Musical Beat Monthly | March/April 2020 | Forté Music School Transitions to Online Lessons
Adapting to the Pandemic: Forté Music School Transitions to Online Lessons
By Musical Beat Monthly - March/April 2020
Longtime local member, Virgil Lupu, not only has an active freelance musical career as a violinist but also owns and operates the Forté Music School on Sylvania Ave. in Toledo. The school has been in operation at that location since 2006. Virgil acquired the school in June of 2014 and has built it into a very successful operation. Starting with 10 teachers and under 150 students, the school has grown immensely, to 35 teachers and over 600 students.
The social distancing requirements that came into existence in March created an existential crisis for the school. How to carry on without in-person lessons? Virgil, his office manager Heather Williams, assistant director Bogdan Berindean, and the school’s teachers very quickly retooled and adapted to the situation by going to an all-online lesson format. In the interview below, Virgil offers some insights into his transition to online teaching.
Musical Beat: Did you offer online lessons prior to this COVID-19 situation?
Virgil Lupu: We were set up for Online Music Lessons prior to this situation, but to a much smaller extent. We had one iPad in the office ready to go for anybody that might want to use it and teach an online lesson. We did offer students the option to take an online lesson when going out of town, or if they had to miss their lesson for whatever other reason, but nobody gave it a chance. I think people just never thought that Online Music Lessons could work... they were probably hesitant to try them. But I think now, after people got used to this idea, online lessons will be a nice alternative to missing a private one-on-one lesson.
MB: Describe what you had to do to make the transition to online lessons? How long did this take?
VL: This transition was EXHAUSTING! We worked around the clock for about one week preparing to start online lessons. This included researching different platforms, learning how to use them, creating tutorials for our teachers and students, and personally going through training sessions with our faculty to make sure everyone was comfortable.
MB: What additional equipment did you need on the school's end to make this work?
VL: We distributed iPads, keyboards, and method books to our instructors so everyone would have the materials they need to have productive lessons. This meant we touched base with all 35 teachers, asked what they needed, and came up with solutions so everybody is comfortable and well set up.
MB: What equipment does the student need to facilitate online lessons? What is the minimum necessary?
VL: For the students, the setup is fairly easy. Students need stable internet in order to support the video lessons. They need a device with a camera for the video lessons, and an instrument to work from.
MB: What kind of training did your teachers need to switch to all online?
VL: Some teachers needed more training than others, depending on how used to the technology they already were. There were a couple of teachers we didn't need to meet with at all, and some we spent several hours working with to ensure they were prepared.
MB: What programs or online resources, e.g., Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, Google Meet, etc., does the school use?
VL: We are using Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype. We don't want to overwhelm our teachers or students with too many options, so we selected the most reliable platforms to focus on.
MB: Any thoughts as to which of these are best suited to this purpose?
VL: Zoom can be customized a lot, especially in regards to sound, which is very beneficial with instruments and music. There are some settings in Zoom that can make the sound quite good. Also, Zoom uses a certain internet path that makes the connection more stable compared to others — at least this is what we know at the moment.
MB: When the current situation passes, will you return to traditional in-person teaching or some combination of in-person and online?
VL: There is no question that in-person lessons are most effective. We will always primarily focus on in-person lessons. There are a lot of things that are easier and clearer in person, but online lessons are better than forgoing a lesson altogether. We can especially offer the online option should a student be out of town or sick but still able to play.
MB: How should people contact you for further information or guidance?
VL: We answer calls and emails every day of the week!
The social distancing requirements that came into existence in March created an existential crisis for the school. How to carry on without in-person lessons? Virgil, his office manager Heather Williams, assistant director Bogdan Berindean, and the school’s teachers very quickly retooled and adapted to the situation by going to an all-online lesson format. In the interview below, Virgil offers some insights into his transition to online teaching.
Musical Beat: Did you offer online lessons prior to this COVID-19 situation?
Virgil Lupu: We were set up for Online Music Lessons prior to this situation, but to a much smaller extent. We had one iPad in the office ready to go for anybody that might want to use it and teach an online lesson. We did offer students the option to take an online lesson when going out of town, or if they had to miss their lesson for whatever other reason, but nobody gave it a chance. I think people just never thought that Online Music Lessons could work... they were probably hesitant to try them. But I think now, after people got used to this idea, online lessons will be a nice alternative to missing a private one-on-one lesson.
MB: Describe what you had to do to make the transition to online lessons? How long did this take?
VL: This transition was EXHAUSTING! We worked around the clock for about one week preparing to start online lessons. This included researching different platforms, learning how to use them, creating tutorials for our teachers and students, and personally going through training sessions with our faculty to make sure everyone was comfortable.
MB: What additional equipment did you need on the school's end to make this work?
VL: We distributed iPads, keyboards, and method books to our instructors so everyone would have the materials they need to have productive lessons. This meant we touched base with all 35 teachers, asked what they needed, and came up with solutions so everybody is comfortable and well set up.
MB: What equipment does the student need to facilitate online lessons? What is the minimum necessary?
VL: For the students, the setup is fairly easy. Students need stable internet in order to support the video lessons. They need a device with a camera for the video lessons, and an instrument to work from.
MB: What kind of training did your teachers need to switch to all online?
VL: Some teachers needed more training than others, depending on how used to the technology they already were. There were a couple of teachers we didn't need to meet with at all, and some we spent several hours working with to ensure they were prepared.
MB: What programs or online resources, e.g., Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, Google Meet, etc., does the school use?
VL: We are using Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype. We don't want to overwhelm our teachers or students with too many options, so we selected the most reliable platforms to focus on.
MB: Any thoughts as to which of these are best suited to this purpose?
VL: Zoom can be customized a lot, especially in regards to sound, which is very beneficial with instruments and music. There are some settings in Zoom that can make the sound quite good. Also, Zoom uses a certain internet path that makes the connection more stable compared to others — at least this is what we know at the moment.
MB: When the current situation passes, will you return to traditional in-person teaching or some combination of in-person and online?
VL: There is no question that in-person lessons are most effective. We will always primarily focus on in-person lessons. There are a lot of things that are easier and clearer in person, but online lessons are better than forgoing a lesson altogether. We can especially offer the online option should a student be out of town or sick but still able to play.
MB: How should people contact you for further information or guidance?
VL: We answer calls and emails every day of the week!
