Best Online Music And Singing Course Setup

The technology is progressing with mind-boggling speed. Now we are able to do things that we couldn’t even imagine only ten years ago. It also provides us with new ideas and methods of teaching as well as learning. That’s why more and more teachers are opting for teaching online. Not only does it break the geographical barrier but it’s also very helpful in the current situation of the world. According to Tech Jury stats, the online teaching industry will exceed 325 billion US dollars by 2025. 

Teaching and Learning Music Online

The music industry case, is no different than any of the other teaching and learning fields. The Internet provides incredible methods and techniques to connect pupils and educators from around the world that save time and money. Moreover, because of the global pandemic here, most of the institutions are closed, online singing courses allow teachers and students to continue teaching and learning respectively. If you are looking for an online music academy UK amid COVID-19, you can find it online by searching “musical academy near me” in Google search. You can also find a music learning academy that offers the best free online singing lessons that can save you a lot of money. 

Tips for Online Music Lessons 

But there are a few challenges as well when it comes to offering online singing lessons such as lack of audio and video clarity, technical issues, etcetera. For that matter, you must set up your teaching, or learning space as efficiently as possible with the right equipment and tools. Not only will it allow you to give or take the best online singing classes but it will also help you to teach or learn the most in the least possible time. Here’s a list of the most significant and helpful tips that will help you to set up an ideal teaching/learning space.

Environment

By far the environment is the most important factor that can make or break your online teaching or learning space. It’s especially important if you are a teacher because all the other people will be concentrating on your screen. On the other hand, if you’re a student, your teacher would have already sorted it out for the online singing course. But you still have to make sure that your environment is representable and suitable for online classes. You can start by eliminating all the objects that can distract your viewers. If you don’t live alone, you’ll also be needing a separate room which no one infiltrates while you’re in class. Moreover, you also have to ensure that you have everything present that your class requires. So that you won’t have to leave during online singing course. These factors will allow you to fully concentrate and to make the most out of your online singing course.

Equipment

If you’re just starting out with your online music classes, you can use the equipment that you might already have. You just need a stable internet connection and a tablet, laptop, or even a phone that has a front-facing camera. Bear in mind that it’s advisable to purchase a new laptop or smartphone if you possess a considerably old version. That’s because the older the machine the harder is to offer quality audio and video. You seriously don’t want your online class to freeze or cut off. But if you have a machine that is officially launched within the last two years, you don’t need to worry. It can manage the current video streaming technology without causing any trouble.

Software for Class

If you’re a student, you’ll have to choose the same software that your online teacher uses for the online singing class. However, if you’re a teacher you’ll have to opt for the software that meets all of your needs. You can find a number of software available in the market offering online video conferencing features such as Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, etcetera. All of these software solutions are free to use. Each software offers its own unique features along with the same conferencing feature. It’s also important to keep in mind that with the free editions, there might be some limitations such as call duration, number of attendees, etcetera. You’ll need to search for all the features and limitations each software has and choose the one fulfilling your requirements. You might also have to use more than one software if all of your students can’t use your selected one.  Pro Tips

1. Always have a Plan B ready for your online class. It will help you to carry on if any of your students can’t connect to the software you’re using. Moreover, keep your devices such as smartphone, laptop plugged in as video streaming drains battery drastically. 
2. It’s also highly recommended to have a second option ready to go if for some reason you and your student can’t connect. Also, remember to keep your device plugged in while teaching as streaming video can drain a battery quickly.

Internet

The Internet plays a vital role and one of the biggest challenges of taking online classes is latency. Latency is a delay in information transfer. It is especially critical for online singing course because you can’t assess someone’s performance without heaving him/her at the exact time. That’s why you must have stable internet with decent download and upload speed. You also have to make sure that your bandwidth is not restricted and provides at least 25-50 MBPS (megabytes per second) download AND 5-1- MBPS upload speed. Keep in mind that checking both download and upload speed is important. That’s because most of the internet service providers offer a great download speed and advertise only that. But their upload speed offering is comparatively very poor. You can check the speed by going to any of the internet speed testing websites.

Pro-Tip

It’s advisable to use a wired internet connection especially on the device that you plan to use for your online music classes. If you have high-speed internet and the latest equipment, but you still experience latency, the culprit will most probably be your Wi-Fi connection. Consider using an ethernet cable that’s directly plugged in into your wired connection. 

Other Important Considerations

If you don’t have any earlier experience of taking or conducting online classes that you must practice the following. It will help you to deliver your music lecture most efficiently and effectively. 

Clear Communication

Consider speaking slowly and clearly if you are experiencing even a slight delay in communication. It will help other attendees to collaborate by processing and understanding everything you say. Moreover, the ideal method to communicate online is that only one person should speak at a time. You along with all the other students except the one performing should mute their audio. It will allow all the participants to listen to every note by keeping the whole experience ideal.

One Audio Source

Did you know that all the streaming software solutions are capable of highlighting only one audio channel at a time? It certainly doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to listen to other people. It means that only one audio source will be clear at any instance. Moreover, competing and unwanted noises can also become the primary audio source. If you are conducting your class with your room window opened near a busy road, it will make it very difficult for your students to concentrate. That’s why you should set up your music lesson environment somewhere safe and pleasant.

Recording

The online conferencing software solutions also offer a recording option. It’s advisable to record your lecture and upload it on the internet after the class. It will help those students who could not attend the class to learn everything you taught in the lecture. Moreover, you can also ask your students to record their performances as well. You can listen to them later to judge their performances better. 

Light Source

While taking or giving online classes, the light source must be in front of your face and behind the screen. If you place any light source such as a bulb or window at your backside, you will appear dark and it will distract the other participants. If you have a piano light, make sure that it's not emitting light directly at your device’s camera. 

Clean Background

Your background must also be clean (unicolored ideally) where your students can see your demonstrations clearly. You can use a white or even black backdrop for that. Additionally, you’d also want your students to have the same background so that you can judge their performances in a better way. It’ll allow you to see their whole bodies to determine if they’re standing or sitting correctly as their instrument requires. 

Conclusion

Online music lectures can be incredibly rewarding regardless of the fact if you’re a student or a teacher. You just need to make sure that you follow all the tips mentioned above. We hope that you achieve success in all of your online singing course teaching or learning endeavours by following these guidelines. If you’re a music enthusiast and want to learn music, search “singing academy near me” on google right away. You will find the best institutions near your residence to make your dream come true.