What do I need?
You will need a laptop or a large screen tablet / Ipad with a built in webcam. Note we do not recommend the use of phones as the screen size is too small. If you are able to connect your device to a larger screen this really can make a difference.
For a quality lesson experience we recommend purchasing a set of long lead headphones some speakers to be able to hear your teacher well.
For our way of teaching you will need a good broadband internet connection of a speed more than 2 MBPS upload and download. If possible it is best to connect your device via ethernet cable to your router. Please be aware that if other users in the household are using significant Internet load at the same time, this may adversely affect the quality of the audio and video during a lesson.
For advanced tuition we recommend you invest in an external microphone suitable for your device. Microphones will need to be omnidirectional to pick up all subtle sound from musical instrument.
Lessons should take place in a quiet space away from busy parts of the house.
Positioning
The camera on your device will need to be pointing towards you and your instrument to enable the teacher to see your upper body and fingers on the keys. You can check your view on the video conferencing software before connecting with your teacher and adjust by moving the camera until it frames you perfectly. Tablets may need a special clamp to enable positioning.
Software and Settings
With any of the video call services we may use with you, it is important to think about how subtle sound will be carried into your microphone and converted by your computer to be received by your teacher.
With the increased trend in working from home many laptop manufacturers have now included 'direct speech optimisation features' that must be disabled for music lessons.
In Google Meet there is a toggle for noise cancellation (in advanced workspace versions) which should not be activated.
In Zoom the audio settings are more complicated however opt for 'original sound' so that the sound is not interfered with.
You will see how these settings look below:
Google Meet is a great way to connect with your teacher, with no software to have to download, all you need to do is click the link and Google Meet will open up. If you are on a mobile device your will need a Google account to download the app. Find out more about how to use Google Meet here In the settings please make sure Noise cancellation (if it is showing) is switched off as not suited to music lessons.
Zoom is video conferencing software which allows you to clearly see and hear someone in another location and is of high enough quality and consistency to conduct high quality music lessons.
On clicking a Zoom meeting link (emailed by your teacher) for the first time or if you haven't previously used Zoom, the software will download onto your device. If you would rather have this installed ready you can download below:
By enabling Original Sound, Zoom will disable certain audio processing features, such as echo cancellation and background noise reduction, which can be beneficial for music lessons. This helps maintain the fidelity of the sound produced by musical instruments and ensures a more accurate representation of the audio being transmitted.
Remember that both the teacher and students should have the Original Sound setting enabled for the best experience during music lessons on Zoom. Additionally, a stable internet connection and the use of high-quality microphones can further enhance the overall audio quality.
Please avoid the use of the virtual background in music lessons as this can be distracting to teachers who may not always be able to see their pupils clearly with this setting.