Easy Ways to Switch to Temporary Online Piano Lessons – COVID 19 Help

Easy Ways to Switch to Temporary Online Piano Lessons - COVID 19 Help by Wendy Stevens

Lots of piano teachers are talking about how to do online piano lessons, so I’ll link to some of them below. But this article is especially for teachers who have little experience teaching online piano lessons, don’t think they have the technology, or just don’t know where to start.

Because surprisingly, it’s very easy to teach piano remotely on a temporary basis! It doesn’t even take an internet connection! And if you do happen to have an internet connection, it doesn’t take any fancy equipment or be tech savvy to do it.

In this article, I’ll show you how the easiest ways to teach with OR without an internet connection.

There are two parts to this article and one is going to work better for you than the other. But I would encourage you to read both sections as there are some surprising things you can learn about your teaching and your students in both contexts.

Phone Lessons – A non-techy way to teach remotely

Easy Ways to Switch to Temporary Online Piano Lessons - COVID 19 Help by Wendy StevensFor years before online piano lessons were a thing, I gave “phone” lessons to students who couldn’t make it to their lesson for a variety of reasons. The only thing that was required was a telephone.

That’s right. A telephone. Set up for this is easy, but you do have to adapt to some things. However, I can promise you that if you adapt well, you’ll be a far better teacher because of it! Here’s how to teach with just a telephone:

Student equipment needed:

  • A phone that has the ability to do “speaker phone.” This can be a landline or a cell phone.
    1. Direct the student to place the phone next to the piano on the right side (the bass will come through better than treble, so placing it on the right side of the piano is best. In addition, placing it on the piano rack will cause vibration, so using a different surface than the piano.)
    2. Ask the student to put the phone on speaker phone.

Teacher equipment needed:

  • A phone
    Any phone will work, but if you happen to have a cell phone that allows you to have headphones, this will be handy because it’s useful to have your hands free to play something for the student or juggle things while you are listening.
  • Duplicates of the students’ books or pieces
    Please note that it is illegal to photocopy copyrighted material. But many teachers have duplicates of students books in their own library, so you need to pull these out or order some online so you can see what the student is playing as they play. In addition, this is where studio licensed music from ComposeCreate comes in handy! You can easily see what the student is playing by pulling up the PDF on your computer or making a print for yourself since you are licensed to print the music for yourself and as many students as you directly teach.

How to teach a phone lesson:

The way that you teach with a phone is much different than in person. But you’ll find yourself a much better teacher after you’ve done this for a few weeks because of these changes you’ll have to make. Here’s what you need to know about the challenges of teaching on the phone and how to adapt:

  1. Because you cannot see them, you will not be able to easily tell if the student is paying attention.
    To adapt: You will need turn your directives into questions to keep them engaged. Instead of saying, “Here in m. 3, there is an F# and you are playing an F,” you’ll have to say, “Look at m.3. What is the first note? [Wait for the right answer.] Do you think that note is natural or sharp? [Wait.] Okay, I was hearing an F natural. Could you play m. 3 again with an F#?” You will be absolutely amazed at what you learn about your students when you are required to ask them these questions. When I started doing this, I was flabbergasted that many of my students didn’t realize that there are measure numbers at the beginning of each staff system! I learned how many of my students didn’t know their notes as well as I thought they did.This is why you will become a better teacher with this method…it requires you to ask the questions that you should be asking as a teacher. It’s just too easy to get in the habit of telling the student what to do, a one-directional style of teaching, rather than asking questions and really understanding what they are thinking.
  2. The sound on a telephone is not the greatest. You will not be able to hear dynamics very well and the sound might be distorted in some cases.
    To adapt: Have some ibuprofen ready! And don’t be too picky about dynamics. It actually might be very helpful in your teaching to have this disadvantage because you can explain to the student that “On a telephone, I can’t hear differences in volume very well. So you are going to have to exaggerate your dynamics! Try it again but make your softs the softest you’ve ever played in your life and your fortes the loudest you’ve played. Let’s see if we can beat the odds of me not hearing dynamics on the phone!”
  3. You will not be able to see the student and the student cannot see you, so technique and other things may be difficult to teach.
    To adapt: Try to capitalize on what technique you have already taught them. Ask them questions or give them directives that involve language and techniques with which they are familiar like, “Can you try that low do again with a lion paw?” Then, to see if they are really doing it, ask them to show you a contrast, “Now try it again like you are a tiny mouse with a mouse paw.” See if you hear any difference. Ask them if they hear any difference.
  4. You will not be able to see the students fingers, so scales can be a challenge.
    To adapt: If the student is just doing single hand scales slowly, then having them say their finger numbers that they are using out loud as they play will help you know if their fingering is correct.
    If they are playing 2 handed scales, then there are just a few things you can ask them that will give you a clue if they are using the correct fingering but won’t tell you for sure. “What finger did your RH end on? What finger did your LH end on?” You’ll get even more creative about the questions you use the more you do this.
  5. Phone lessons can only be used on a short term basis.
    Unlike online video lessons (discussed below), phone lessons are not a long term solution. Specifically this is because you just can’t see the student and the telephone is not the best sound quality and so technique can become difficult to teach. But phone lessons will be just fine for several weeks or even several months of lessons when dealing with a national crisis.

