The Toledo Blade | April 2020 | Musicians Adjust to Pandemic by Teaching from Afar
Musicians Adjust to Pandemic by Teaching From Afar
By Wayne F. Anthony | The Toledo Blade - April 2020
The challenge facing musicians during this time of quarantine and crisis revolves around the inability to gather. Music is a communal activity and requires interaction with others. From education to performance, the primary vehicle to navigate this challenge is the Internet.
Virgil Lupu, owner of Forté Music School, has met this obstacle head-on. “Over 500 students are taking online music lessons so they never have to miss a beat. From the comfort of home, students have hands-on, one-on-one instruction,” he explained. Using familiar, reliable platforms like Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime, he worked around the clock to make sure all of his faculty, staff, and students had everything needed to make online lessons smooth and enjoyable.
He stated, “We closed the school for an early spring break, created video tutorials, and held phone and video training sessions with all of our 35 teachers. We distributed iPads, keyboards, and method books to ensure every teacher was equipped.” More info on their journey and offerings can be found at fortemusic419.com.
Local harpist Julie Buzzelli, facing a similar challenge with her private students, has found that the key to this obstacle is internet speed and choice of platform. “I had someone ask me on Facebook why I wasn’t using FaceTime, and my answer was that Zoom can be downloaded to both Apple and Android devices and seems to move a bit faster.”
She continued, “Zoom has the best sound quality, but others prefer FaceTime. I haven’t heard much about people using Skype, which is odd because I believe professional musicians have been using Skype in distance teaching for quite some time.”
Zoom, at present, seems to be the choice local schools are using, as it allows 3–100 people to interact in increments of 40 minutes for free. One-on-one meetings have no time limit.
Dennis Blubaugh, instructor of piano at Owens Community College, said, “Owens has gone completely to alternative delivery through the end of the semester. Zoom is the method I chose for my group class piano lessons; however, with the number of individuals using it across the world, it does occasionally freeze for a second or two for data processing.” He also added, “There is a feature where you can record your lessons in real time and upload them for later distribution. This used to be almost simultaneous; now it may take a number of hours due to the heavy usage.”
Gina Buzzelli, daughter of Julie and a violin instructor, pointed out the disadvantages of cyber learning: “One of the biggest challenges to cyber instruction is the lack of hands-on communication.” She offered, “I can’t keep simultaneous time for my students while they are transmitting to me. I normally clap or even get my metronome out. Simultaneous communication isn’t an option.”
She continued, “To make up for it, I’ve been doing more call-and-response teaching—demonstrating and relying on the students to use their ears to hear differences. Also, I can visually fix technical issues, but I can’t often tell if the tone is what I would normally strive for in lessons.”
She finished, “The job of the teacher is to get the student to a point where they can start to figure things out on their own—obviously, a long-term goal. With online lessons, it’s even more important to ask questions and get the students thinking. There is only so much I can do not being physically present.”
Larger area organizations with educational missions share these sentiments. Lisa Mayer-Lang, Artistic Director, says Toledo Ballet is using the Internet to continue dance lessons with their clientele. “We are using Zoom, Google G Suite, and Facebook to host virtual classes until we can return to the studio,” she explained. “We recorded classes for all of our levels and posted them on our website and via our YouTube page. Some of us also did real-time classes via Facebook Live.”
She continued, “We modified lessons to utilize the smaller spaces available in homes. Our parents were extremely thankful to have some sense of ‘normalcy’ in their children’s daily life.” She added, “Dance and the arts are a form of expression. For many dancers, movement is the way they can comfortably express themselves. This is why continuing classes online is so important. It gives them an opportunity to keep engaged in what it is that brings them the most joy and comfort.”
Rachel Schulz, Director of Education for the Toledo Symphony, commented on its cyber education endeavors: “Every day, we are given an opportunity to solve a new challenge.My Internet signal is weak, so I use my phone. Where do I put my phone so the student can see me? How can I hold my phone and demonstrate? Then the mail is delivered and the dogs are barking. All you can do is laugh with your students.” She finished, “Even though we knew there would be challenges and the situation isn’t ideal, there was never a question of whether lessons would continue. Music is definitely easing stress levels. Music is the universal language. We will ensure the music never stops.”
