I'll be as upfront as possible about this:

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Before March 2020, I was teaching for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week in person. In the second week of March, Covid-19 shut everything down abruptly in Surrey, BC, where I was based. Faced with the sudden, unavoidable shift to online lessons, that weekend, I didn't leave my computer as I brainstormed how I could take everything I did in person- my resources, techniques and hands on teaching- and make these things possible online.

All weekend, I made custom graphics, quizzes, visuals, online flashcards, games and hunted high and low for the resources I needed from websites and web apps. For many weeks afterwards, I made all of my sheet music into PDF, so that I could screen share and easily help my students to navigate their music. 

I tried to envision every scenario, even down to "how can I put stickers on student's violins so that they know where to put their fingers" (I made a custom template for every violin size which can be emailed to parents and printed out)! The result was this:

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• Student behaviour improved: I think from the combination of parents being in the vicinity of the lesson and there being no distractions from being in different space.

• Student attainment increased: students were focussing better, and had to be more proactive with quizzes, finding their own place in the music etc., and behaviour improved, thus more learning was taking place.

• I'm going to be very honest: my teaching improved. Being in my home environment, where there weren't 15 other piano lessons going on around me, enabled me to focus better, and thus, teach better. Additionally, having to think outside the box opened up resources and ideas which I otherwise never would have discovered. 

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I've just had a student pass their RCM violin exam with honours with distinction- a mark achieved entirely through online learning and an online exam! I have two more students working for exams presently- again, all online. 

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What are the downsides? Occasionally there are tech issues. I have installed the highest speed of internet available for my area and operate through ethernet not wifi. On the whole, I have found tech issues to be minimally disruptive and having tried different video calling platforms, chose Zoom Professional for their high fidelity audio option, ease of screen sharing and also most reliable call quality.

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The bottom line is: Online lessons do not suit everyone and some teachers prefer in person lessons. However, my experience is that online lessons are not a compromised way to learn an instrument, but effective, convenient and enjoyable. So, I am offering a free trial lesson to anyone who wants to give online lessons a go, because I believe that, like me, you'll be pleasantly surprised!