Remember that teaching this way will take some adjustment, but you’ll find that you are a much better teacher as a result! Realizing how much you do or don’t ask questions and how much you lecture (I’ve never seen a lesson in which I though the teacher talked too little!) instead of asking the student to talk about the concept, will become aha moments in which you can make some amazing improvements in your teaching. These changes can pay high dividends in terms of engaging students.

Facetime or Skype Lessons – Keep it simple

Easy Ways to Switch to Temporary Online Piano Lessons - COVID 19 Help by Wendy StevensThe next step up from phone lessons is basic Facetime or Skype lessons. You can do all kinds of fancy things and use all kinds of fancy equipment for Facetime and Skype lessons, but when it comes right down to it, you don’t need much and you certainly don’t have to be tech-savvy.

Here’s a quick tutorial on what you need and how to do it:

Student equipment needed:

  • A device that can do Facetime or Skype next to their piano.
    This can be a smartphone, an ipad, a tablet, a laptop, or a desktop computer if it’s close to the piano. You’ll want to spend some time at the first lesson making sure that their device is situated so that you can see both the student’s face and their hands. It’s not absolutely necessary to see both at the same time, but it would be useful for obvious reasons.
    Tip: Ask that a parent be present with the child for the first part of the first lesson as you’ll need someone that can move the device around. Parents are great about finding a shorter or taller table or something in the room that can help move it up or down at your directions.

Teacher equipment needed:

  • A device that can do Facetime or Skype next to your piano.
    You’ll want to situate your phone, ipad or laptop in a way where the student can see your face (most important) and your hands. The student really needs to see your face to be engaged with you. It will help hold their attention more than if they just see your hands and only hear your voice.
  • Duplicates of the students’ books or pieces
    Please note that it is illegal to photocopy copyrighted material. But many teachers have duplicates of students books in their own library, so you need to pull these out or order some online so you know what the student is playing.
    In addition, this is where studio licensed music from ComposeCreate comes in handy! You can easily see what the student is playing by pulling up the PDF on your computer or making a print for yourself since you are licensed to print the music for yourself and as many students as you directly teach.
  • You’ll also need to communicate parents about what you are using (Skype or Facetime). Before the lesson, you’ll need to find out what number or username you need to call them at their lesson time.
    Tip: If you have never used Skype or Facetime before, or are nervous about it, ask one of your loviest piano families if you can call them earlier during the day to “test” things. You’ll feel much more confident about all of your lessons after you have the experience at least one time.

How to teach a Facetime or Skype piano lesson:

Now, once you have this situated (and don’t feel badly about taking a good deal of time on the first lesson to establish the right position of the device), you can proceed with your lesson as normal.

Where to sit: You’ll want to be sitting on your piano bench (to demonstrate things) OR be sitting at a desk close to your piano so you can hop over to the piano to demonstrate if needed. Remember to have your device situated in a place where students can see your face most of the time!

