The imposed lockdowns and restrictions due to the Coronavirus certainly made work, hobbies and socialising much more difficult for us all. The closing of schools and businesses, restrictions placed on outside activities and interacting with others has had a profound affect on how we may choose to live and work in the future.

What now feels like many years ago but was in fact only a year ago, I had just embarked on my final venture in higher education (for now). It was all going quite nicely, I felt honoured to be studying alongside some fantastic new friends and musicians, receiving lessons from truly inspirational people and living in a new place. Being a performance masters course, there was a lot of playing to do. Orchestral rehearsals, concerts, ensemble classes, personal practice and much more meant that I was surrounded by and working with others all the time, something we all took for granted.

Of course, one to one and group instrumental tuition had to move online for lockdown. Initially I, like many others, thought this wouldn’t be such a big problem, video calling isn’t a particularly new concept, but when you add an instrument into the mix, especially those producers of hefty low end, you realise how much you miss in-person lessons. The compression, background noise suppression and connection speeds would do your playing no favours.

Very quickly though, providers found a way to enhance their programs and offer far more sophisticated audio options, answering the calls from musicians around the world. Now with even the most basic setup, we can communicate with our instruments with some degree of success.

The good things about online instrumental lessons

There are obvious favourites when it comes to video conferencing platforms but they, for the most part, offer similar tools and features that are handy for instrumental lessons. The ability to watch, listen and share materials within the platform with a student has been a great help when I’ve wanted to supplement lessons with online resources. Over the year I have found ways to upgrade my lesson set up with additional microphone placements and camera angles which I hope have been of benefit to my students… although there is still plenty to experiment with.

Chatting with colleagues , the time saved in travel and lugging equipment about is definitely appreciated, however, this time is almost certainly eaten up by extra preparation needed for some lessons as I will discuss next. Another benefit that has been brought up is the ability to teach internationally, unlocking further possibilities for teachers and students to improve their skills, something that I hope to expand on for myself over the coming years and as in person work returns.

The bad things about online instrumental lessons

Without wishing to contradict myself, the technology is the worst part about online lessons! Even if you had all the fanciest kit, you’d still suffer from the connection and quality issues with trying to transmit live playing across the internet. So with that I have to say that there is always a way to make it work, having less to work with will usually produce some creative ways of tackling an issue.

I have been lucky to have great students and teachers to try this all out with and i am fortunate to have only had one lesson compromised by connection. For me the main downside besides the tech is the additional preparation and materials needed to teach effectively online, but when something goes well it does give me a good sense of achievement.

What is it like being taught online?

I am in the interesting position of receiving lessons as well as giving them and I’m not going to lie, in some ways being taught online is better. You may suffer from bad audio but at least you now have 100 ways to ask the same question! Not to mention the development of a new conversational etiquette…Should I sp...e..a.k….now…?

All jokes aside, there was a definite learning curve to be had. Sending a recording of my playing ahead of a lesson definitely makes a difference. This way I can present an accurate representation of timing, phrasing and technique. This has also afforded me the opportunity to explore some basic film editing skills which I may otherwise not have explored, forced me to reflect more on my playing and has allowed me to maintain at least some kind of ‘performance’ element in my practice, although, ‘Red Light Syndrome’ still rears its ugly head from time to time. This doesn’t work for every student teacher as for some the instant feedback is needed especially for younger students.

For me having lessons online has allowed me to perform for my teachers with much less nerves. Being relaxed for the whole lesson has completely opened up my ability to process information as we go and so I feel I sometimes get more from my lessons.

Overall, online lessons have been a real highlight of lockdown for me and a real eye opener to the possibilities as a performer and teacher. I really hope that I can pursue further online teaching around live performances and touring when they return. I hope that students and teachers, not just mine, have a had similar fun and enjoyment from their experiences and are also keen to keep this form of teaching alive.

If you have any thoughts please leave them in the comments below, I am always keen to learn from others and create new connections with other musicians and teachers.