This week, I’m starting to offer lessons via Skype (or iChat or Google+ Hangout… whichever private video channel works for you). I’ve done a little of this in the past, and had a lot of people asking for it, so am getting round to sorting it out.
Here’s how it works:
- you’ll need a computer with a fairly fast internet connection, your bass and some way of amplifying it so I can hear it – either via the mic on your computer, or by plugging it into a sound-card so it plays straight to me (I’ll see if I can write a tutorial on this after I’ve had some more experience with it and seen what the problems can be).
- If you do go the soundcard route, you’ll probably also need a mic. Headphones will make it easier for you to avoid weird echoing problems.
- You then book a lesson the same way anyone does (email me and sort out a time), pay me upfront via paypal (or in the UK, by bank-transfer, which must’ve cleared before the lesson), and we do the lesson.
- The cost will be the same as for a face-to-face lesson: £30 for one hour, £50 for two. (Paypal will do the currency conversion for you).
Simple-as.
If you have some way of recording Skype, you’re welcome to do that for your own use/reference (not for distribution – I’ll be doing more video lesson stuff on youtube soon, but one on one lessons are for you).
And that’s it. You in your house, me in mine. Hurrah!
Interested? Email me now.
Interesting Steve – we’ve tried one-to-one over video conferencing with limited success, but I suspect it’s down to the experience or otherwise of the tutor. I look forward to hearing how it goes – great possibilities for students here.
P
I’ve done a few lessons like this – so long as you work to its strengths, it’s a great medium. I tend to talk a lot in lessons (as any of my students will attest 🙂 ) – because understanding how and why we play is perhaps even more important than what… I’ll report back though, and hopefully see you in Sept!
I’d love to hear a recorded lesson with one of your students, just to see how you’re going about the process. 🙂
Nic, listening to a lesson with someone else would only show you how I help them answer their questions, not yours 😉
I always start with the student playing – start with what they do, help them identify and fix any apparent obstacles to them doing what they want to do, then work through the elements of music knowledge, skill and awareness that they need to play the music they want to play.
As you can imagine, that makes for a very different process depending on the student’s desired outcome, and may change of the course of a series of lessons if their horizons for what’s possible/desirable on the instrument are expanded.
For more on how I teach, I have a look at beyondbasscamp.com 🙂