Have all the students’ books on your desk so you can quickly open to their pieces. They’ll have to tell you what is written in their assignment journal in the first lesson or for the first lesson, you can have parents send you a picture of the assignment sheet if there’s time.

Giving assignments: While teaching, and so that you can keep a record of what you are telling them, you’ll write down their assignments in your own teaching journal or in an email so that you can send it to them later. Then you’ll be able to easily pull this up the next week and know exactly what you assigned them. Ask a parent to print out the email so that the student can see what was assigned OR allow the student time to actually write down in their own journal what to do. This is actually a better way to do this as some kids remember far more because they have written it down!

While teaching, keep these things in mind:

  1. Sound is always somewhat distorted with internet connections, so don’t judge your student too harshly for dynamics. Instead, use it as an opportunity to exaggerate dynamics like we talked about for a phone lesson. [Remember, reading the section about how to give a phone lesson will give you really helpful insights in just becoming a better teacher!]
  2. Sound is slightly delayed over the internet.
    Because of this, playing duets or doing rhythm drills at exactly the same time may be tough. Playing a backing track for your student and asking them to play with or clap with it will not usually work very well. You can always try it, but if it doesn’t work, just skip duet playing for a while.
    If you are using Rhythm Menagerie, your students should have already purchased r (Menagerie tracks and Rhythm Cup Explorations cannot be shared with students). If they haven’t done so, now is the perfect time and the perfect reason to do it. This will help them play the tracks while they are clapping so that you can see if they are really clapping accurately since the tracks and their clapping will be coming from the same source.
  3. You can see your students technique, but be careful about giving too much attention to it.
    Remember that the sound is distorted on an internet connection, so be careful about giving corrective technique instructions unless you are sure that you are seeing improper technique.
  4. It’s harder to pay attention if someone is not physically in the room (especially for kids).
    So, remember to ask lots of questions instead of telling them what to do! I gave this example in the phone lesson section, but here it is again. Instead of saying, “Here in m. 3, there is an F# and you are playing an F,” you’ll have to say, “Look at m.3. What is the first note? [Wait for the right answer.] Do you think that note is natural or sharp? [Wait.] Okay, I was hearing an F natural. Could you play m. 3 again with an F#?”
  5. Remember that you can still play games!
    See some ideas about “long-distance games” here.

Of course, this article cannot touch on all the nuances of teaching remotely, but this should give you a good start. What you’ll find is that the way you do it will be different than the way I do it or Sally does it or Sam does it. You’ll need to adapt to your own teaching style and especially to your students’ needs. But the only way you can do this is to just get started. Teach a week of piano lesson remotely and you’ll know way more about what you need for the next week!

Please share how you are doing remote lessons with me and other teachers in the comments below. Your ideas will help hundreds of other teachers who are doing this in the wake of the COVID 19 outbreak.

I hope you stay healthy and stay safe!

Other articles talking about COVID 19:

53 thoughts on “Easy Ways to Switch to Temporary Online Piano Lessons – COVID 19 Help”

  1. Thanks for that helpful information. I had previously thought I couldn’t do any lessons other than lessons in person as I only have a phone. I didn’t even think phone lessons were a possibility until now. Thanks very much!

  2. Suzanna Steenbergen

    Thank you so very much! So nice to learn exactly what I need and what students need, AND how to manage it all…..and a great and happy surprise to learn about the pluses and minuses of phone lessons!
    Suzie, March 16

  3. Great tips! Thanks for the reminder that we won’t be able to discern the dynamics as well. Schools are closed today through their spring break so I started online lessons today. I’ve done them for snow days or a child not quite well but never for a quarantine type event.

  4. Thank you so much! I have been looking for something like this. I had already been thinking about how to set up online piano lessons a month ago if needed but wasn’t sure how I would be able to do this. Very helpful resource! Stay safe and thanks for sharing your experience and expertise with the rest of us!

  5. I have been using Zoom to do piano lessons, and I actually prefer it over Skype and FaceTime (I have used both). Try it and tell us what you think, Wendy! If you have Zoom Pro, you can record the lesson and send your student the link for reviewing later.

