablet. There are many free apps available. Avid's classic Sibelius notation programme has a free version (Sibelius First) and Dorico also has a free download (Dorico SE, reviewed on page 48) so you can compare the two products before committing to a more powerful paid-for programme. Again, there is plenty of free advice online to get you up and running, so don't be nervous if you haven't used notation software before.
Top tips for teaching remotely
- Your internet connection needs to be as strong as possible so turn off wifi on other devices and advise your pupil to do the same. If possible use a wired connection
- Schedule a meeting to generate an invitation. Clicking on the link will enable pupils to join your lesson at the scheduled time
- Don't interject or interrupt because the sound will cut out and leave pauses. Talk then listen!
- Use the ‘share screen’ option to show other things on screen during the lesson (eg a pdf of the music or a video of a performance)
- The ‘chat’ option enables you to type comments during the lesson – but avoid this feature unless a lesson is under way, so as not to normalise ‘chat’ contact with your pupils
- To optimise sound quality in Zoom turn on the original sound (top left of screen). Only you, the host, can do this – unfortunately your pupils can't
- Consider buying an external USB microphone to improve the sound your pupils hear. To set this up in Zoom, go to the microphone symbol in the meeting screen and choose the external microphone option
- Both you and your pupil should use headphones to avoid echo and to improve the sound quality of what you're hearing
- Even through headphones, the quality of what you're listening to isn't great and it's difficult to hear your pupil's tone, phrasing and dynamics. Consider asking your pupil to record themselves using their phone. They could upload their audio or video to YouTube (unlisted for privacy) or a shared space like a Dropbox folder or Google classroom
- Brief your pupil so that they understand how this new (and fun!) way of doing lessons works
Useful links and advice for teaching remotely
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NYMAZ – www.nymaz.org.uk
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Royal Academy of Music, Denmark – https://tinyurl.com/wduonjh (YouTube video)
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Simon Powis, classical guitar teacher – https://tinyurl.com/s3el6ac (YouTube video)
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Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog: ‘The newbie's guide to teaching online music lessons’ – https://tinyurl.com/rscgzh8 (blog post)
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David Taylor: ‘How to use Zoom to teach music online’ – https://tinyurl.com/v58n36z (blog post)
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The Verge: ‘Here are a bunch of free music apps and sample packs while we're all stuck inside’ https://tinyurl.com/qllajm7 (blog post).
