Videoconference Piano Lessons FAQ

Simply Music


Who can take live online piano lessons with you?

I am happy to teach live online lessons to anyone who is unable to take Simply Music lessons in person. Perhaps you live too far away from a teacher. Maybe your schedule, for work or otherwise, leaves you unavailable during the times when a near-enough teacher gives lessons. Or maybe you’re homebound and nearby teachers only give piano lessons in their own studios. If you are able to take lessons in person with me or any other Simply Music teacher, that’s truly best. If you are unable to do so, now you, too, can take advantage of this revolutionary piano learning method by taking video lessons with me.

You must live in a country in which Simply Music is cleared to be taught. At present: the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

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How do videoconference lessons compare to in-person lessons?

Videoconference lessons can often help you achieve results comparable to those you’d achieve through in-person lessons. Likewise, occasional stumbling blocks are often of the same kind experienced by students taking lessons in person as well.

Aside from the simple fact that videoconferencing allows many people to take lessons who’d otherwise be unable, videoconferencing has at least one benefit compared to in-person lessons. At times when you may find yourself out of town, where you would need to miss an in-person lesson, it is often possible for you to participate in your video lesson just as you usually would, since your lessons involve distance learning anyway.

Because videoconferencing always involves a slight signal delay, online lessons are never precisely in real time. Even a delay of a fraction of a second makes it so that certain kinds of ensemble work possible in person — singing along while someone plays, clapping or otherwise doing rhythm exercises in unison, playing duets, etc. — cannot be done during online lessons. You can learn what you need to learn, though, at times just in a slightly different way and sometimes taking a bit longer than if the same material had been covered in person.

Beyond this, some of the interactive/social nature of in-person lessons — including private lessons but especially shared lessons with a group — is also toned down, as you might expect with people in separate places communicating through computers instead of spending time in the same room together. The environment is nevertheless very interactive and conducive for learning, including group learning.

While in-person lessons are preferable to video lessons, videoconference lessons are certainly preferable to no lessons at all. And since the Simply Music method is far more effective for most people than other methods, a strong case can be made that Simply Music videoconference lessons are typically much more effective than even in-person lessons which use other methods.

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How much do your video lessons cost?

Because video lessons tend to run slightly longer and involve additional resources for me, I charge a slightly higher tuition rate for videoconference lessons than I do for in-person lessons. The amount is fairly nominal.

Materials cost slightly extra for you, because I have to deliver them to you instead of handing them to you in person. This added expense is relatively small and comes up only every several months when we need to acquire new materials.

The only other costs associated with video lessons are those related to the videoconference setup itself. Since you’ll be saving on travel/commuting expenses, though, it’s very possible that this may not only balance out but, in the long run, let you come out ahead.

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What equipment do I need to set myself up for online lessons?

First, you need some things that you’d need for any piano lessons:

  • An appropriate instrument.
  • A music stand (often built into the instrument).
  • Good lighting for your instrument.

The basics for videoconferencing are pretty straightforward:

  • A camera.
  • A microphone.
  • Headphones, to reduce echo.
  • A high-speed internet connection.
  • A computer capable of handling everything just mentioned and running the appropriate videoconferencing service.

Some webcams include a microphone. So do some headphones. Some computers include a camera and/or microphone. See what you have, fill in the blanks. When you do, remember, especially with cameras, that you get what you pay for. Please use a quality camera — it can make a night-and-day difference in your experience and success with piano lessons. Look for recent reviews and recommendations online.

As with in-person lessons, students who are minors require a parent or guardian’s presence at video lessons. This can be accommodated by setting up another seat nearby, getting a second pair of headphones, and getting a simple and inexpensive headphone splitter which can attach both sets of headphones to your computer’s audio output.

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What is the best way to set up my equipment for videoconference piano lessons?

How the camera and instrument are positioned is very important.

