As you know, the current pandemic has resulted in a need for us to change to an online format for a season. I would like to help you make this transition seamlessly, while trying to maintain as much of our normal routine as possible. I have put together some tips for setting up your space at home for our online lessons. Send Your Theory Please take pictures of your completed Theory and Note Speller pages and send them to me via e-mail or text by the Monday before your lesson. This will give me a still shot of your work, as well as time to check everyone’s theory in advance, in order to save time during your online lesson. It is helpful if you can get the page number in the shot. Please do all of your written work in pencil, so that you can make corrections during the lesson. Gather Your Materials
Setting Up the Camera The trickiest part of doing the lessons online is to get the right camera angle, so that I can see the student's hands. I usually sit on the student's left, so if you can set the camera up on that side, that would be great. If not, the right side will be fine. You'll want to set the camera angle as close as possible to where my line of sight would normally be. Higher is better, so that I can see their hands from above. It might be easier to get a good camera angle from a computer, rather than a phone or tablet. Finally, be sure that your camera set up does not cover the microphone on your device, so that I can hear you clearly on my end. If a parent could be there to answer the call and make sure the camera is at a good angle when we begin, that would be very helpful. This is the camera angle that we are trying to achieve: I set up this camera angle using just a small, cardboard box and a music stand. The cardboard box was used to hold my phone up and to allow me to angle it down toward the piano. The device will need to be very close to the edge of the platform it is sitting on, so that there is a clear line of sight to the piano. It is important to make sure that the camera and the microphone are uncovered, so that I can see and hear clearly on my end. The music stand was placed to the left and slightly behind the student, in the area where I would usually sit during the lesson. This angle gives me the best vantage point to view the piano keys and the student's fingerings, while still enabling the student to turn and look at me if I am speaking. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do from my end to help facilitate a good experience for your student. I hope to see you all back in the studio soon!
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