Online piano lessons
I had been looking into giving online lessons for a while, but when lockdown started I got thrown into it full time. At first it was quite difficult, the tools weren’t right, the wifi wasn’t fast enough and not everyone had a good laptop, tablet or a phone. But, as everyone had to adapt to the online lessons, so the tools became better and it’s difficult to think that it was just a year and the quality of the online lessons has improved so much since. The music exam boards have immediately jumped in (Trinity has been especially forthcoming and innovative) and offered online exams as well, which made this whole experience so much better and helped with the motivation and goals.
How it works
As long as you have a good wifi and a decent laptop, tablet or even a phone you can get started. You can start learning at any age, if you’re a beginner, advanced, or someone who has had lessons and wants to pick it up again. I had parents that were worried their child was too young to have online lessons, but I haven’t found that to be a problem. Drini at 5 years old, was the youngest to have started and is doing absolutely amazing. I never felt that having a screen between us was a problem. There are some pupils that found it difficult, but even with face to face some people find it hard and they just need a bit more time and patience. I am currently using the (Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro Webcam) and am able to show my pupils anything on the piano in detail. Also, having more time since travel to and from the lessons is not an issue anymore, I can spend more time in the lesson. Every lesson is followed up by email or a message with a summary of the homework and very often I send practise videos when pupils need them. I found that pupils are also more independent, as they find it very easy to get in touch and ask me if they find something challenging. Younger ones send me videos when they don’t remember something and I find that very cute and encouraging. I didn’t have that constant back and forth before, I would write the homework on their notebook and not be in touch until the next lesson, but now they have access to phones, iPads and they find it so easy to send me a message and ask me questions.
Digital exams
With everything closing, it was hard to think how anyone can keep their motivation up. Trinity college London was the first to offer online exams and have been very innovative and forward with their digital platform. My pupil Dalia was a real trooper, taking two online exams in less than a year and passing them both with excellent results. Even though it is not the same as the live performance, the preparation needed to get the recording at the satisfactory level will ensure a high level of preparation, sometimes even more than the live exams. Even better, now you can take the exam from anywhere in the world. Online exams are not easier and getting all the pieces to a level that you can record them in one go is actually quite hard. Having worked with both face to face and online exams, I would definitely recommend everyone to do both even when face to face exams are allowed again. Learning how to record yourself play and listening back to your playing is a very good tool for any future preparation. When my pupils take exams, they usually end up recording the pieces many times over a period of a few weeks. Then they listen to the recordings and send them to me. We discuss what needs improving and then do it all over again. It takes a few proper recordings before we submit it, but it’s definitely a great tool for improvement. Sometimes for fun we will compare the first and last recordings and see how much they have improved in a space of just a few weeks. We also had a few Zoom concerts, which obviously was not the same as a live concert, but we had family members joining us to listen from all over the world, so that was one benefit that we didn’t have before.
Free sample music download
Waltz – Easy piano piece for beginners. Click here to download
Payment
The lessons are paid after they take place. I will send the invoice at the end of the month. You’re only charged for the lessons that take place. I don’t charge for cancelled lessons.
For a no obligation chat please email me on [email protected]
