Pros and Cons of Skype Lessons

I have to admit, I have been pretty skeptical of Skype lessons my whole teaching career. However, after committing myself to Skype lessons this summer so that my students could keep their same schedule I found that they can actually work great (under one condition which I will cover at the end).

First the bad:

1. You can’t physically demonstrate technique.
2. The sound quality isn’t great, so it is hard to address tone production.
   
3. Most of all, latency prevents me from playing along with my student.
   
4. There can be technical difficulties.

​The positives, at least for non-beginners, far outweigh the negatives. My students enjoyed the Skype lesson, made great progress, and I felt confident that I was able to maintain my standards as a teacher. The main caveat about Skype lessons is I would not recommend them for new students for whom we have not yet developed a report and a routine. With students who have had a few months of lessons, we have already covered the basics of technique and how to learn a new piece. At this point Skype lessons are more about them showing me what amazing things they have learned and me sharing a few inspirational tips that can help them go even further. For this type of student, Skype is nearly as good as an in-person lesson. I hope you will take advantage of Skype lessons next time you are on the road and can’t make it in to Orpheus.

“Skype/FaceTime lessons allowed my sons to stay on track this summer while away from Austin. The video lessons were easy on both the student and the parents, except we had to set phone alarms to make sure we didn’t forget to show up! We even had lessons while at 9600 feet above sea level!”– Rebecca (Seth and Zach’s mom)