Which platform to use for flute lessons? I think whoever decides to market a perfect music lesson platform is likely to win big in these times – at least as long as the pandemic lasts, but maybe this new online era is at least partially here to stay! I’ve become convinced that the best option for now is to take the options available and go from one to another depending on the specific student and their needs, internet quality, and other factors.
I’ve taught online lessons for nearly ten years now, and through a variety of platforms. In recent months I’ve been influenced by colleagues to fully explore Zoom, and I used Zoom for the majority of lessons for a couple of months last spring. I’ve used Skype a great deal over the years, and enjoyed the improvements they’ve made over time. And, again on the advice of colleagues, I recently bought an iPad so that I can offer FaceTime lessons as well. In the past, I’ve also used lesson platforms through music schools that focus specifically on online lessons. I particularly appreciated the audio quality of an online music school called “The ZOEN” which sadly no longer exists. Some other online music schools are now just using Zoom.
Also – as I speak, any thoughts I express are subject to revision. I recently read an article about sound quality which recommended a variety of options to improve audio quality – stay tuned for more updates by early September – I’ll be continuing to experiment!
Right now, about half of my students have lessons on Skype, and about a quarter each on Zoom and FaceTime. Here’s why I’ve made these choices – and here are some thoughts to consider in making your choice.
Zoom is the platform most talked about since the pandemic set in. It has awesome features! And people will tell you that if you get the settings right you can optimize Zoom sound settings for music lessons. I’ve personally found this to be a mixed bag. Some students have no issue with Zoom. The sound is good, and the features can be really helpful. But overall, I’ve found that more students have issues with Zoom’s sound quality than any other platform. There’s a unique, zoom-style glitch, even when settings are optimized, that I’ve often found pretty much disappears for the majority of students when I switch to Skype or FaceTime. It sort of whines or whistles out of function and the sound fades in and out. I think part – though not all – of this may be specific to flute, or at least to certain high range instruments or notes.
But depending on your tech options and internet connection, and/or level of playing, you may not have this issue at all! In this case, Zoom might just be the perfect platform. It does have the option of chat notes which you can save and either print out, or the teacher can email them to you (I’ve found students on phones or iPads haven’t been able to save chat notes). There’s also the easy option of screen sharing. We can share sheet music and mark it up right there, save a copy with the notes written in for that person and email it after the lesson (if you use Microsoft Edge to view the PDF file – others might work for marking, but Chrome doesn’t), and point directly to the spot that we’re working on. Rather than “page 3, third line, 4th measure in – no not that one – the one that starts with the second octave A – about half way between rehearsal letter C and D” – we can just point. There’s also a cool white board on Zoom – we draw maps of phrase structure with cool colors and shapes for younger kids. You can even draw a music staff – and save it – and use it again. And I can hear my students play a duet along with a YouTube video I’ve pre-recorded – and I can hear both parts without the student having to mute! Zoom also offers the option of seeing yourself large enough to see directly the details of your own posture, embouchure, hand position, etc, for which I often would use a mirror in person. This can be critical – especially for beginners or new students. So overall, Zoom is pretty cool, and for group events I think it’s definitely the way to go – for now anyway! Do be sure to change the audio settings – the default is designed for the speaking voice, as in business meeting voice. Here’s a guide to adjusting your settings for Zoom music lessons.
But I find that for at least half of my students, the sound that I hear from their end through Zoom, even with settings adjusted, can be terribly distracting, and limits my ability to give fully constructive feedback. I have not found that acceptable, so many students have switched platforms.
If a student has Apple products, FaceTime can be a good option (though I’ve found that students with audio issues are not generally using Apple products). In the first FaceTime lessons after I bought my iPad early this summer I felt like I was in the same room with the student – and they voiced the same. At first I worried “how can I go back to Zoom after this?” But indeed students can do very well with other platforms – and FaceTime does have some limitations.
First, there’s no screen share option. So we’re back to the “page 9, 7 measures after rehearsal D” routine. For students who are totally on top of taking their own notes, FaceTime can work very well – so some adults and high school kids who are thorough and careful with their notes (written or mental), and fully concentrate when I say the measure number, use FaceTime.
In some circumstances, I like for students to have the option of seeing themselves – especially in the early stages of lessons. Unfortunately, FaceTime doesn’t really allow you to see yourself large enough to help in this way. But the combination of audio quality and video quality has really been, in my experience, best overall with FaceTime, between the three platforms. So some of my students have settled into regular lessons on FaceTime, and we’ve been very happy with the results.
This brings us to Skype. Skype was my go to standard before the Pandemic. After experimenting with other options, I have to say that Skype seems to be returning as my best balance option for the largest number of students.
I find the audio quality really quite similar to FaceTime. The video quality varies more, but for music lessons I don’t find that at all disturbing. And both Skype and FaceTime, in my experience, have far fewer audio issues than Zoom. None of the space-age whines, very few blank-outs, relatively few audio glitches of any sort – I’ve found this with all the students I’ve compared both options with so far – which is a large percentage of my students.
Skype also has a screen share option, as with Zoom. This is really helpful – just pointing is way easier than a long verbal description. You can also use the Skype screen share to show the student a mirror of her/himself to see posture, hand position, breathing, etc. In fact this option is full screen – so can be really helpful in this way. I actually prefer the Skype notes over Zoom chat. When I log into Skype and bring up the student just before the lesson, I can instantly see last week’s chat. I can peruse that either before I call or while I’m waiting for pick-up. I find that option really helpful in organizing my thoughts for the lesson, rather than printing out the Zoom notes and looking away from the computer before the lesson, particularly for more tightly scheduled lessons. AND Skype has REALLY COOL stickers and GIFS! Younger students absolutely LOVE these! They can really help in maintaining kids’ attention when staring at the computer causes them to start glazing over.
So the bottom line:
- FaceTime is, in my experience, often a great option, particularly for more advanced students who concentrate well, take thorough and accurate notes on their own, and have established good habits relative to posture, hand position, etc.
- Zoom is currently my go to option for groups, and a great option for some private lessons with a really high quality internet connection and technology, with proper settings in place. It has fun and useful features. Depending on the student’s connection and technology, this may not be a good choice, since it’s the most likely, in my experience, to have audio glitches, particularly for students who play a lot in the high range.
- Skype, in my experience so far, has been a great option for students who have audio glitches with Zoom. Skype offers many nice features which are as useful as those of Zoom, and as long as the lesson is one on one, I find that for many students this option provides the best combination of audio quality and very useful features.
