Seven Tips to Ensure Your Child is Successful with Online Music Lessons

Many families today are still taking lessons remotely, either by choice or because their music studio doesn’t allow an in-person option. Here at Master the Music, we have a mix of approximately 1/3 coming in person each week and 2/3 of our studio remaining online. We expect a lot of families are starting to adapt to the remote style of music education and may want to continue this long-term for their family. With that in mind, here are 7 tips to ensure your child makes the most of their online music education.

1. Sit in on the lesson! If your child is under the age of 10, plan to sit in on the lesson. Be a passive observer that can step in if any issues arise.
2. Recognize the challenge the teacher has in engaging your child remotely. Quite often, children do not respond anywhere close to their normal in-person interactions. This typically has NOTHING to do with the teacher. This is simply the very nature of how children interact with technology. We can find them “zoning out”, not answering questions, losing focus or attention. If you are sitting in the lesson, you can help ensure that your child maintains their focus.
3. Plan to take notes during the lesson, even if the teacher provides a lesson summary. Write in your child’s books. If they are assigned new pieces, write the date at the top of the page. If they are working on a specific skill, or asked to memorize something, write that on their music. The music books are for the child’s use. Make the most of them.
4. Limit all electronics and screen time 1-2 hours before the child’s scheduled lesson time. No matter the child, we always notice a difference if a child was using a screen prior to their lesson. We have a funny saying in our house that electronics “melt our children’s brains”. I’m sure you know what we mean. 😉
5. Take care of your child’s physical needs. Be sure your child has had an adequate snack or meal and has used the restroom before their lesson.
6. Take care of the logistics 15 minutes before your scheduled lesson time. Be sure their music books are with their instrument and the device they’re using for their online lessons is charged and in the proper room in your house.
7. Finally…and this may be the most obvious but is absolutely the most important…BE ON TIME. In the world of technology this means logging on 5 minutes prior to your anticipated lesson start time and waiting for the teacher. You never know what software update is going to cause you a last-minute issue. This also shows respect to your teacher. Remember they’ve set aside this time just for you!

If you’ve been taking online music lessons over the past year, what else have you found helpful to ensure your child has the best lesson possible? We’ve love to hear your thoughts!