There are some guides to get you started with Skype, FaceTime or Zoom at the bottom of this page. We believe most people are now happy using the first two but we think Zoom may be a better way to go and we will aim to launch this, for those who are interested, after Easter. The quality can be better and we can send you notes and files during the lesson rather than later.
Guidance on using iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with FaceTime
To get the most of your Skype or FaceTime music lesson it’s worth spending time on some preparations!
- Make sure you set up your laptop or tablet in a communal room with a good WiFi signal
- Test your sound and video before the lesson starts and generally warm-up so that this does not eat up your lesson time!
- Turn on lights to ensure a clear image for your teacher
- Warm-up and have all your music ready!
- Download a metronome app like this and have it ready
- Have a pencil handy for marking up your music
- Only one person can speak or play at one time. If your teacher raises their hand they may wish you to stop so they can speak
In the new online teaching situation we may often share music with you via this website, often with backing tracks. It would be very helpful if you could sometimes scan and email a link to music we don’t have. This may include piano parts or a some piece that we don’t have in our collection.
One of the easiest solutions is to use the free service, Dropbox, available here – https://www.dropbox.com/install
You can also download the app for your phone which will enable you to quickly scan pages of music, upload the music and send a link to us. Look for Dropbox in the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android)
We are very interested in the Zoom application which will run on almost any computer or tablet. If you decide to give it a try, the first thing you will need to do is download the software and then wait to receive an email with the invitation to join a meeting. Our ‘meeting’ is, of course, a music lesson.
See the video below to learn how to respond to an invitation.
More information on using Zoom can be found here: – https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-Video-Tutorials