  6. I tried two lessons yesterday. One on FaceTime and one on Zoom. Both worked. The sound distortion was a bit bothersome. Sometime I couldn’t hear the note at all because it didn’t come through. I don’t know if it was Bluetooth ear phones? Student noticed it too when I played. When we tried to play together it felt like my side was canceling some of their notes in sound. I will try with their phone somewhere else next time. N adit on the piano the other to the left. I was using IPad.

  7. I just taught my first remote lessons yesterday, and discovered many of the points you brought out. I liked your thoughts on scales, I was wondering how to do more technique work. I will try for positioning the camera on the treble side, too, since the balance was off, although it was very likely they were bringing out the bass more!

  8. Thank you Wendy for bringing this topic down to my level. I have never taught remotely before so am feeling out of my depth but after reading this I am ready to have a go at it. Wish me luck!

  9. This is very helpful! It never occurred to me to do them over the phone & your questions are a good starting points. FB messenger for video lessons is another platform option that I have used.

  10. Hi Diann,

    Yes, my first thought would be that your headphones are part of the problem. Headphones often distort sound as well. So try it without using headphones but be aware that it will still be somewhat distorted.

  11. Good luck, Julia! Remember that the first time doing something is always a little rough, but as you do it more, you’ll adapt and come up with all kinds of solutions to little issues. We are made to adapt so I know you can do this. But I know that new things are hard too. Good luck indeed!

  12. I offer lessons via FaceTime or Skype if a student is sick. I have only done it a handful of times in the past couple of years as most everyone has stayed healthy, or just opted out of having a lesson that week.
    As we get “closer” to what might be a lockdown, imagine my fear of losing all this money by not being able to teach, when all of a sudden my brain came on and I remembered technology. Ha! What a blessing! Even though our small county in Northern California has no known cases, all schools are shut down for the next three weeks. I am still teaching lessons in my studio, but had three parents yesterday too nervous to bring their kids, so taught them through FaceTime. I am also offering for those who don’t want to FaceTime a packet of worksheets to work on and I would check in with the student during the week. I would imagine by next week I will only be teaching via FaceTime or packets.
    Thank you for the great reminders of how to teach when things are just a bit abnormal. Living where I live I have had to adapt very creatively these past few years. We have been inundated with wildfires, to even last fall, two sepearate weeks, our whole entire counties power was shut off for 5-6 days because of dangers of fires. We live in a strange world, but I know the One who is in control and am so thankful for that.

  13. Thank you so much, great information! Just curious, do you charge the same for these lessons?

  14. Yes! I had phone lessons yesterday! The delay is problematic for lessons. Patience! It is essential to have the same books in front of you. Thanks for the timely tips. You are the best!

  15. Oh definitely. You would charge the same price for these lessons as you do for in person lessons!

  16. Thank you, Wendy. I just taught my first lessons via Facetime yesterday. There were difficulties, but it worked fine for the time being. Problem is, I already miss seeing the little guys in person!
    Also, I’m so disappointed as I know hundreds of others are that MTNA is cancelled. I was so looking forward to meeting you there! Do stay well and thanks again.

  17. Dear Wendy,

    This is the first article that made me feel like I could actually tackle some remote lessons! Thank you so much for giving me hope, when I was at a loss and concerned I would have to just stop teaching for a while. I am still teaching in person so far because my studio is in transition and I only have 3 students, all from the same tiny private school. But I am watching developments closely and may go remote soon. Thank you again!!

  18. I loved your comments and so needed now. I have used the phone when my student was stuck home in a snowstorm and didn’t have internet. I was amazed at how much you can hear without seeing. I was able to correct some of her pedaling, touch, and it was a productive lesson.

