VIRTUAL LESSONS FROM HOME

You can choose to take online music or visual art lessons with one of our qualified Artist Instructors. Instead of driving across town you can meet face-to-face in the comfort of your own home and have your lesson through a video call.

With technology that offers zero latency and high definition capabilities, online lessons are available to anyone with an internet! If you are thinking about online lessons we encourage you to reach out to talk through your options. We are prepared to lead and help you grow!

7 TIPS FOR LESSONS AT HOME

1. Choose the right device

First of all you will need to choose what device you will use. Many of our students use a laptop with a built in camera and microphone. Most laptops come equipped with this already from the factory. Tablets, smartphone or laptops are usually the go to device. All work great as long as you have a strong internet connection. Quick Tip: you can go to fast.com to quickly check you internet speeds. You will want at least 25 MPS for successful video conferencing calls. Another Tip: I have learned that it’s always a good idea to connect you device to the power supply while in use. You don’t want things to power down in the middle of a call!

2. Download the app

I would recommend getting your platform of choice downloaded on your device. A simple google search of the desired platform will lead you in the right direction. In this case simply go to your app store and search for Zoom. There is a desktop version as well for mac and windows that works really well also.

3. Follow the leader

Our online lessons are still very much relational. You will receive an email prior to your lesson that has all the information you need. The way Zoom works is simply by clicking on the URL that is included in the email invitation. It looks like something like this. Simply clicking on the link takes you right to the meeting with your instructor. If you get a small grey box that pops up asking you to “use internet audio” simply click “yes”. This will make sure that you and the instructor can hear each other when you connect. Your instructor will be with you every step of the way to make sure you’re prepared. This next piece of information is important.

4. Practice beforehand

Please feel free to play around and try it! This is important for you and/or your student to feel comfortable with how things work. Feel free to click on the link you receive and join the meeting early. Of course, your instructor won’t join you until the time of the lesson, but joining early and getting everything setup is a great idea to make sure you are all ready for your lesson so no time is wasted! Some things to double check inside Zoom or any other platform make sure your audio and video are turned on or “un-muted” - these are usually indicated with a camera or microphone icon. In most cases if these icons are red, it is an indication that they are muted. Setup your display view. I like to have mine in what is called “Gallery view”. This gives a side by side view or me and my student.

5. Find the perfect camera placement

If you are wondering where to put the camera or how to position yourself here are some tips: Try to have you camera facing away from any light sources. It is always best to have the light source behind your camera. Try to have you instrument or artwork you are working with in the view of the camera. Your instructor needs to see you hands and your work at all times if possible during the lesson.

6. Click record!

One of the cool features included in Zoom is the function of recording the entire lesson. If you want your instructor to record the lesson and send that to you after the lesson please indicate that to your instructor. A lot of student love this feature because it enables them to review the material covered over and over again throughout the week during practice.

7. Make sure you have what you need before the lesson

Finally, a great thing to remember to do is get all of your materials you need for your lesson in front of you and at arms reach before the lesson begins. Things like notebooks, paper, pencils, metronomes are good things to think about. Again, nobody expects anyone to be perfect! Once you get connected with your artist instructor you will find that it is actually a lot of fun! The fact is things happen and set backs come and go, but we problem solve together and get it figured out. The most important thing to do is just go for it and seize the opportunity to learn.

If you are interested in getting started with music or visual art lessons virtually or in person at one of our studio locations we would love to help you grow. ENROLL online to get started.

- Benjamin Shafer, Executive Director