The newbie's guide to teaching online music lessons

[@doublebasshq]

Here's another great article on the topic: medium.com/@stevetres/how-to-move-your-private-music-studio-online-4b1bab4c38b5

[@nab626]

Thanks Jason. Another new venture begins. All the tech talk is a bit daunting but I am going to try it on a simple level! Plus you’ve reminded me of all kinds of audio odds and ends I have saved somewhere in the house that can be useful! again!

[@doublebasshq]

Best wishes on getting everything set up, Norma!

[@DUKEofWAIL]

Good content. Great pace and delivery.

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!

[@gigivocalcoach]

This video is awesome!!! Thanks for sharing your experience and the best tips.

[@doublebasshq]

you bet--thanks for checking it out!

[@stevebadachmusic]

i appreciate you making this. i don't think teaching online would be that bad with older, or more advanced students, but the studio/school i teach out of is a lot of young kids (guitar) who can't be bothered to practice even with weekly lessons. I just can't imagine them/their parents even downloading an app, let alone sticking with some sort of online schedule.

[@doublebasshq]

Yeah, I agree. I've had better success myself with adults for sure!

[@nab626]

steve badach I think this will be a welcome opportunity for the parents to use their home schooling time optimally! Don’t give up!

[@stevebadachmusic]

@@nab626 maybe it won't even come to that. hopefully in a few weeks i can just get back to teaching. I don't think you could pay me enough to try and schedule 40 weekly students. if i were teaching people at university level, or at least high school, then i don't think online lessons would be difficult at all, but i can't even get a 11-year-old or their parents to help tune the guitar over the week. i'm trying to think of this as a blessing. maybe it's time for a career change!

[@nab626]

steve badach I understand your frustration. Hmm...sounds like a little break will do you good. Any chance of an online group lesson? A lesson for the parents on how to tune? I just can’t imagine the parents not going nuts with their kids at home all day. And the structure and positive effect of music lessons should be so helpful now.I may be a bit too optimistic! But good luck!

[@stevebadachmusic]

@@nab626 i appreciate your optimism! you've given me some stuff to think about at least. thanks.

[@grantfaelden66]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I am planning to teach beginners to be able to earn a bit during these times. Keep it up man!

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks for the kind words--I'm glad you found it useful!

[@christiancanalita6487]

Super helpful! I have a Tascam DR-44WL recorder and never even thought to use it for lessons.

[@doublebasshq]

Christian Canalita thanks, Christian! That Tascam will work great for lessons.

[@amantedelpiano2019]

Thanks for your video! I’m a student but I want to improve the audio of my online lessons.

[@doublebasshq]

You can do it!

[@bassface84]

Awesome. I was about to email you but you answered my question! Thanks!

[@lifetide1]

Thanks for a very informative video. Beginning to get my gear together to start online teaching for the near future. :)

[@doublebasshq]

Awesome! Best wishes on getting it all set up.

[@gabaillette]

Super useful post, Jason, thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@doublebasshq]

My pleasure!

[@jreid641]

Great video, great info, super helpful, and encouraging. Maybe I won’t jump off that bridge just yet?

[@doublebasshq]

john reid ha! Hopefully no bridge jumping!

[@quetzalmarchiori]

Very helpful! Thank you very much.

[@doublebasshq]

Quetzal Marchiori you bet!

[@fxjkelly1]

Well done Bro! Thanks for your positivity as well as your info! Especially at this mad time.

[@doublebasshq]

You bet, Frank! Thanks for watching.

[@zacharyboulterbowers]

Very helpful. Thank you for recording this, Jason. I found your video while trying to get my Zoom H1 hooked up to my computer so I can get better audio while teaching my percussion courses online this semester at Olivet Nazarene University. Cheers from Chicago!

[@louiegroenewald]

Most schools seem to use MS TEAMS which is great but has more limitations in the FREE version than ZOOM. Also going to use ZOOM with the condenser mic I already have and then buying a new webcam hopefully soon

[@doublebasshq]

Louie Groenewald sounds good! I’ve been using an external mic for Teams also, which has been working well on my end.

[@EJHDad]

Great video, Jason.

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!

[@robindewhurst4932]

Fantastic and so well put together - thank you!!

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you too!

[@BigNameJamesStuff]

I've been with my teacher for so long that if either of us our sick we can cancel at the last minute and its totally chill. What I'm worried about is my main upright has been MIA for the past month for repairs at LA bass works. Its scheduled to be done next week but honestly its looking like LA is going to close all businesses sometime soon. I'm very fortunate right now that my income does not come from music, however I feel terrible for musicians across the globe for how hard this is effecting them.

[@doublebasshq]

James Yeah, it’s pretty scary. I’m hearing similar things from all over the world. I hope that you get your bass back as soon as possible!