  19. I use FaceTime and Skype. Today I had great success spending time working on ear training with a student.

  20. Thank you so much for your article Wendy. I have spent the past month in hospital recovering from bowel resection surgery and really need to get back to teaching. School in Ontario has been postponed till April 6 at least and from the numerous notes from parents going online is an absolute must.
    Your words have inspired me to get started.
    Thank you again,
    Ron Willmot

  21. As most of us do, with or without a pandemic, I always have each student wipe down the keys between lessons with a chlorox wipe. But now, at least as of last week when lessons were still in person, I adopted a hand washing ritual as the first thing we do. Kid dumps their books, we go TOGETHER to the washroom and sing together for 20 seconds in front of the faucet, while scrubbing hands. It’s a good way to see that they really are washing with soap, and to set the example of getting really deep cleaning (between fingers, under fingernails, up the wrist, etc) all while singing silly songs, or 30 seconds worth of whatever their current music piece is.

    I’ve done Facetime lessons before ad hoc, if a student gets sick but can still be alert enough for lesson. It’s not ideal but is often enough to tide them over til the next lesson when we can meet again.

    This week I’ve started the FaceTime lessons on a grander scale, of course. I’m considering including the hand washing ritual, but virtual this time, thru the camera at our own sinks, just to keep the habit up for when they return. And possibly to keep them conscious of the good scrubbing techniques in their daily round of things anyway. I’m challenging them to come up with other recitations besides Happy Birthday x2. I’d love to hear how you guys are handling the hand washing!

  22. Thank you for the timely and very specific ideas. I’ve just started the process of getting students ready for their first online classes with me. Even knowing that we can use a phone is helpful since I may run into issues with good Internet connection. (Small town and everyone is connecting online. )

  23. Ruth Holmes, PhD

    Thank you all. I hope to be experimenting with online teaching for the first time next week. Sincerely, Ruth Holmes

  24. My pleasure, Ami! I’m so glad it’s helpful. And just so you know, I just published a new article today that you can send to your piano parents in case they don’t understand or are afraid that online or remote lessons will not be as good as regular lessons. It’s a real danger that they will quit, so sending this even if they aren’t thinking of quitting is a great idea: https://composecreate.com/will-online-piano-lessons-really-work-for-my-child/

    You are not alone!

  25. Yay! That’s great to hear, Linda and thank you for commenting so other teachers know how it worked for you!

  26. I’m so glad to hear it was helpful, Ron. I hope that you have a complete recovery and that you find energy to begin teaching again soon! The world and our students need the gift of music and I’m so glad that you’ll be back at it soon.

  27. Ah yes! Small town internet connections can be a real pain. I’m glad to know this was helpful for you!

  28. Hi Wendy,

    I am a firm believer that crisis stimulates creativity and that chaos forces us to let go of our preconceptions and find solutions and new ways of doing things.
    Not only are we all learning how to adapt to online teaching, but we need to explore how online resources can open up new opportunities. In other words, instead of just trying to teach the way we always do–but online–can we take advantage of the online format to offer valuable additions and alternatives to our students? And how might we foster a sense of community, all while being quarantined?
    For years I have dreamed of being able to get all my students assembled for group classes. We know that working with groups is an efficient and fun approach to filling in so many areas of the students’ musical education for which there never seems to be enough time during the individual lesson. Learning about composers and musical style periods, developing theory and listening skills through group activity and games, for example. Also group playing classes–a non-recital situation where students can hone their listening skills and learn to support each other and practice performing in a non-judgmental environment–can be so valuable and enjoyable.
    Alas, my students are so over-scheduled that it has proved impossible to find a common time for us all to meet or to ask them to add even one extra hour to their already packed schedules.
    Well, the schools have closed. Their extra-curricular activities have been canceled. The students are home, they are available, and they need something to do! Now is the time when it may be possible to get them all together at the same time, while they all stay in their own homes. The following ideas will not work for everyone, I realize, but here goes:
    The basic free Zoom platform allows you to organize unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants. There’s a 40-minute limit for group meetings. (Longer meetings can be arranged if you upgrade to a paid plan.) So:
    1. Why not organize an online group class? Topics could be about individual composers, style periods, theory, etc. It would be fun to organize group theory/music knowledge game sessions. An example: Have the kids prepare ahead by reviewing all their triads at home. Then during the group meeting, call out a chord–“E Major! D Augmented!” Whoever plays it first (correctly) gets a point. You could also ask music knowledge questions,-“What major scale has 3 #s? What is the Italian word that means ‘slowing down?’ Which composer was deaf?” And on and on. You could organize group meetings by levels and design your questions accordingly.
    2. How about a group playing party? This might motivate kids to keep practicing during this period. The group participants take turns playing pieces for each other. They can be polished pieces or works-in-progress. Students take turns giving the performer a compliment (positive comments only). Get the parents involved– maybe everyone can have a special snack afterwards– a “virtual reception.”
    It may be worth pointing out here that these group classes can be counted as the students’ lesson time, meaning that if you teach 20 kids in a 1-hour group class, that’s 19 free hours you’ve opened up for yourself.
    I had some non-techie ideas as well, that can be fun and motivating for your students and reinforce a sense of community interaction:
    1. To reinforce the message to your students that it’s important to keep practicing during this time, have them design their own practice charts and ask them to keep track of their daily practice. Have them take a picture of their chart and send it to you. Ask them if it’s OK for you to share these photos by email, so that other students and parents can admire their creations!
    2. Announce a haiku-writing contest. Choose a theme for them. Have students send you their poems. You can assemble the results into one email and forward it to your studio population. (Be sure to get everyone’s OK first.) Have the students vote for a winner!
    3. Send students easy-to-learn pieces for which you have purchased a studio license. (This is a plug for you, Wendy!) Have a contest for who learns the most pieces during the quarantine.

