ARE ONLINE SINGING LESSONS BETTER?
This is a question that I’ve been asked since the lockdown and isolation due to COVID-19.
It’s funny, if I was to offer online lessons 2 years ago, I am sure I would not have had many students sign up. However, due to the lock down it has paved the way now for a lot of businesses to go online.
There are several reasons I believe them to be better than face to face, and I will explain why. One side is the student’s perspective and the other will by mine (the teachers).
Student’s Perspective
The first reason is TIME! It’s a great time saver! Students are able to eliminate 20-40 min travel times to a physical location, avoiding traffic and the afternoon peak hour rush. Eliminating the stress of the commute helps the student to be in a calmer frame of mind, ready for their lesson and with a more positive outlook. This way, the student only has to take 30 minutes out of their day to learn, not up to an hour or hour and a half, giving the student more time to do things they need or want to do.
There is also the comfort of being in their own home. Some students are less inhibited within their own surroundings instead of being in a studio where they feel they need to accustom themselves. There is also the fact that they can stay in the comfy house clothes slippers etc no need to get all dressed up! There is no fear of another student hearing them, taking away the self-consciousness and opening up the mind to make mistakes and learn from them without judgment.
Teacher’s Perspective
I can see the students mouth working better on the screen, essential for vowel sounds and placement because the student is closer to the camera.
I also wear headphones so I can hear the students voice much clearer than before. I can explain – in the studio we have the music playing through the speakers and the student is at least 4-6 meters away, the overall volume of sound is all blurred together in the room. In my opinion, certain nuances of the voice can get missed with the volume of the track playing at the same time, this is something I have experienced with shifting to online lessons, making me a better teacher and servicing the students better.
I still record the scales and send them via email so no change there. If anything, it is better having the scales in the students email instead of a USB stick as the USB either become corrupt or lost.
The only downside I have come across is when the internet connection isn’t the best and the screen and audio grabs and become digitalised, this doesn’t happen often, but it can happen.
So overall, it saves the student time and it makes me aid the student, optimiSing the lesson, and being a better teacher by hearing and seeing clearer.