Online guitar lessons are working really well for everyone.
My home studio is set up so that students can see and hear me well, and see what I'm playing. I spend time with everyone making sure that things are working well on their side so I can see and hear them.
The majority of students use laptops or tablets but a couple of students have used their phones and this has worked quite well too. I use a 'share screen' function in Zoom where I can put music or chord sheets on screen to work on. This is useful but I also e-mail relevant music/tablature in advance of the lesson where needed. I also send follow e-mails with links to recordings or whatever else will help with individuals' practice.
Are online lessons more impersonal? A lot less so than I expected. With long standing students I used to meet with in the traditional way, it's now the new normal, and for new students that have come along since lockdown I feel we've got to know each other pretty well.
The main difference between traditional face to face 1 to 1 or small group lessons and online tuition is the inability to play together, so there are no duets. Actually, the need to go back and forth - I play then you play - provides some learning advantages; it is quite disciplined, because you have to concentrate and focus. I'm using the strengths of the online medium in the way I teach.
So yes, online lessons work really well, and I've found they are a good fit with my personalised approach to tuition.
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