Education
In March of this year, teachers all over the world were thrown a curveball when schools were closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Suddenly, we found ourselves signing up for Zoom accounts, setting up home studios, purchasing webcams and external microphones, and trying to figure out how to do what we do in this new virtual space. For many of us, we spent the first few weeks in survival mode — doing whatever we could to get through and provide a somewhat consistent and positive experience for our students. But once it became clear that we were in this for the long haul, that schools were not going to reopen this academic year, something started to shift. Instead of looking at this as a temporary substitute for in-person teaching and learning, I started settling into a new teaching rhythm and uncovering some surprising benefits that I wouldn’t have recognized were it not for this unusual and unexpected experience. It’s been 12 weeks now of teaching solely online. Twelve weeks of innovating and adapting and learning new technologies. Twelve weeks of meeting my students in their homes, navigating this new virtual world together, and finding ways to keep making music through it all.Today, I want to share a few of my observations and reflections on this season, this new paradigm in music education, and the benefits to music teaching and learning that I’ve discovered.For show notes, click here.Resources mentioned:Please note: some of these links are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!My best external microphone recommendationsEpisode 009 - Six Things I’ve Learned About Teaching Online (So Far)The New School for Music StudyFour Reasons Why Playing Your Instrument for Fun is Vital to Your Music CareerAfternoon Ti podcast (Episode 100)