Thank you so much, Jason! Great as always!

[@doublebasshq]

Márcio Bolzan you bet!

[@louiegroenewald]

Not sure how to setup everything yet. Have Focusrite audio interface with condenser mic currently setup for my recordings when doing vocals, and have a separate Sony headset mic somewhere in the studio I can use as I speaking mic for music online lessons and maybe the condenser mic setup to pick up sound of instruments while teaching. I do various instruments. This thing is taking me way out of my comfort Zone. More used to physically providing lessons to students and have fun while doing it.😀 While using ZOOM as per your suggestion. What do you sugest?

[@doublebasshq]

Louie Groenewald This sounds like a great setup! That should be great for pickling up your instruments, voice, and also hearing the students without any back & forth bleed.

[@ybyap]

Great tips! Thanks.

[@doublebasshq]

You bet!

[@Guitarfelixwill]

Hello, I am a Masterstudent for the Classical Guitar. Due to Covid19, we now have lessons online with Zoom. My gear is a Ipad pro 12,0 USB-C, and a Yeti Pro Studio mic. (USB and XLR) When I connect the Yeti to the Ipad, it is recognized by the Ipad as earphones and the internal speaker of the Ipad is turned off. That means: My professor can hear me playing and talking thru the Yeti, but I can´t hear him, as there is no speaker. I could connect a headphone to the Yeti, but as there is a certain latency between what I am playing and what I hear. Also I can´t properly play with headphones and that cable stuff around me. Do you have an idea what do do. Would appreciate very much your advice. By the way: I also have a Zoom H6 recorder and a Presonus Audiobox iTwo. Thanks Felix

[@doublebasshq]

Hi Felix! I think your best option would be to get a cable to connect the Zoom H6 to your iPad, and then plug your headphones into the H6. The iPad version of Zoom is not as full-featured as the desktop version, so it's possible that there may still be issues, but I've found this to work on my end. I hope this helps!

[@Guitarfelixwill]

Thanks a lot that you took your time to answer me. The solution with earphones on my ears while playing the guitar might be easy fot the electric guys,- but as being a classical player I want to hear the original sound, without any time shifting and/or sound coloration. So I am still looking for a method to use one or two mics so I can send by the Yeti and receive thru the Ipadspeaker,- or an extermal Bluetooth speaker.

[@markkulyas2418]

And this is how these tech companies planned to turn all you sheeple into their slaves, create a fake planned demic, lock you in your houses like slaves, and become richer and more powerful to control you. When your freedoms are gone you're going to look back on this day in history and realize how stupid you all were for believing this hoax.

[@luibhaiyagaming9314]

Vry informative thanks alot.. i teach drums.. i was thinking abt teaching in a better way.. as now i am teaching with a bluetooth headset connecting to a phone on wifi broadband internet.. pls suggest me the best way to teach drums with a face mic and a single mic for drums + 1 camera on my kit sideways + another foot cam

[@brianarmor3409]

Thanks so much Jason .... very helpful.

[@tonycruz2048]

Hey Jason, so I have a Zoom H5 and want to try the "tricked out set up" for drums. When you show how to set it and you close in on the "meta" section (about 23:35), you're not using Zoom (the conferencing software). I see QuickTime when you instruct to click on your H6 for the mic. What about this audio set up for Zoom conferencing?

[@doublebasshq]

Tony Cruz Hi Tony-there’s an article here that has a good description of how to do the settings for Zoom conferencing: medium.com/@stevetres/how-to-move-your-private-music-studio-online-4b1bab4c38b5 Also, Hugh Sung did a great video on this with a bunch of additional ways to use Zoom: hughsung.com/pianos-blog/cheaper-ways-to-teach-online-piano-lessons

[@georgekarklins6864]

Thank you Jason. Well delivered in an honest and clear way. I am looking for ways of recording using zoom.us. You r video has helped me a lot.Your explanations about the different types of equipment to use is excellent.

[@roymusiclessons7587]

Thank you very much this has been helpful

[@tonycruz2048]

Thank you Jason!

[@doublebasshq]

You bet!

[@irissagar1080]

Just had my first attempt at a skype lesson (I was the student). Spent about 30 minutes just doing trouble shooting. Wish my teacher had seen this lol (although neither of us are great with technology).

[@doublebasshq]

Iris Sagar it’s a struggle for sure, right? I hope you get a smooth setup going soon-best wishes!

[@jamesjamerson1537]

Thanks for taking the time to make that video. I'm having issues using Zoom on an iMac desktop with no external gear where the sound cuts in and out while the other person is playing. Any suggestions?

[@doublebasshq]

james jamerson that happens a lot if you’re not wearing headphones. I’d try using headphones and having your student do that same to see if that fixes it.

