How to Prepare For Your Lesson

Step #1 | Zoom

Download Zoom on your computer, phone, or tablet
If you plan to use a smartphone or tablet, you can search for “Zoom” in the App Store or on Google Play
After installing Zoom, open it and create a free Zoom account

Step #2 | Setup

Composition Lessons

Have music manuscript paper and pencil ready. We recommend using a ‘Musician’s Notebook’ for all composition lessons
Have your piano (or principal composition instrument) easily accessible for the lesson
Keep the laptop close to the height you are sitting either on a desk or stand. You can find a laptop stand here if needed.

Vocal Lessons

Use a room where you can comfortably stand. It doesn’t have to be a large room but having some space is great to help you feel more comfortable with your voice and the music!
Keep the laptop close to the height the student is standing. This makes it easy to move between taking instruction and singing! You can find a laptop stand here if needed.
Don’t forget a glass of water! Often forgotten but helpful to have in a singing lesson 🙂

Piano Lessons

We recommend connecting (2) screens for piano lessons: a laptop and either a phone or tablet
Place the laptop around eye level and within arm’s reach next to the piano. Using a chair or table will work just fine but stands are available, as well. You can find a laptop stand here if needed.
The laptop is where the student will be viewing and interacting with their instructor. Sometimes teachers will have students use interactive materials during the lesson and keeping the laptop easily accessible is very helpful for this.
Place the phone or tablet on the opposite side of the student. We recommend using a stand for this, as well. You can find one we recommend here. With this view your instructor can see more details such as posture, arm mechanics, distance from the keyboard and more.
If you can only use a laptop: place the laptop to the side of the piano so the instructor can clearly see the keys and arm position of the student. While (2) screens are preferred, using only a well-positioned laptop can work just fine.

Violin/Viola Lessons

Use a room where you can stand comfortably with room to move your violin. It doesn’t have to be a large room but having some space is great to help you feel more comfortable with your instrument!
Keep the laptop close to the height you are sitting either on a desk or stand. You can find a laptop stand here if needed.

Guitar Lessons

Use a room where you can stand comfortably with room to move your guitar. It doesn’t have to be a large room but having some space is great to help you feel more comfortable with your instrument!
Keep the laptop close to the height you are sitting either on a desk or stand. This makes it easy to move between taking instruction and playing! You can find a laptop stand here if needed.

Trumpet Lessons

Use a room where you can stand comfortably with room to move your violin. It doesn’t have to be a large room but having some space is great to help you feel more comfortable with your instrument!
Keep the laptop close to the height you are sitting either on a desk or stand. This makes it easy to move between taking instruction and playing! You can find a laptop stand here if needed.

Step #3 | Audio

Being able to clearly hear a student is obviously very important for a good learning experience. To accomplish this, we use the “Original Sound” setting on Zoom. Follow these steps to set-up the “Original Sound” setting: