5 Ways the Pandemic Has Improved Music Teaching

For some, zoom teaching is the bane of music educators’ existence while also being a saving grace for keeping work alive during quarantine.

Before you throw out the option of zoom, it might help to look at how having to pivot to online teaching has helped improve music education.

Here are five ways music teachers have reported upgrading their teaching by having to teach on zoom.

1. Economy of instruction. 

Because of how zoom is set up, teaching has become more efficient with more organized time management: students are set up and ready to play, vs losing 10 minutes at the beginning and end of the lesson.

2. Increased presence and focus.

Because the teacher cannot take for granted the space and acoustics one is used to in the music studio, other elements of performing and learning can come more into awareness.

This includes capacity to focus, ability to project present through the screen, economy and efficiency of practicing, ability to adapt to new modalities and ways of music making.

It also requires the teacher to be more present, and get more creative and articulate more precisely their verbal instruction, not just demonstrating through playing.

3. It gives the opportunity to address the whole person and not just the performer.

Being a musician is so important that we’re willing to do lessons on zoom and not just give up on it, waiting until we return to in person meetings.

Therefore lessons can focus on helping student understand the relevance of how to practice, why it’s necessary to practice and what things are sustainable in their practice while in isolation.

4. You can get connected to their WHY.

2020 has forced the question more strongly than ever that musicians know WHY they want to devote their lives to their art and WHY they are relevant.

It would be wise to help a student connect the dots between their daily practice of technique and repertoire to what is going on in the world at large. 

Help them get out of the bubble and realize that there is a connection between music, performance, the economy, health, finance and the world at large.

5. Teach them to think and help awaken their leadership.

Now is not the time to focus on “going back to normal” but instead look ahead to creating a healthier, more resilient and sustainable future for the arts.

Redefine what success is now.

Redefine what performance can be now.

Teach your students to lead, create and innovate in a way that is relevant to the world around them.

Obviously zoom has it’s drawbacks for music education, but there are also many benefits to effective teaching overall that would be worth keeping as you gradually return to being in person.