Apr
Inner West Institute of Music recently moved to online classes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been an interesting learning curve for us all, but a surprisingly successful one!
Needless to say, we get asked plenty of questions about whether online classes will work for families. Despite all of the positive benefits of keeping up musical practice, I thought I would take this opportunity to address a few questions that pop up from time to time.
Are online classes the same as face-to-face learning?
They are similar! Your child will continue to practice and learn new music, but how we go about it is a little different.
One of the benefits to online lessons is it allows our teachers to see how students interact with their instruments in their own environment. As an example, pianos can differ in terms of touch or tone. It can be valuable for teachers to see how students learn on the piano or instrument they practice on every day.
In face to face lessons, there is more demonstration from the teacher in terms of positioning or posture, so in online classes where this physical demonstration can be a little tricky, there is more discussion and verbal explanation between the student and their teacher. Some teachers have multiple cameras set up to give the students a close up view on positioning from different angles.
Whilst more than one camera is great, we find that having only one can still be beneficial as students ask more questions and are required to interpret what their teacher is saying so are more engaged. Your child will continue to practice and learn new music, but they will need to carefully listen to the teacher’s instructions.
Are online lessons less personal?
While students aren’t in the same room as their teacher, our online classes remain as personal as face-to-face classes as students are still working with their teacher one on one. Your child will continue to learn music and music theory, and our teachers continue to tailor their teaching methods in line with the learning style of your child, while also adapting how they teach music concepts using online methods.
Are online lessons beneficial?
Absolutely! Online learning has been around since before the global pandemic. Although this is a new experience for us and our students, there are many benefits to our online classes including:
- Students learn in the comfort of their own homes
- Continuation of their musical growth
- Continuity of lessons and routines
- Maintaining a relationship with their teacher
- Students have extra time to practice
- Learn on the piano or instrument they use every day
- Can warm up prior to their lessons; and continue practicing what they have learnt directly after each lesson
Will my child sit and pay attention?
Although our teachers are experts to bringing a wandering mind back to attention, with the addition of distance in an online learning environment, it can be a little tricky at times!
As online classes require more discussion and explanation, children’s listening, comprehension, and interpretation skills will improve as we settle into the new routine of online (at least for now!) classes. For this reason, and particularly for children who struggle with concentration or lose interest quickly, we encourage parents to attend at least the first few lessons or check in on them regularly.
Have more questions?
We are excited for our new online offering and are thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with current students and welcome new students to our musical family.
If you would like more information, have any questions about our online lessons or would like to enrol, please contact us.