by Andra Prewett
This summer, many music students will be returning to in-person private lessons after 15 months of being online. There will be an adjustment period for both the student and the teacher. Here are some things you can expect:
- Packing your instrument. Packing our instruments has not been a part of our musical routine for quite some time. I recently had a panic moment when I realized I had no idea where my case was! (It was under the bed.) If you’re like me, you might have to hunt around the house for 30 minutes until you find yours. When you do, don’t forget to pack the rosin, shoulder rest, a pencil, your practice notebook, and music books.
- Checking your equipment. Things like sizing, instrument and bow maintenance, finger tapes and set up will be the addressed at your first lesson, and will likely take up the majority of the lesson time.
- Form and posture. The common consensus among Suzuki teachers is that posture and bow hold are the two most difficult things to correct over Zoom, and the thing most urgently needing to be addressed in our studios. We are looking forward to working on this in person.
- Tactile corrections. Just a little nudge, or lift of the scroll, can do wonders to correct posture or create body balance. Teachers should ask before making tactile corrections, and parents should feel free to express if they have any objections.
- We won’t get through all the repertoire. Since we have so many tweaks to make, focused review might be prioritized for the first few lessons, until new habits are established.
- Time to connect. 15 months without seeing one another is a long time! Taking some time to celebrate, but also commiserate, will help us reestablish good working rapport, and will serve as a way for teachers to see where the child is, so we can better relate and speak to them at their level.
- Interruption. Online lessons took away my ability to use a helpful teaching strategy known as “forecasting,” which is when I give a verbal reminder ahead of a spot in the music. Announcing “hover finger,” or “circle bow” right before it happens in the music are just a few examples of forecasting. The audio settings in teleconferencing software made it impossible for me to do this. Reintroducing this strategy might be distracting at first, but over time will become a useful tool as we work together.
- Getting dressed. I laugh as I type this, but many employees, students and parents who have been working from home have gotten accustomed to wearing very comfortable clothes (sweatpants), and we will all need time to get used to the very oppressively confining clothing known as “jeans” and “dress pants.” 😂 Of course I jest, but teachers might benefit from setting some time aside to try on clothes to make sure our real pants still fit.
- Masks? Different for each teacher. You’ll want to check with your teacher to see what the expectation of mask wearing is. Personally, I will be fully vaccinated, but I am requiring everyone to wear a mask since our room is on the smaller side, and we will be working together in close proximity.
- Be flexible. We are cautiously optimistic that pandemic numbers will continue to improve in our area, but we are returning with the understanding that, if numbers were to change and things become worse, we might have to make changes to the lesson format, such as teaching outdoors, social distancing, or, if need be, returning temporarily to online lessons.