    OK, I have other ideas, but this is getting too long for a post. I’d love to hear what all you imaginative teachers are inventing in the category of “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

  29. Thanks for the great article and helpful tips! I have a question about feedback With FaceTime calls. I’ve only experienced this with one student but it happened in both sessions with the same student. I am hearing my own voice echoing back through the phone. I may need to experiment with headphones during the calls. Any other suggestions?

  30. Thank you for taking the time to share all these ideas, Debra! These thoughts and ideas are so helpful and great things to think about!

  31. Hi Gail, When that happens, sometimes you can just call back and get a better connection. Zoom also appears to be a good option with better sound quality. You can get a free account as long as your meetings aren’t more than 40 minutes and you can pay a reasonable fee if your lessons are longer than that.

  32. Hi Gail and Wendy,

    A clarification about the free Basic Zoom account– as long as your meeting is one-on-one, there is no time limit. The 40-minute time limit applies if there are 2 or more participants besides yourself. As for sound quality, Zoom has a setting called “Original Sound” which allows you to get much higher quality sound. There’s a YouTube video that explains it well: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=50NoWIiYECA&feature=youtu.be

  33. Great sharing of ideas. I am a specialist in technology and digital transformation, so I can’t but help loving the way everyone is embrasing technology to carry on and not giving in.

    Diann, you mentioned you distortion using Bluetooth headphone. This is a very real possibility as blue tooth headstones can have a lot of lag. There are some very good blue tooth headstones and buds on the market with excellent response and distortion rejection, but these are quite expensive, the wired type are always better when it comes to cost vs performance.

    But your really issue with distortion is the microphone of the recording device, these have a narrow frequency response and aren’t really up to the task of capturing the auditable range of an acoustic instrument.

    You would get a better outcome with wired headphones or buds and a quality plug in microphone (specific for the task).

    I recall a group of students sometime ago who develope a bespoke app for iPad and Tab which they extended with a camera and microphone that Sat at the top of the piano and gave a bird’s eye view of the keyboard while the devices screen presented the music, teacher assigned tasks and face can.

    I’ll try to dig out some references, if I find I will post.

    Regards
    Jay

  34. Your info is so supportive, Wendy. I just taught my piano students over my land phone this week. (for the first time)

    I was surprised how much I learned about each student & my own communication skills (or lack of).

    It’s exciting & motivating at the same time. It confirms to me that each student is an individual. Each one responded

    a little differently, but it was a positive experience for all. Thank you for encouraging teachers that didn’t want to

    use the internet.

