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“Geography is no longer a limit. I give online singing lessons to clients located anywhere from Texas and Beijing to Switzerland and beyond.”

Introduction
The pandemic created a hugely challenging environment for all of us, including those of us who are dedicated to teaching how to sing opera. Not only did the whole business change, with massive disruption to the careers and prospects of many of my students, with all live performances cancelled, no opportunity to audition for upcoming work opportunities etc, but we also faced hurdles in physically teaching the skills and techniques which are needed.

On a positive side, the pandemic gave singers an unparalleled chance to spend time learning and honing their craft without the pressures of a hectic work schedule or lifestyle.  This was an excellent chance to really dedicate themselves to their beloved practice, and I found that many of my singing clients found an increased focus on getting that online singing lesson scheduled, even when things were challenging!

Even now, post pandemic, there are times when online singing lessons are valuable, especially for international students or those who cannot travel to attend in person. For those reasons, I am committed to continue offering a remote Zoom, or other platforms, for online singing lessons. Interestingly, the pandemic saw the birth of an enormous amount of new online teaching platforms, particularly developed for the teaching of music,

However there are definitely challenges and positive aspects which go with teaching online instead of face to face. Here are some thoughts for those of you who may be wondering about whether to choose this option.

Disadvantages of online singing lessons

1. Inadequate Internet connection.

Clearly if we’re trying to conduct a lesson over a very slow Internet connection or without a proper WiFi signal in your location,  then there can be problems with getting the most out of the time.  I try and maintain a high quality signal by using high speed fibre connection, but sometimes it is still difficult if one of my students is connecting from their basement two floors away from their home’s router signal.

I generally try to recommend that if possible my students connect with an Ethernet cable rather than WiFi to avoid these problems. But where they can’t, then at least try and locate themselves as close to the WiFi router as possible to get the best possible signal. And needless to say the data speeds need to be as fast as possible for us to be able to make the most of our time together.

2. Unsuitable devices.

Alongside the internet connection is the aspect of the device. Nowadays most modern computers and smartphones have ample power to deliver a decent experience on a Zoom call. But there have been occasions where students have struggled in with elderly laptops which simply can’t process the quality of voice and video we need to conduct a meaningful lesson.

Ironically some of my most engaging lessons have happened where the student is using an iPhone on a 4G/5G SIM card connection. One good thing is that we’ve never had to turn down a student because of inadequate equipment. We usually work something out.

3. Lack of body language and personal engagement.

Clearly there’s a lot less information that I can gather in an online singing lesson. It’s simply not possible to get a full range of body language, posture, breathing and resonance that would be typical of a face to face lesson.

But I have overcome this by specifically checking posture and breathing during the lesson, and through using my experience to gain visual clues as to what is happening as a whole. Often both of us on the call are amazed by how much we can progress, despite the apparent hurdles and distance.

Advantages of online singing lessons

1.  Increased focus.

Paradoxically distance or remote learning can deliver some very useful benefits. For one, the student arrives at the lesson ready to go. No recovering from the commute, or from the stress of having to travel through bad weather etc. It’s also true to say that there’s nothing more relaxing than having your lesson wearing your comfy sweat pants and favourite slippers!

2.  Scheduling.

Suddenly it’s possible to book your lesson at a time that truly suits you. Lunch time, evening, almost any time is good when you don’t have to worry about traveling or location. Strangely enough, being locked down showed us a new kind of freedom to make the best use of our hours. I also noticed that my clients found more time to dedicate to their practicing, and this of course will show a greater and speedier improvement.

3. Location

Geography is no longer a limit! Perhaps we needed the pandemic to understand how connected we can be, even though we are not in the same physical location. Even though we probably all can agree that being physically present with someone is always superior, but if that isn’t possible, I still have the great pleasure of teaching students from all over the world. I teach singers anywhere from Beijing and Stockholm to Switzerland and beyond.