Virgil Lupu, owner of Forté Music School, has met this obstacle head-on. “Over 500 students are taking online music lessons so they never have to miss a beat. From the comfort of home, students have hands-on, one-on-one instruction,” he explained. Using familiar, reliable platforms like Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime, he worked around the clock to make sure all of his faculty, staff, and students had everything needed to make online lessons smooth and enjoyable.
He stated, “We closed the school for an early spring break, created video tutorials, and held phone and video training sessions with all of our 35 teachers. We distributed iPads, keyboards, and method books to ensure every teacher was equipped.” More info on their journey and offerings can be found at fortemusic419.com.
Local harpist Julie Buzzelli, facing a similar challenge with her private students, has found that the key to this obstacle is internet speed and choice of platform. “I had someone ask me on Facebook why I wasn’t using FaceTime, and my answer was that Zoom can be downloaded to both Apple and Android devices and seems to move a bit faster.”
She continued, “Zoom has the best sound quality, but others prefer FaceTime. I haven’t heard much about people using Skype, which is odd because I believe professional musicians have been using Skype in distance teaching for quite some time.”
Zoom, at present, seems to be the choice local schools are using, as it allows 3–100 people to interact in increments of 40 minutes for free. One-on-one meetings have no time limit.
Dennis Blubaugh, instructor of piano at Owens Community College, said, “Owens has gone completely to alternative delivery through the end of the semester. Zoom is the method I chose for my group class piano lessons; however, with the number of individuals using it across the world, it does occasionally freeze for a second or two for data processing.” He also added, “There is a feature where you can record your lessons in real time and upload them for later distribution. This used to be almost simultaneous; now it may take a number of hours due to the heavy usage.”
Gina Buzzelli, daughter of Julie and a violin instructor, pointed out the disadvantages of cyber learning: “One of the biggest challenges to cyber instruction is the lack of hands-on communication.” She offered, “I can’t keep simultaneous time for my students while they are transmitting to me. I normally clap or even get my metronome out. Simultaneous communication isn’t an option.”
She continued, “To make up for it, I’ve been doing more call-and-response teaching—demonstrating and relying on the students to use their ears to hear differences. Also, I can visually fix technical issues, but I can’t often tell if the tone is what I would normally strive for in lessons.”
She finished, “The job of the teacher is to get the student to a point where they can start to figure things out on their own—obviously, a long-term goal. With online lessons, it’s even more important to ask questions and get the students thinking. There is only so much I can do not being physically present.”
Larger area organizations with educational missions share these sentiments. Lisa Mayer-Lang, Artistic Director, says Toledo Ballet is using the Internet to continue dance lessons with their clientele. “We are using Zoom, Google G Suite, and Facebook to host virtual classes until we can return to the studio,” she explained. “We recorded classes for all of our levels and posted them on our website and via our YouTube page. Some of us also did real-time classes via Facebook Live.”
She continued, “We modified lessons to utilize the smaller spaces available in homes. Our parents were extremely thankful to have some sense of ‘normalcy’ in their children’s daily life.” She added, “Dance and the arts are a form of expression. For many dancers, movement is the way they can comfortably express themselves. This is why continuing classes online is so important. It gives them an opportunity to keep engaged in what it is that brings them the most joy and comfort.”
Rachel Schulz, Director of Education for the Toledo Symphony, commented on its cyber education endeavors: “Every day, we are given an opportunity to solve a new challenge.My Internet signal is weak, so I use my phone. Where do I put my phone so the student can see me? How can I hold my phone and demonstrate? Then the mail is delivered and the dogs are barking. All you can do is laugh with your students.” She finished, “Even though we knew there would be challenges and the situation isn’t ideal, there was never a question of whether lessons would continue. Music is definitely easing stress levels. Music is the universal language. We will ensure the music never stops.”
