Simpedia

Kerry V., Australia

When your student is playing and you need them to stop, instead of shouting, use a percussion instrument. This can be fun, incorporating music instrument, saving your voice and for the student to not feel they are being ‘yelled at’

I have found clapping doesn’t help as effectively as an instrument. Maybe the ears hear the instrument better, it is louder? I don’t want to clap too hard to I find the instrument easier.
To have fun, I also vary the instrument I use.

shakers, drums, rattles, bells. Anything. Oh, I just remembered too, when I have clapped, the students didn’t hear me as well as the instrument.

you may even ask the kids which instrument they’d like for that week.

Kerry V., Australia

When the internet crushes during the lessons, my students know to just immediately call me on the phone and we continue seamlessly. Saves a lot of time.

During the lesson the parent continues to work on re connecting and we either continue on the phone or just re connect.

Kerry V., Australia

Remember, as Neil does in his training. Have a white sticky something on the C# to indicate where the middle C is. Also have your students do it so you can know where they are on their keyboard.

Leeanne I., Australia

Tuck your fingers out of the way so students can clearly see what fingers you are demonstrating on the keyboard. You can learn a lot about teaching by watching Neil in the TTMs 😉

Colleen B., Canada

Ask the parent to clap the beat while they do the rhythm.

Another parent job setting up the audio track for the accompaniment (if there are no singers in the family;) I give the parent the heads up of what to get set up while we work on another song.

Have a small white board for anything I would normally write during the lesson.

Show the student your room, they usually only see your face and hands – showing them your room helps them imagine your space and ask to see theirs. This is extremely helpful, and will help you understand why sometimes distractions are inevitable when their piano is located in the family room of an open concept house.

Kerry V., Australia

Using only one apparatus. If you and or your students are using just the phone or even iPad, you can lean it against the end of the piano and although you do not have a 100% clear view of the keys, you can still get a very good idea where they are playing and what and how.

This obviously cannot work for just keyboards as they don’t have the ‘rest’ at the end of the keys.

[tip author="Laurie Richards, Nebraska"]

Establish a routine of students having all materials at hand and ready to go. Any materials for current projects right on top, open to the appropriate page.

Rachel S.

Here’s an outline I created so I can stay on task during the lesson. I am teaching each student privately while we do online, but keeping them on the same material as their group, since we will resume into shared lessons after all this craziness is over. So I put their names that are in the group, review items from last week, what new material we are learning and any assigned videos or audio.

Cheri Schulzke, Utah

Several teachers are asking about lowering rates because online lessons are inferior to in person. One thing to consider: you will, almost certainly, be putting in *a lot more time*. Certainly if you are new to online teaching there’ll be a big learning curve.

I find, even though I have done some online lessons before, that I do a lot more prep for online lessons. As others have mentioned, you have to be more efficient, and that takes extra preparation. In online lessons everything takes longer *and* at the same time it’s harder for students to stay focused. You’re lacking the kinesthetic & touch aspects of learning and the overall energy & synergy of in-person. For all these reasons, you have to use every minute more efficiently, which for me takes extra planning and preparation.

I think we can be compassionate with our clients but also honest about how this situation is greatly affecting us too.

Nancy N., New Hampshire

I’ve always heard the recommendation that you would probably want to charge more for online. For the students who just switched to online because of social distancing, I will not charge more, but normally I do intend to charge more for online.