Tips for Conducting a Virtual Music Class to Children

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For many teachers across the country and the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has required that they embrace technology in a way like never before. Whether they were already tech-savvy or tech averse, teaching virtually has become a necessary reality for educators. This is no exception for many children’s music teachers and music studio owners. While many of the hurdles are the same for all teachers, virtual children’s music instruction poses its own set of challenges to studio owners. Here are a few tips to help you and your students/parents get the most out of your virtual music class:

  • Explore your virtual learning technology – There are various ways to produce a virtual learning class, and which one you select is more up to your taste and comfort level than one “best” solution. The two most popular formats are live or pre-recorded. Live technologies offer teachers a more interactive solution with their students and or parents, while pre-recorded allows more production options for those who want a more polished output. Virtual live classes can also be recorded for future use. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of software and app solutions available out there for virtual teaching, both paid and free. A search on Google will give you a myriad of choices, so think about what is going to be easiest and best fits your needs. More importantly, however, is to keep in mind what technology your students will have available to participate. If you already have a children’s music curriculum, then you may not need the features offered by many of the available solutions. If you have already been teaching children’s music in a classroom setting, then all you may need is a digital camera and a way to serve your videos such as YouTube.
  • Don’t worry about being perfect, just jump in! Once you have chosen a technology to serve your virtual classes, start teaching! Everyone understands that this is a challenge for teachers, so don’t be afraid to dive in and learn alongside your parents and kids. You know that one of the best ways to learn is by doing, and you will find that each and every class will be better than the last as you absorb both the technology and how to leverage it to mimic your desired classroom environment. Keep in mind while it’s never going to be perfect, video and audio quality are important for a music class. However, most newer smart phones, tablets, and laptops have decent video and audio output.
  • With younger children, keep in mind that its music AND movement – In many virtual classes, all that you will see is a “talking head” and perhaps some screen shots of notes and diagrams.In children’s music classes, movement is very important. Therefore, be sure that your screen frame shows your entire body so that you can demonstrate the movements while you teach. Imagine that your audience is in a live class with you, and what you do and would like for them to see and hear. Usually this requires that the camera is set back far enough to show your entire body in the screen, with enough space on all sides to allow room for movement.
  • Encourage and interact with your entire audience – Whether you areperforming a live virtual class or recording a video, be sure to address the camera just as it was your students. Offer encouragement before, after, and during your activities. Imagine you are in your live, in-person class, complete with asking questions and call and response activities, leaving time after each for your audience to respond at home. Lastly, if parents are involved in the class, don’t forget to provide helpful instruction and encouragement to them as well.

While pivoting from a live classroom environment to a virtual online environment may be scary, keep in mind that great teaching skills will serve you well online. Everything you already know will still be with you in a virtual world, so have confidence that you can do this! Lots of children’s music teachers and studio owners who were not previously offering online classes are now doing so. Watch how they have overcome the technical challenges and apply that knowledge to your own production. Remember that they were once as apprehensive as you may be now, so you will become ever more comfortable as you go along.