Online Lesson Guide

Instructions

  1. Warm up briefly before your lesson. If possible, set up your laptop or mobile device near the piano or download a free piano/keyboard app.

  2. Cue up background music tracks or videos. Due to the delay, students will need to control the music on their end. It is not advised to simultaneously call in and play music on the same device. To ensure everything runs smoothly, a secondary device for playing background music is a must (laptop, phone or tablet). Consider a pre-made playlist with your karaoke videos or accompaniment music sent by your teacher. A separate speaker to amplify sound is also helpful but not required.

  3. Gather materials- secondary device, pencil, music, water & small notebook to jot down relevant teacher comments or notes.

  4. Arrive early. Confirm your lesson materials and background music are immediately accessible. Time occupied by downloading music files or loading videos means less time to actively work on technique during lessons.

Helpful Tips

  1. Connect to Wi-Fi rather than using data

  2. Close all other apps or tabs on device

  3. Free up bandwidth usage on your network- close out Netflix, gaming etc

  4. Sit near or plug directly into Wi-Fi router for best connection

  5. Use external microphone (not required)

Special Settings for Zoom Lessons | These settings are usually automatically saved for future meetings. Confirm your version of Zoom is up to date.

Zoom iPad/iPhone

  1. Before joining the meeting, click on Settings > Meetings and make sure "Use Original Sound" is turned on.

  2. Once you have joined the meeting, click on the ... prompt and select “enable original sound.” This feature should be visible from now on, and switched “on” at the beginning of every lesson.

Zoom Desktop/Laptop

  1. In the microphone menu, open "Audio Settings.”

  2. Scroll to “Audio Profile" and select original sound for musicians and echo cancellation. The “high fidelity music mode” option is not required, and only recommended if you have a strong internet connection.

  3. You should now see an icon on the main screen that says “Original Sound for Musicians is: off/on. Final Step: click the tab to turn on original sound in the meeting. This icon should be visible from now on, and switched “on” at the beginning of every lesson.