If you are interested in teaching music lessons over Skype, I recommend reading another article on this website:
7 Easy Steps to Teaching Music Lessons Online by Lisa Brown
This article is a very thorough and a helpful how-to for those interested in teaching lessons over Skype.
Skype, the software that allows users to make phone calls over the internet, recently celebrated its 5th anniversary as a company. There are many people that feel the Skype is a superior alternative to cell phones, especially with the increasingly ubiguitous use of webcam video.
But what about teaching lessons over Skype?
Here are two musicians that are making it happen. Tim Price, a NYC saxophonist who has taught with the New School and Long Island University, and Mark Miller, a Chicagoland pianist with students in England, Oregon, Sweden and more.
Watch this Fox New Chicago feature on Mark Miller (link to Quicktime Movie).
Personally, I took 4 months of composition lessons over the phone this past year. I had started with a new teacher in NYC and when a gig in Hawaii called, I took the gig and continued lessons over the phone. For me, I felt the lessons were less efficient over the phone and plagued by technically difficulties and eventually I discontinued them.
Yet, while these lessons were a little awkward, I can see a new market for music teachers that will continue to grow. The obstacles that we would have to overcome to make the distance-learning experience work for musicians are the limitations of the technology involved. The satellite delay of most cell phones makes fluid conversation awkward and the poor transmission of sound makes listening to music over the phone nearly impossible. In my own case, the unreliability of internet made file-sharing difficult.
But if it were possible to fix these three complications – digital delay, sound quality, and accessibility – the fundamentals of a successful long-distance music studio (somebody will eventually coin the term eStudio no doubt) are possible. Most computers come stock with webcams and these days. There are many digital-conference software packages available that streamline file-sharing for telecommuting corporatations.
This is another example of the new opportunities available to modern musicians. As the technology grows and makes the digital music lesson more efficient, I suspect some large corporation will make a lot of money off internet music lessons.
There’s a good chance I’ll be using it for rehearsals and writing sessions. Seems like a great alternative to long rides on the subway… as if musicians need another reason for in-laws to call us lazy.
I think that the technology will eventually make this communication method effective, although I can’t see it replacing a ‘live’ lesson. Having someone in the room with you has a completely different feel and dynamic, which ultimately affects the productivity of a student.
I’ve been taking music lessons over Skype for a couple of months now and overall, it’s been successful. There are occasional lags, but the quality of the webcam seems to make a big difference. It’s not the same as being in the same room with someone, but it allows you the opportunity to study with people you would not otherwise be able to.
I’m moving to bulgaria next year and I want to keep some of my existing students as well as attract new ones .any tips anyone
I just started teaching using Skype and for me it is a great way to expand my music lessons to students from all around the world. Great experience.
I teach general music in a charter school of 195 students in the Florida Keys. There are very few private music instructors in this area. When students leave our pre-K through 8th grade school to go to the local high school they need to know how to play an instrument in order to join the band. (Students in the public elementary/middle school learn instrumental music in school.) i want my students to be able to be in the high school band and I had the idea to have music instructors teach instrumental lessons to my students over Skype. Does anyone have comments or suggestions concerning my plan? Appreciate it.
Good plan! I have some available hours and teach horn and trumpet via Skype. Lessons available in English or Spanish.
I am a community tv producer with a substantial presence in facebook friends with regional music persformers and music fans. I would appreciate hearing from music teachers who are successfully using SKYPE to offer music lessons to their students, be it widely spread internationally or in a regionalor community setting. My fb friends are now over 2300, growing still. I also have a fb group called Heritage Music Circle (HMC) that just passed 625 fb friends who have signed up. we have been discussing SKYPE a bit. like to exchange more in future.
I seem to see that on Skype when one plays …or talks, the other doesnt That is to say the sound is not simultaneous.
Is that right?
Earphones seem to help a bit but not completely solve the problem.
I have a Mac…also wonder if it may have to do with the quality of the internet connection??
Thanks everyone
Hi Dan –
That was my experience as well. There doesn’t seem to be any way around that lag. It making playing together impossible during a skype lesson, but it doesn’t count out student and teacher playing one at a time.
Sorry in advance for the loooong comment, but I want offer some ideas to those of you considering this option.
I added the Skype lessons option to my violin and viola teaching studio in June 2009 and overall have been very pleased with the experience. I’ve been able to offer lessons to students in the US and internationally who otherwise may not have had the option. Also, when my in-person students wouldn’t otherwise have been able to make their lessons we’ve done them over Skype instead.
For those of you who want to market to the Skype lessons crowd, in my experience so far, people looking for Skype violin or viola lessons have one or more of the following in common: are in the military, live in a remote area, live in an area with limited teachers on the chosen instrument, want the option of a teacher other then the local choices for whatever reason, frequently travel, have listened to my podcast, read my articles, and/or have heard my recordings and like my approach, is an adult student living in an area that lacks teachers open to teaching adults.