[@DPBdrums]

Thanks for the vid. Wondering when using Zoom are you able to play together as a group with no delays? Thanks

[@doublebasshq]

Playing together doesn’t seem to work with Zoom, Skype, etc. It’s a bummer. Not sure if there’s an option out there that works for that, unfortunately.

[@barbaralamb3264]

Thank you for your help.

[@lucieoatey6994]

Thank you so much for this video it has helped me a lot, i am from the UK and we have just gone into lock down..... scary stuff. I am trying to figure out how to teach online. I have a mic but it isn't usb ...... is there a way of transforming it ??

[@doublebasshq]

You’ll need an audio interface, but there are a lot of options for that. I like the Zoom H4n Pro, but many will work to connect your mic to your computer.

[@louiegroenewald]

I'm also going to use Zoom. I looked into MS Teams but can do more with the free version of Zoom than with the FREE version of MS Teams. I do have to wait a bit to get a better webcam. My laptop Webcam quality is way to poor to provide a service to my students. I tried apps on my android phone and laptop but does not seem to connect as per other youtube video advice. In South Africa we are only aloowed to buy esentials now and webcams doesn't fall under that category.

[@sritej2156]

I have a question, can I connect the audio interface with mic and guitar to my android mobile phone to take live skype classes? (I don't have a laptop) plz help.

[@weasle898]

Hey man I am definitely fine on the audio side but I am wondering about external HDR Cameras and good lighting beside natural.

[@doublebasshq]

I try to get close to a decent light source like a window, and I use a ring light if things are really dark on my end. For cameras, I've been experimenting with the Zoom Q2n 4K and Q8. Working on a review of these plus some other options.

[@weasle898]

@@doublebasshq Nice. I am trying to integrate not only online lessons but be able to offer professional AV service to people

[@richclarkmusiciitutorialsa2235]

Thanks for your video. I've been experiencing horrible lag, freeze-frame, 'catch-up' frame and blackout with my students using Zoom. 1st and most important question to you, please (so I'm not expecting the impossible with internet teaching): is there ALWAYS some lag (esp audio) between participants on these platforms? (Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc.); [I teach drums and want to "play along" with my students] If not, what can I do on my end. My internet speed is 44.2Mbps download/9.86Mbps upload. Is that good? bad? A factor? Waiting to hear your reply. Thx

[@lovecat4493]

Please try Jamulus program which is almost latency-zero audio program. Audio from jamulus and video from zoom would almost perfect and easier setting for those who collaborate remotely with other classical music professionals or students.

[@TaigaBenito]

Is there a way to turn off the auto gain on the MacBook?

[@doublebasshq]

Taiga Benito there is in Zoom-someone just let me know about it. That will make for a much smoother experience.

[@quetzalmarchiori]

Contrabass Conversations Also on Skype.

[@doublebasshq]

There are different settings for both Skype and Zoom, and this article details how to do it: medium.com/@stevetres/how-to-move-your-private-music-studio-online-4b1bab4c38b5

[@thatsfunny2051]

Thanks! How do you mute the mic on bluetooth earbuds? I've got Jabra Elite 65ts but I want to use my external USB mic, not the mic in the buds.

[@doublebasshq]

On a Mac, you can select your preferred input and output in preferences. It varies depending on the platform you’re using, though (Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, etc)

[@graghamstaylor2341]

Hi, Thanks for a very helpful video , however I have to respectfully disagree with you (& almost everybody else giving online music lesson advice) regarding using Zoom audio for music on anything other than a Laptop (on which it is brilliant!). The mobile versions sadly do not give the option to retain the original sound & turn off (what it sees as mere background noise, ie, long notes or chords or even passages!) that is available on the PC version, this causes the sound to constantly fade away & suddenly cut off (or gate) longer notes way before their natural decay time. I have tried using Whatsapp & Facetime for pupils with only a mobile or tablet. They do have limitations but do not seem to process & shorten the notes as severely as the mobile Zoom.app!

[@LeroyLeeonKeys]

That is actually not true. Zoom app on iPhone or iPad has the Use Original Sound option. For iPhone it's at Settings > Meetings > Use Original Sound. On iPad, it's Settings > Meetings (Scroll down) > Use Original Sound. I'm not sure if it's the same as on Android mobile but I think the process is almost the same. :)

[@FabrizioPeretti]

hey dude you can actually send links on whatsapp or messenger in order to connect with your students!

[@peterzoch7851]

From my perspective,as a starting person to learn piano ,online lessons are not what i am after. First,if i never met teacher before i am struggling with personal connection. Second,latency and sound issues. Third,price ,the same like teaching one to one in person.That is not right. Would you pay the same money for your favorite band giving performace through Zoom or Skype and charging equally like live concert? Of couse not.

[@denniedavidson5375]

I dont want a face to face teacher. Looking for something more creative