It’s an exciting time to be a piano student. Online piano lessons are here and they are terrific. Online piano lessons are an alternative to traditional piano lessons for a variety of students:
- Piano students who can’t find a good teacher in their area
- Busy professionals who work at home
- Retired students who don’t want to drive to piano lessons
Taking piano lessons by video the same as driving weekly to a local piano teacher for lessons. Except, with online piano lessons, you meet with your piano teacher at home, at your own piano. And it doesn’t matter where you live — urban, suburban, or rural areas — you’ll get the same quality instruction.
How Do Online Lessons Work?
Piano lessons in my studio work just like in-person lessons. We meet at a set time each week. Depending on where you live in the world, we will coordinate time zones to make lessons as convenient as possible for both of us.
You might already be familiar with using Zoom for video meetings. The company provides the technology to allow one-on-one meetings in high-definition from almost anywhere in the world. It works the same way for piano lessons. All you need for online lessons is your piano, a tablet or computer, and the Zoom app.
You can download the free Zoom app right here. Install it on your device and go through the settings to make sure that your camera and microphone are connected. At your scheduled lesson time, you will call me using the Zoom app with a login code. You will position your tablet or computer on the right side of your keyboard so that I can see both you and your keyboard. This way, I can watch how you play as well as talk with you about the objectives the piano lesson.
What You Will See
You will see me from four different camera so that I can explain piano techniques — above the keys, to the side of the keys, the pedals, and me. When studying a piece of music, you will see my copy of the music, where I can annotate the piece to suggest how the piece should be played. And when a sample of music is required to demonstrate a concept or technique, I will stream that music to you, along with our commentary on what we are listening to.Onscreen, there will also be a virtual keyboard that lights up when I play my piano. I use a professional microphone and stream my keyboard directly so that you can hear both me and my piano clearly.
What You Will Need
Getting started with online piano lessons isn’t difficult or expensive. In fact, you probably already have most of what you will need to become a piano student with Dr. Lory. Here is a brief rundown of getting set up for online piano lessons.
Piano
For online piano lessons, you will need either an in-tune acoustic piano or an electronic keyboard with 88-weighted keys. If you have an electronic keyboard, the instrument should be touch-sensitive which lets you change volume by varying the pressure on the keys. It will also need a sustain pedal and an una corda pedal.
Computer or Tablet
You will need a computer or a tablet with a camera. I do not recommend you take piano lessons using your phone. The screen will be too small and you will miss a lot of the details. Most modern computers and tablets will work fine for your lessons, but let’s discuss what you have might need when we meet prior to your first lesson.
Web Camera
The camera included with a laptopo or device will work fine. You may want to consider using an external camera so that you can position the camera in a way that I can see both you and your piano. The place where you take piano lessons in your home should be well-lit and have some additional camera-specific lighting so that I can see you and your piano clearly.
Internet Speed
Streaming video back and forth requires a solid internet connection. Before starting piano lessons, you will need to check your provider’s Internet speed. The Zoom support site, publishes minimum upload and download speeds:
- For 720p HD video – 1.2Mbps (up/down)
- For 1080p HD video – 3.8Mbps up /3.0Mbps down
We will be streaming at 1080p. Despite the minimum upload and download speeds published by Zoom, faster Internet speeds are always better, providing you with a smoother online piano lesson experience. There’s an easy way to find out how fast your Internet speed is. Visit the Speedtest.net website and click the big Go button. You will get both your download (video from me) and your upload (video from you) speeds. Then, you can compare them to the recommended Zoom specifications.
Getting Started
Are you ready to get started on your piano journey? Click here to fill out my contact form. Be sure to provide all of the information requested. I will get back to you to start the conversation and answer your questions. Then, we can schedule a Zoom meeting to talk. If I can help you reach your piano goals, we can set up an introductory meeting on Zoom to get acquainted. I will answer all of your questions and demonstrate how online piano lessons work.