I personally haven’t had any trouble with lag, but I have a VERY fast internet connection (my boyfriend is a software architect who couldn’t settle for any less – I am very grateful to take advantage of this!). If you are having problems, this is probably contributing, as well as the time of day (Skype traffic), and country/areas you’re calling between – Asia and Australia are usually quite clear for me, both audio and video, while calls within the US have sometimes been choppy… go figure. If you want to teach over Skype I suggest you offer a trial run with prospective students to check the quality.
I run Skype for Mac and unfortunately it does not offer duplex sound at this point (the ability to hear on both ends at the same time like a telephone). I’ve even contacted Skype about it – they said this will hopefully be possible sometime… Apparently Skype for Windows does offer duplex sound. I’ve considered installing Parallels on my Mac and using Windows Skype with Windows students but haven’t gotten there yet. Instead we play call and response to check intonation, rhythm, etc. and I record and send them MP3s of pieces I want them to practice along with. Can be some work at first but now I have a little library of pieces I can keep using for students.
Like all my students, I have Skype students sign a contract so we’re all on the same page and for payment, students have either sent checks before the first lesson or used PayPal. Pretty easy.
I think the best Skype music teachers would be those who are patient, creative, can think on their feet, and are methodical. They speak clearly and concisely and have no trouble altering their approach and/or the wording they are offering the student if the student is unclear about the information. They know their “right” from their “left” so they can quickly maneuver the student into a better position to see something the student is doing, and likewise, frequently adjust their own positioning so the student can see them better for a particular technique.
Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Not an expert here, but happy to share my experiences and troubleshoot with you. Skype music teachers unite!
Well said Laurel – thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the useful Skype info. HOW fast is your VERY fast internet connection? I’m using 10 megabytes and perhaps it is too slow. Do you also use an option favored by “gamers” to get faster entry into international internet sites? Also, can you suggest a good webcam camera that has a wide enough angle lens and perhaps also a zoom to focus on the keyboard. Many thanks for suggestions from any Skype experimenters.
Hi everyone, thanks for this cool info. Does any one have info about how to use a Mac w Skype for music lessons? I have lap top-OS10.5.8. I’ve heard to be sure to open firewalls and to plug the machine into modem/router w cable for fastest reception. I have an RCA modem w Time Warner High Speed service. This said, the two jazz guitar lessons I tried teaching on skype had all kinds of video and audio problems. The most recent student had a nice camera and PC, his sound and image were clear, but my i-sight and image kept faltering. Anyone have and :nuts and bolts” advice for a beginner at this stuff?
Hi Everyone –
I have given clarinet lessons via Skype (from Boston, USA to China) and it worked well. One of my students was going to China for the summer and wanted to continue lessons with me- so we gave it a try and it worked very well. For the most part, we didn’t have any trouble with Skype traffic. If there was some delay, one of us would turn off our camera, and that helped. A good thing about it is that both the teacher and student have to slow down and really listen to each other. I was very pleased with it and would gladly do it again.
Slowing down to listen to each other… there’s something I wish I could bring to some of the lessons I teach in person!
I am researching the viability of giving guitar lessons via Skype, or gotomeetings. I would like to hear of anyone who would take a short survey on this subject. I have been playing for 50 years, and still perform regularly. My specialities are improvisation, composition, and theory. My style is quite unique and I would like to help others find their own unique styles.
Does anyone have any tips as to how to market “elessons”? I am a drummer and I am very interested in expanding my student base via skype, however I have no idea how to go about getting students.
Suggestions??? Anyone interested?
musicwithtiffany.webs.com
I am curious about the range of prices and the length of Skype lessons. I know that some people are unwilling to discuss this, but I’m hoping others might share!
ZipLesson.com provides students and teachers with instant access to each other for online Skype lessons. It’s free to sign-up, and students only pay their teacher’s lesson fee.
Stop by today to see all the great teachers we have that are teaching over Skype today!
I think with technology advancing as it is, it will only improve the quality of these lessons. When I speak with someone on Skype, it’s still not perfect, but I can imagine it would be fine for learning an instrument.
I am developing a brand new online platform connecting music teachers with students interested in lessons over skype.
My team and I believe the online teaching revolution will become very popular soon and we want to help teachers find students.
If you are interested in joining the community and finding students then please register your interest here : coachylessons.com/coach
Regards,
Luke Grana
I don’t know the first thing about how to do this. Please explain and advice about how to get noticed nationally and internationally with skype. I am a seasoned voice teacher……..
Thanks
i like to take music lessons through skype but i dont know what is the formality please explained about it
I haven’t had any real problems using skype for vocal lessons at all. Very occasionally the screen can freeze but I still have the sound and the picture come back quickly enough. However all my students are all UK based, as am I, so this may help? I also have a fast internet connection and processor which I believe also helps. Sometimes I also plug directly into the internet if it is running particularly slower than usual. I think from the tutors point of view it’s all about being prepared. Being prepared on what you are going to teach when you get to know your student’s limitations, sending MP3′s they need to sing along too is paramount, as playing a keyboard or MP3′s from your end is impossible with the time delay! I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions: ellaentertainment@hotmail.co.uk