The New Online Teaching World

What do I think of the new online lessons?

Before lockdown due to the spreading Coronavirus pandemic I had never heard of Zoom, Microsoft Teams or had a video call via WhatsApp.

My husband works from home and I had seen him use video calls to communicate with his team and always found the medium quite off-putting and unnatural, secretly feeling glad I would never have to engage in that way.

It was about a fortnight before everything closed that I suddenly realised I would have to think through how to maintain my thriving piano teaching business in a world where I wouldn’t be able to have pupils in the home. I had the foresight to order a couple of my most frequently used books, and I sent messages to pupils to warn them that, should everything be closed, I would be willing to try online teaching if they were.

I was very glad that I had someone to help me sift through the various choices to find the ways of communicating that would work, and was feeling strong enough emotionally that I could cope with the tidal wave of new ways of working. This was helped by parents and pupils being very willing to have a go and try different apps.

Overcoming the exhaustion

The first week was exhausting. The sound quality from my computer was poor and I was straining to hear the piano sound. My eyes and head ached at the end of each day, and I dreaded each lesson starting in case things went wrong with the technology. My neck ached from looking at the computer screen at a weird angle, and I was suffering from the shock of my world suddenly changing all around me.

However, after a helpful conversation with my husband, I tried using an external speaker the second week and lifted the computer so I wasn’t having to look down at it. I worked out ways of scheduling the zoom sessions so that they repeated, and felt more confident with the technology. I teach over thirty lessons a week so quickly became adept at switching between pupils, and at the conversation style that was needed so that the computer didn’t cut out simultaneous chat.

Organisation

I have now been teaching online for five weeks and have a fairly proficient system going.

Technically: the speaker and height of the computer are set comfortably with charging cables easily accessed and ready to use if needed. I use an external microphone so that the pupils get the best quality sound from me, and also the original sound feature on zoom if that is the app the pupil uses.

The pupils often put their phone at the end of the piano so I can see their hands on the keys. I am getting used to the view of the keyboard from the side, rather like the photo in this post. Occasionally computers are placed on top of the piano with the camera facing down onto the screen — this gives a good view but I find I have to concentrate really hard as the hands are upside down from what I am used to! A good set up is one where I can see the pupil and their hands on the keyboard.

Organisationally: I use a notebook to write notes on each lesson (I prefer pen and paper but I imagine some would make digital notes), highlighting the pupil’s name on each entry so I can see it easily the next week. I bookmark the last lesson of the previous week so it’s easy to get back to that lesson and see what we did so that we can work on things that have been practised during the week. I make notes on things to do the following week, or technical aspects we cover so I can check up on them, just as I would do in the pupil’s own book if they were sitting next to me. I make sure that the pupils also make notes in their own books. This has been an unexpected positive in these lessons as the younger pupils especially seem to like writing these things down and take more notice of them if they have done it themselves.

I make sure I have a copy of the pupil’s music in front of me. Fortunately I have most of the books that my pupils use so this has been straightforward. ABRSM have helpfully lifted copyright licensing restrictions until midnight on July 17th so their publications can be used for 1–2–1 lessons using a copy if needed.

I have found a laminated sheet of white card and a whiteboard marker invaluable as a way of playing rhythm games and teaching theory online. It is easily seen via the camera and I can reuse and vary what I write down as much as I like. There are often screen sharing options if teachers are used to using digital materials for these things.

Disadvantages

In many ways the online lesson works surprisingly well. There can be good interaction between pupil and teacher, and a very real opportunity to teach and help the pupils progress. Technical aspects in playing can easily be addressed and work set to maintain focus and learning. There is also the helpful social aspect which has been invaluable for some of my pupils who are having to isolate. If I’m honest, the weekly interactions with all my pupils has also helped me to keep positive in these difficult times.

I find the lessons do require greater creativity and more intense focus from me as a teacher. It is important to be able to describe clearly and precisely what is required, and can take extra time to point the pupil to the correct note or bar. Younger pupils need regular changes of activity and without being able to play alongside them (the delay in time online makes ensemble playing impossible) many of my usual activities can no longer be used. This has become a positive in some ways as I have found myself using more theory elements in these lessons to give the pupils greater variety as they can write and draw things as well as play their pieces.

The biggest difficulty for me is the sound quality of the piano that comes across. For simpler pieces it is not too difficult to hear the notes and a sense of the dynamics. More advanced pieces are harder to hear, however. I long to hear my grade 8 pupil play Rachmaninov live on my piano — what I hear online is a poor shadow of the real piece as notes are filtered out digitally and often I am not able to judge tonal variation and phrase shaping.

I also have a few singing pupils. In these lessons I find it hard that I can’t accompany the pupil live. We have managed to a certain degree by using backings for songs that the pupils play in their own house, but it is not the same for me as the teacher accompanying the bar or section we are working on. However, it does give me opportunity to focus on pitch and delivery more as I listen to the pupil singing unaccompanied more than usual.

A good thing overall

Given the circumstances we are in, I have found the online teaching mostly incredibly positive. It has kept my pupils focussed and playing, and helped me maintain my business and teaching relationships with them all.

I would not choose to teach online instead of face-to-face, but I have been surprised at how quickly it feels natural and what can be achieved. I have even had the prospect of teaching new pupils who are geographically further away and wouldn’t otherwise be able to have lessons with me, so I can see possibilities beyond lockdown. I am very glad that my pupils have been willing to adapt and try it, and that I took the step and embraced the technology.