I am thrilled to announce that my piano studio is now open for in-person instruction at my new home in Cary, North Carolina! I am so excited to be here in the Triangle area and to be offering in-person lessons again with my new students!
Danny is very excited to be here in North Carolina! He is sure to give all my new students a huge and happy welcome! Now that I am all settled in, I am also excited to have the opportunity to upgrade my online teaching studio set up! I am delighted to be continuing distance instruction with my online students, and I have been very pleased with the clarity and convenience my new equipment has provided over the past weeks. As a Taubman teacher, I was very fortunate to have had experience with online lessons before the pandemic came along. However, I have certainly learned a lot about how to create an ideal online lesson set up thanks to the recent months of teaching online full-time!
Below are some photos of my new setup and a summary of the new equipment I am using now. I have also included recommendations for distance students who may want to upgrade their own set up to optimize their online lesson experience.
Below are some photos of my new setup and a summary of the new equipment I am using now. I have also included recommendations for distance students who may want to upgrade their own set up to optimize their online lesson experience.
EXTERNAL MICROPHONE: I am now using an external USB microphone. I wanted to offer the highest possible sound quality when I am looking to demonstrate musical concepts at the piano and have been getting very positive feedback from students since using this microphone.
Distance students benefit from having an external microphone as part of their own online set up as well: when I can hear the student’s playing more clearly, I am better able to offer feedback related to both interpretation and technique. The microphone I am using is a Blue Yeti, which retails for about $130, but there are more affordable alternatives for students looking to upgrade their own setup. For example, the Blue Snowball USB microphone retails for about $50.
Distance students benefit from having an external microphone as part of their own online set up as well: when I can hear the student’s playing more clearly, I am better able to offer feedback related to both interpretation and technique. The microphone I am using is a Blue Yeti, which retails for about $130, but there are more affordable alternatives for students looking to upgrade their own setup. For example, the Blue Snowball USB microphone retails for about $50.
IPAD AND APPLE PENCIL: This has been the most exciting upgrade so far! Since I can screen share from my iPad during a Zoom call, I am now able to put the students’ music on the screen and make notations directly on the score using my Apple Pencil in real time. I have also been using this feature to write down notes on a virtual notepad about technical or theoretical concepts the we are covering in the lesson, which students can then screenshot on their own devices and save for future reference.
I love the versatility of the Apple Pencil as well: I can change the color, thickness, and opacity of the pencil or even use it as a highlighter. I have been getting tons of positive feedback about this one and am looking forward to continuing to explore all of the possibilities here! Best of all, distance students do not need an iPad or Apple Pencil themselves to enjoy the benefits of this addition to my set up.
Finding the equipment that works best my various online lesson goals has involved a lot of trial and error. I am really pleased with what I have discovered so far, but I still have several more ideas in mind to continue to improve my setup. Stay tuned for future upgrades coming soon!
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