Here’s the ideal setup:

  • You sit at your instrument.
  • Your computer would be inline with your instrument, i.e., as close to right in front of you as possible, so that you could look up from the instrument’s keys and see your computer screen easily with your head in a comfortable position.
  • An external camera would be at or nearly overhead, providing essentially an aerial shot of your hands at the instrument’s keyboard. This is the best view for your teacher and any fellow students. One good option for this is getting a FireWire camcorder and mounting it on a tripod. It’s relatively easy to get the camera high enough for the desired angle, and it means that you’d have a camcorder you could use for more than just videoconferencing. You may be able to mount other kinds of videoconference-compatible cameras at this angle as well.

If you can’t place your computer inline, you can have it off to the side as needed. Looking back and forth from the instrument to the computer screen is quite doable as long as the computer isn’t too far off to your side.

Many webcams are built into or otherwise attached to a computer’s screen. I recommend the external camera with the aerial shot even if you may already have a webcam attached to your screen. However, if you are unable to get a second camera of sufficient quality and/or to physically arrange the aerial shot, you can use a screen-attached webcam. You will simply need a different setup, positioning your computer screen and camera for an “over-the–shoulder” shot:

  • Sit at your instrument.
  • Find a spot behind you and off to the side. This is where your screen and camera will need to be, facing your instrument at an angle.
  • In order to achieve a proper angle, you may need to raise the screen higher than it would be for typical computer use. Use stands, phone books, milk crates, whatever you can that will be safe for raising the height of your screen.

Compared to the aerial shot, the image of your keyboard and hands on the screen will be smaller, the keyboard will appear on a diagonal instead of straight across, and the view of your fingers will not be as clear since it will be more from the side compared to the aerial view. However, you should be able to get view of your keyboard and hands that will be acceptable for online lessons. Indeed, a quality screen-attached camera at this angle will probably produce a better lesson experience than a poor quality camera mounted for the aerial shot.

Note that, during much of your online lessons, you and your teacher will not be facing the camera yourselves. You’ll see a fair amount of each other’s keyboards and hands. This, after all, is how most of the learning happens — and it’s one of the ways that the social aspect of lessons is toned down through videoconferencing. However, you and your teacher should be able to get some “face time” when you need it!

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What videoconferencing service would I use?

At present, I use several videoconferencing services, all of which are currently free.

My overall favorite is:

  • TokBox — Web-based, so no software is needed other than your web browser. You can access me as a guest without needing an account of your own, though you can create a free account if you like.

Depending on circumstances, at times I may also use these:

  • iChat — Software comes with Mac OS X. Log in with one or more IM accounts you may already have. Requires all lesson participants be using Macintosh computers. Versions included with OS 10.4 and higher support up to four participants. Earlier versions support one-to-one video chat only, so available only for private piano lessons.
  • Skype — Requires free software download and account. Supports one-to-one video calls only, so available only for private piano lessons.
  • Meebo — Web-based, so no software is needed other than your web browser. Log in with any number of IM or social networking accounts you may already have, or create a free Meebo account if you like.

Your particular situation will help determine which service we use. I will consider other services as needed.

Whatever service we use, you will get the best results from:

  • Properly setting up your hardware, including any settings the service/software may have for how it uses the hardware.
  • Using a wired internet connection, i.e., ethernet cable connected directly to your computer, as opposed to a wireless connection.
  • Shutting down all unneeded programs, especially any that use internet bandwidth.

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Do you provide all the same piano lesson offerings via videoconference as you do in person?

Just like with in-person lessons, both private and shared lessons are possible through videoconferencing, and I do offer both.

In addition to ongoing lessons, I also offer short-term beginner piano workshops in person. If a person or group wanted to tailor such a workshop by videoconference for a particular situation, I would consider the circumstances. Otherwise, I am offering only ongoing lessons via live online videoconference.

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If my situation changes and I am able to study in person with a Simply Music teacher, what happens?

Because in-person study is preferable to online lessons, if conditions change with you and/or a nearby teacher so that it would be possible for you to continue your lessons in person, I would encourage that, working with you and the nearby teacher to make a smooth transition. If it is not possible to switch you or if you have a strong preference to stay in videoconference lessons with me, I will be happy to continue to teach you online.

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