Monday, July 13, 2020 by Rebecca Keogh | singing lessons
The past few months have thrown music students and teachers into massive learning curve, and although some music teachers will go back to in-person lessons, many of us will remain online as it is the safest option at the moment. Singing is especially high risk as we expel tiny aerosols into the air which can linger there for some time. Overall we’ve adapted to online lessons quite well at Vocal Studio. Students have embraced our new learning experience and we all have grown so much because of it. The main challenge being dodgy internet connections and some reductions in audio quality. Personally I prefer teaching keyboard online. It pushes both student and teacher to be more organised, with more detailed lesson plans and practice resources becoming a huge part of my teaching style.
Clonmel Rocks iis a great example of how effective online lessons can be with the right mindset. Three tutors (including myself) tutored 12 kids online over 2 months, preparing them for a professional recording session. You can check out the results here;
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4lqt6oKP-zMKBF5tFNuiM8pQwB0I_vR7
With the ability to record lessons via zoom it means students can look back over what we covered in between lessons as many times as they like, giving them a better opportunity to pick it up before the next lesson. I’ve also set myself up with a webcam and recording software allowing me to incorporate video tutorials into my teaching practice breaking down songs, scales and music theory step by step.
My website contains tonnes of practice resources such as digital music theory flashcards, sheet music, example sight-reading exercises and a wide selection of backing tracks for both keyboard and vocal practice. This means students can work at their own pace between lessons and come to their next lesson feeling confident and well-rehearsed. I also ask students to send me progress update videos, giving them another opportunity to get feedback between lessons. Recording yourself playing or singing is in itself a great way to ease performance anxiety and helps students see more clearly where their strengths and weaknesses are. I particularly found these progress update videos useful for singers as sometimes it’s difficult to hear exactly what is going on with the voice through the internet as audio quality can be reduced.
Here are a few steps and suggestions that will maximise your experience of online lessons;
Music teachers worldwide have been offering online services for many years and the rest of us are just catching up with that now. I definitely miss the in-person connection with my clients and it can be challenging (like many things in life!), but overall I think more good has come from moving online than bad. Teachers have been nudged in the direction of up-skilling and using our creativity to keep delivering a high-quality service and students have adapted very well to our new online world.
If you’re interested in singing, keyboard, music theory or songwriting lessons, then why not try it online. Registration for the next term now open. Send me a message to secure your place.
Connect with me on my socials or text or call on 087 7726006