The learning curve and benefits of learning music virtually: What I’ve learnt throughout the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020
In the middle of March 2019 the UK officially went into lockdown due to the spread of COVID 19. This has been a worrying time for us all, and a steep learning curve for most. As a self employed musician and music teacher the challenges suddenly thrust upon me and my colleagues were great, however looking back there have been many benefits from having to adapt to online teaching, for myself as the tutor and my students. In this ever changing world, being flexible and adaptable has become fundamentally important and I think there are many lessons we can take forward from this experience.
The most important elements that the last few months has taught me is that changing to online lessons was a lot easier than I anticipated, I have learnt new skills for life, and that it was as important and as joyous for me as it has been for my students to have a regular routine and contact through music. My students have all made excellent progress over lockdown and have been able to continue to benefit from scheduled, regular one to one tuition. In these uncertain times, having a regular routine has been reassuring for the student and for myself as a musician.
Despite the UK being in a better position now than we were in March, the need for online lessons looks lightly to be required for a while yet. Here are the main things I have learnt from this experience and why I’m looking forward to continuing with my students in the coming months and to welcoming new ones.
Things to consider before embracing online lessons:
Many of us worried before embarking on the adventure of online learning about a number of different challenges; the layout of the instrument/them/me/camera/music and how to balance all these elements, the sound quality, how to demonstrate and give examples and help with technique correction, ensemble work, and the biggest worry of them all, will the lessons still feel familiar enough for the students to want to continue?
I learnt early on that the comfort of the student is the most important thing so that they are able to concentrate on their music and their technique, whilst also being able to see and hear me clearly. There is no one way of achieving this, and trial and error with each student has been the only way to discover what works best for each one. Seeing what the student is doing and their hands has been more important and useful than anything else, and I have heard and seen more than I was expecting and it has all been much easier than I was anticipating.
Although the best sound quality would be desirable, the microphones on most smart phones, tablets and computers are more than adequate. Investing in new, expensive equipment is just not necessary, and by far the most important element to focus on is the quality of my teaching and the lesson content and having fun at the same time. There are many different platforms available, I have personally found Zoom, Skype and FaceTime to be the most reliable and clear, but communicating with each student individually has been the best way of discovering which platform works best. Most students are already very used to screen time and technology, so despite online learning being more tiring generally, my students have adapted to it brilliantly.
“ A’s Harp lessons have been a lovely bit of normality throughout the disruption and uncertainty of the coronavirus lockdown. Marged set up her online teaching room straight away and they quickly adapted to the new way of working, which has been very efficient. Annabel has made great progress on the harp recently (partly through lack of other distractions!) and looks forward immensely to her online lessons, and the friendly chat that always comes with them!”
—Sonja
Despite the limitations of the screen and the sound delay when more than one person is talking, online learning has in fact increased each students level of independence, maturity and responsibility as there are certain things that we can’t do over a screen. It is not possible for me to count out loud or clap the beat whilst the student plays, or rely on me to count or to point to where they are in the music. Videos and demos can be sent back on forth between student and teacher in order to show progress or to give examples of certain technical challenges. There is much more attention on the student focusing on how it all feels and their need to describe those feelings and sensations to me. This only increases their awareness and will continue to help their growth even after lockdown ends. Some students have been able to see themselves in the screen and are able to watch what they are doing - a bit like mirror work which has also increased their confidence in seeing what they have been able to achieve.
Many of my students enjoy playing duets with me and with other students, and although lockdown has removed the opportunity for impromptu ensemble work, we have found a way around this with recordings and click tracks and metronomes sent which my students have enjoyed engaging with.
I was slightly daunted by the prospect of online teaching back in March, but I needn’t have been worried. We have found it engaging and fun, and as important for me as for my students. As we continue with the need for distancing and enhanced cleaning requirements, it is actually slightly easier to demonstrate certain technical requirements over a screen or via video without then needing to clean the instruments in-between myself and the student playing/demonstrating etc on the same instrument in the same room. This now also feels relatively normal and what we are used to.
Other benefits which could be helpful to consider in the future is that online lessons has removed the time spent traveling to and from the lessons. For the student this means less travel, less petrol costs and learning from the comfort of their own home, and for me is also the cut in petrol costs as well as being able to schedule more students, and, looking to the future, knowing I will be able to keep checking in with my students when I am away performing/working. For those parents who work from home, being able to leave their children with me working for 30 mins or an hour, has given them a small window of freedom to go and focus on something else for a while, or to just sit and enjoy a cup of tea!
Whilst this is not what any of us would wish for in the long run, it has been surprisingly joyous and rewarding, and it’s good to know that this is a method that works even when we are back to “normal”. The more flexibility we have the better!
