How to Use the Online Lesson Option

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Online lessons can work just as well as in person! Read my blog post on the advantages of online lessons.

 

Here is my personal Zoom link, to use for all online lessons:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2863033621?pwd=OW1neUtxMVI0TGhNMUZZK2hOYVFtZz09

 

Meeting ID: 286 303 3621

Passcode: h3HBVn

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Some tips for a successful online lesson:

1. Use the fastest, newest device in your household to ensure the best internet connection. Try to be close to your router (ie avoid being on the 3rd floor if your router is in the basement….)

2. Be sure the screen is big enough so students can see me (avoid using a phone for a child's online lesson).

3. Children under the age of ten should have a parent nearby during an online lesson just in case we have technical difficulties.  Children under the age of 8 should have a parent in the room.

4. Make sure you know where the microphone on your device is located and how to turn the volume up and down.

5. Ask family members not to stream video while we are having the lesson as it will slow down the internet.

6. Before the lesson and before opening the link to the zoom meeting, please make sure that the device you are using has been set so that you have the option to enable the original sound.  Please open this PDF for information on how to set up the option to enable the original sound:

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How to Use the Lesson Time Swap Option

 

Students who would like to use this option will let me know at the beginning of the semester.  I will put their contact information and lesson time onto The Swap List.  Each student on The Swap List will then receive a copy.  (Unfortunately I won’t be able to add students to this list midway through the semester but I will update the list at the beginning of each new semester.)

If you know ahead of time that you cannot make your usual lesson time, you then contact a student whose lesson time would work for you to see if they are willing to swap.  By agreeing to be on The Swap List, you will also receive messages or emails from other students asking you to swap times! 

Please note that I will not be involved in organizing the swap. The communication is entirely between the two students or their parents.

Please be respectful of the system - asking for a swap once or twice a semester is reasonable. 

 

Guidelines:

1. Please only ask for a lesson swap well ahead of time (minimum of 4 days ahead of time).  Since you may need to ask more than one student, you will have the most success in finding a swap if you ask a week or two before.

2. The two lessons being swapped should be within the same week (or 7 day stretch).

3. Asking someone who has a lesson on the same day or within a day or two of your lesson is best so that the time between lessons from one week to the next is reasonable for both students.

4. You may swap with someone whose lesson time is shorter than yours with the understanding that your lesson will therefore be shorter.  For example if you have a 45 minute lesson but ask to swap with someone whose lesson is 30 minutes, you will only receive a 30 minute lesson. (This is because I usually see students back to back so someone will most likely be scheduled immediately after.)

5. You may not ask someone with a longer lesson time to swap with your lesson time since you would then be asking them to agree to having a shorter lesson. For example,  if you normally have a 30 minute lesson, please don’t ask someone with a 45 minute lesson to swap times.  The only exception is if their lesson is right before or right after yours.

6. If someone has asked you to swap lesson times,  you are not  obliged to say yes if it causes an inconvenience for you.  Please answer the request as promptly as you can so the person can then ask someone else.

7. Once you have found a student who has agreed to swap times with you, please send me an email to let me know the dates and times of the swap. For example: “Lisa will use  my  lesson time on Wednesday February 12th at 4pm and I will use Lisa’s lesson time on Friday February 14th at 3pm.” Be sure to carbon copy (cc)  the person in the email who has agreed to the swap so they know that it has been confirmed with me.

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How to Have an Asychronous Lesson (Audio or Video Recording Option)

 

1) Please make an audio recording or a video recording of each piece or exercise you practised.  

2) I recommend making a different recording or video for each piece or group of exercises so that the recording doesn’t get too long to send or share.  The recording doesn't have to be perfect. It should just reflect how the piece or exercise sounded when you practised it this week.  (It can actually be beneficial for me to hear your mistakes!)

3) Please say what you are playing before you start.  If you choose to play with a metronome, you could tell me the tempo as well.  For example: “Now I will play my A major scale with the metronome set to 60”.   

 

Audio Recordings take up less space so they are easier to store on a device and send or share with me.  Making an audio recording is the better option if you are most comfortable sending your recordings by email.  Simply make the recordings using the voice recording app on your device and email them to me. (Make and listen to a short sample recording to make sure the sound is clear first.)

 

Videos have the advantage of showing me the student’s posture, hand position etc..so I can sometimes give more feedback.  If you make a video recording, you’ll need to store the video to a Google Drive (make sure you have enough space!) and share it with me from there (see this link on how to do that).  The other option is to make the video with an apple device and share it with me using iCloud by text (514-566-6696) or email.  Please check with me first if you want to use other sharing platforms.  (I do not have access to OneDrive.)