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Hi everyone.

Have any of you had any experience with teaching or receiving lessons via Skype or a similar video conferencing technology?

Please share your experiences. I've been asked if it was a possibility and I am trying to determine if it is feasible or not. I foresee problems with aspects of teaching that I might only be able to pick up on if I were present. For example, posture and breathing tendencies while playing, for example. I worry that the limits inherent in the usage of such technology for this purpose might prove to be insurmountable and ultimately make teaching that way inefficient.

Please share any thoughts or experiences you've had with this.

Andy Larson

LARSONTUBA wrote:Hi everyone.

Have any of you had any experience with teaching or receiving lessons via Skype or a similar video conferencing technology?

Please share your experiences. I've been asked if it was a possibility and I am trying to determine if it is feasible or not. I foresee problems with aspects of teaching that I might only be able to pick up on if I were present. For example, posture and breathing tendencies while playing, for example. I worry that the limits inherent in the usage of such technology for this purpose might prove to be insurmountable and ultimately make teaching that way inefficient.

Please share any thoughts or experiences you've had with this.

Andy Larson

It's possible. While you miss out on the physical aspect of things, there are many great teachers who could offer lots of help/information. Sound can be an issue, you really need a decent mic. But even with a bad mic, you can still get the idea.

Believe it or not, visual things like posture will be VERY easy to see, even if not present. I have taught with Skype, and it's biggest drawback is in regards to beginners. It's hard to show a violinist proper hand placement without physically moving the hand. But with older students or those who can really apply their learning through oral discussion, Skype can be a great way to connect with composers, excellent teachers, etc - ESPECIALLY if there is limited availability of great teachers in your area. There is no real substitute for having a live lesson, however, it can still provide MUCH insight and also serve as an option for local considerations.

I was recently interviewed for a string magazine about Skype lessons. Once the article is published it may be interesting to read and see how folks are using Skype.

It's not bad - not ideal probably, but not bad. And it can offer very EASY ways to connect with great teachers across the country (especially for prospective grad students).

In my last job, we used Skype for our conference calls. The sound quality was quite good, but it wasn't always the most reliable system (even with new computers and corporate-grade internet connections).

My concern would be if the connection drops in the middle of the lesson. What is the backup plan? The student also has to focus some amount of energy on monitoring the Skype session while playing. I wouldn't want to play through a few minutes and then realize "oh, you dropped after the first 30 seconds?"

I imagine the technology would only get better, but have a backup plan decided before starting anything. It'd be a shame to pay for a 1-hour lesson, and spend half of that tinkering with your computer.