    Adele

  35. Thank you for the ideas. I had been considering this for a while, and was asked several years ago. Fortunately (or unfortunately in this case) this is 2020 and we have the capabilities to remain connected in a safe way
    Keep up the awesome work, we all appreciate it

  36. This is so timely in my time of distress. Thank you. Showing my ignorance, where do I go to find Facetime, Skype, and Zoom?

    Also, I was wondering what is the best thing to clean keys off between students? I am hesitant to use chemicals on the keys. I assume they are not ivory but bought the piano used, a few years ago.

  37. Piano Keys should be cleaned with alcohol, not bleach. Wipe with cloth dampened with plain water after cleaning. I will have my first Facetime lesson later today – best of luck and health to all.

  38. First, I want to say thank you for the webinar you had a few years back on sick/snow days. I changed my makeup policies due to your ideas and began teaching sick days online or over the phone. That webinar led me to be prepared for this crisis. When I sent out my message a couple of weeks ago to parents that we were switching to online or phone lessons until schools reopened, only one parent blinked an eye. Her child is in a small group and I encouraged her to try this week with us, possibly on Zoom?) I really think she was just overwhelmed and couldn’t take one more thing on her plate that day.
    Switching to online has been an easy transition and kept me in touch with students, which in turn is keeping me sane, lol! I live with my 91 year old Mom and so I am not going out at all except for banking/groceries. I NEED to see their smiling faces and hear their giggles!
    Thanks!

  39. To clean my keys I use a silver-infused cloth made by Norwex. The cloth has anti-microbial capabilities, and I trust it completely. You can google Norwex Company.

  40. Is there somewhere you can get a stand for your phone? Or how’s the best way to position it at an angle without using some kind of a stand?

  41. Wendy,

    Your blog gave me the confidence to try skype piano lessons and it’s going very well!! I ask students to have a mechanical pencil with eraser and a yellow highlighter available. I have them return to “problem areas” and notate reminders there for practicing. I always ask them to tell me why we are marking there. I think it’s very reinforcing, especially since they are marking it themselves (rather than me).

    Each student has been working on two pieces (one solo, one duet) for our annual spring recital, which has been scheduled for May 2nd. Each day, it is looking more unlikely that that will come to be. Do you have any ideas using technology & creativity as to how students could perform & be taped? If you have any brilliant ideas as to how to work out student-teacher duets, I’d be forever grateful! They have all worked so hard on them, they are sounding wonderful, and I just want them to have the satisfaction of completing & performing them.

    Thanks so much for any feedback on the recital issue!!!

  42. Elizabeth Burritt

    Very good information here. I thank you all! I have been using an iPad mini that is mounted on a camera tripod with a mount for iPads/minis that I purchased from Amazon. It allows me to easily change the position of my device so that the student can see my face or hands on the piano keys if both views are not possible. I am using Skype, FaceTime, and Hangouts since my students all have something different. I have been pleased with the results so far. I have been self-isolated for nearly two months as I have a high-risk daughter and grandchild. We are fortunate to have so many options for online teaching. I have found that using iPhone earbuds helps me to hear my students much better. I tape them to my ears with adhesive tape to secure them, and that works well. ( I have long hair so my earbuds are not visible.) I purchased a special plug from Amazon that allows me to plug both earbuds and charging chord into my iPad mini at the same time. I highly recommend it! I don’t think I would want to teach this way all the time, but it is much better than no alternative at all.

  43. Hi! I have a question about the copyright issue: is it breaking copyright for a student to send me photos each week if I only use those photos for teaching that student? I do not use them for personal use or for teaching others. I do not share the photos with anyone. If I need to buy the book, I will, but I just thought I would ask. 🙂 Thank you!

  44. Hi Karissa,

    That’s a great question. I’m not an attorney, so I can’t give legal advice, but I do believe that doing this would be a violation of copyright, especially since it’s something that’s done every week. If you are teaching online and need to see the music, then you could be sure that you are following copyright and making sure the composers get paid by owning the book that your student is using. In this case, it sounds like you both need the book.

    I hope that helps!

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