My Top 5 Tools for Online Lessons
I suspect we can all agree: online lessons are here to stay.
Whether you’ve moved lessons online permanently or just during weeks when it’s necessary, chances are good that you’ve become used to teaching online.
I moved my studio online after a cross-country move in 2019, and it was a struggle for me at first. By the time online lessons became necessary in 2020, though, it felt much easier.
Over time, I’ve discovered resources that make online music lessons simpler, more engaging, and highly effective.
I’m going to share my favorites with you in this set of blog posts.
In this first post, I’ll share my five favorite tools for online lessons.
In the next post, I’ll share my five favorite tricks for online lessons.
You’ll likely discover some new resources here; my lists are a bit out of the ordinary.
Let’s dive in!
My Top 5 Tools for Online Lessons:
Tool #1: Digital Games
Games don’t show up very often in my studio, mainly because all of my lessons are 30 minutes long. When I do bring out a game, it’s a big treat - and I want big benefits.
Digital games are a fast-growing resource, and there are some incredible ones out there. A game that I give lesson time to must:
→ Be simple to figure out and use online
→ Offer a range of levels
→ Help my students feel successful right away
→ Reinforce concepts that are relevant to what we’re learning
My favorite sources for games that fit my criteria:
Julie Duda’s store
Julie’s digital games are a favorite with my students. They cover a wide range of levels, so I can use a single game with both beginning and intermediate students.
Julie’s themes are a hit with kids. Cats, dogs, sports, unicorns. And she throws an offbeat section in her games so that my students have to answer a funny, non-music-related question. It allows us to end the game laughing, no matter how challenging it was for my student.
I mentioned to Julie a while ago that I’d love to see a game that helps my advancing students gain confidence with relative minor key signatures. She just released this one, and I can’t wait to use it with my older students.
Note: while Julie’s games work well for one-on-one lessons, they are easily adaptable to my occasional group classes.
Leila Viss & Marie Lee’s escape rooms
Leila and Marie are masters of escape room games. These are fantastic for online group classes (though they’d be just as much fun for private lessons, I suspect), and offer challenges for a range of levels.
Our all-time favorite game is Christmas Staycation. Even my adults got a kick out of this one.
I don’t do a lot of ear training in online lessons these days, and Song Sleuth offered a rewarding way to work on ear training as a group.
Leila and Marie recently released two olympic-themed sight reading games in their escape room collection that look like so much fun. This is another theme that will be a hit with students of all ages while we spend dedicated time on a specific skill.
Jennifer Foxx’s store
This one is a bonus resource: I’ve used Jennifer’s digital games as prizes for my students. She includes a cute PDF that I can email the student. It has a QR code on it, so they can scan and play on their own.
Prizes that help students develop skills or their love of music are my absolute favorite.
Tool #2: A Virtual Studio
For two months last year, I was unable to teach lessons at all (see this post about my piano teacher travel adventures).
I did not want to abandon my students at the start of their piano year, so I created a solution: a virtual studio.
A virtual studio is, essentially, a password-protected page on your website that houses lesson material for your students to access on their own. (It might also be called a student portal)
A virtual studio can include a variety of materials such as:
Printable sheet music
Instructional videos (rote or otherwise)
Audio tracks
Downloadable PDFs (with instructions, games, etc)
Printable theory pages
Practice charts (Like digital badge boards! More on this in a minute…)
Event information or studio calendars
A virtual studio offers huge support for online lessons. It works beautifully for weeks when you can’t teach, as a replacement for makeup lessons, or simply during a holiday.
It can also supplement ongoing lessons. If you find yourself running out of time for improv or composition, or you simply need a place to share theory worksheets, a virtual studio is perfect.
And a self-paced, online “summer camp” that runs while you vacation with your family?
YES PLEASE.
Here’s an example of a very simple virtual studio setup. It could run concurrently with normal lessons OR replace lessons for a week (giving you a week off!):
I’ve written more about virtual studios and how I’ve used mine. I’ve also created a resource, called the “Virtual Studio Handbook,” to help you build your own. (you can download it at the end of this blog post)
Tool #3: Digital Badge Boards
When my studio was in-person, I used large, wall-mounted charts and boards during practice challenges. They were a way to promote peer support, friendly competition, and a sense of community.
Once we moved online, I missed the motivation that they provided.
Then I discovered digital badge boards (thank you forever, Leila).
What’s a digital badge board?
It’s an interactive, online chart that everyone can see.
There are a couple of ways to set it up; you can allow students to edit their own progress, or you can control all of the editing. The main benefit is that everyone can see the progress of the entire studio.
The digital badge board I used to encourage consistent practice while I was traveling last year
I’ve used them for things like:
→ Practice-a-thons
→ Collaborative composition projects
→ Rote challenges
→ General practice tracking (particularly during my travel and our virtual studio)
They adapt to a wide range of uses and my students are quite used to navigating and editing them.
Leila does a lovely job of demonstrating how to create a digital badge board - and she also sells a set of beautiful, premade digital badge boards in case you aren’t dying to jump in and create them from scratch (there is a bit of a learning curve).
Digital badge boards are a resource that can offer big returns in your online studio.
Tool #4: A Standing Keyboard
This tool wasn’t a choice so much as a necessity, at first. Our family is in the process of moving abroad (hence our travel last fall), and I sold my piano/keyboards prior to selling our home. I needed a light, travel-friendly keyboard for lessons that would work until we’re settled in our new home.
I bought a simple, lightweight Casio keyboard and an X stand for it and then discovered that I LOVE teaching while standing!
Sitting down for online lessons left me with back pain (why is it so hard to maintain good posture while teaching online?), and standing has made a huge difference for me.
I know it’s not feasible for everyone to run out and purchase a keyboard with an X stand, but if you already have one, I strongly recommend using it for online lessons - or even switching between that keyboard and sitting down.
The ability to stand and even move around a little can make a huge difference in how you feel during - and after - hours of teaching.
Tool #5: Airpods
I have a love-hate relationship with Apple products. While I complain about planned obsolescence and how they often don’t play well with others, Apple products have made my life consistently easier.
My tech-savvy husband, Jeremy (he’s also our master studio website designer), convinced me to get my first pair of Airpods last year.
Previously, I’ve used headphones for teaching as they eliminate feedback for my students. But they were large, and - let’s be honest - even great headphones aren’t super comfortable after the first few hours. Plus I had to plug them into my computer and stay within cord range.
Then came the Airpods. I pop them in and forget I’m wearing them!
They do a good job of noise cancellation, are light and comfortable, and they’re basically invisible to my students. And I can move around the room as needed!
So, while I’m not trying to contribute to Apple’s world takeover, I have to say that my Airpods have significantly improved my teaching hours...and I wouldn’t go back
I’d love to hear from you!
What tools have made YOUR online teaching life easier?
What do you think about my list of tools? Were there any surprises?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
p.s. Don’t forget that you can download a Virtual Studio Handbook if you want to build your own!
Janna Carlson is a piano teacher and web designer who spends her days making it easy for other teachers to attract new students online.
She has helped music teachers fill their studios quickly, max out their waitlists, and create new income streams by selling their resources online.
Janna firmly believes in great communication and the power of treating people well. She loves helping teachers feel confident about their online presence and successful in their studio goals.
Janna co-owns Studio Rocket Web Design with her husband, Jeremy. As a classically-trained pianist and a rock & roll guitarist, they have fun finding common musical ground and jamming together in their free time.