I know many teachers who do not enjoy teaching remotely, and I cannot speak for them. Several students almost quit playing altogether before contacting me due to bad experiences with prior teachers online (the motivation behind this article.) After teaching guitar for nearly twenty years face-to-face, shifting online during the Pandemic was a big experiment for me. I went into remote learning with an open mind and saw it as an opportunity to refine my teaching style. After some experimentation, remote guitar lessons work very well for me, but there are some things to consider. To be successful at teaching remotely, I had to be exceptionally good at listening, setting structured goals, and learning to communicate at a level independent of the instrument.
Below, I have shared the most common questions regarding remote music lessons.
The biggest concern about remote lessons is if they are less effective when both parties are not physically present. There is a slight lag between speaking, but I have allowed this limitation to make me a better listener. Other than jamming together, there isn't anything in person we can't communicate remotely.
Yes, absolutely. This has never been a problem with any of my students.
Some teachers prefer to be in the same room for this reason. I can easily communicate playing techniques to my students remotely, and I’ve never had a student who didn’t pick things up just as quickly over Zoom. My remote students often develop a more internalized awareness of technique because I guide them to where they actively discover that clicking point for themselves.
If your child did reasonably well with online schooling during the Pandemic they should do quite well in a one-on-one music lesson. Being able to interact is what drives engagement!
I use Zoom for my lessons because it provides the best results. However, I can use whatever software my clients are comfortable with. I have a premium Zoom membership, but it is free for students.
You need Zoom installed on your Mac or PC (not the browser Zoom extension). Windows 11 has issues with Zoom audio, but all other versions for Macs and PCs work well. In the worst case, we can run audio from your cell phone (video off) and video from your laptop (audio off) in the same session to get the job done.
Great question. I've made a post on this here.
Yes! Feel free to reach out at my teaching site here for more info.