What a crazy few weeks it’s been! Michigan has been under a Shelter in Place order for three weeks now. A lot of things have certainly not been easy, and that definitely includes the task of teaching violin lessons. Almost all of my students have been able to continue lessons online, which has not been a smooth transition for all of them. Some of my students seem to be doing fine, and others are heavily affected by their routines disappearing and life coming to a screaming halt. I have noticed this in their energy levels, concentration, and the amount that they have been practicing. I’ve tried a ton of different ideas to keep my students engaged and feel cared about, and I wanted to share some of my ideas.

1.) Take Care of Yourself

It’s like when they say in an airplane to put your oxygen mask on first before helping anyone else. You’re not going to be able to do a good job for your students if you’re not doing a good job for yourself. This does not mean the same thing for everyone! For some people it’s staying busy, and for some it’s being loving towards yourself and allowing yourself to have off days. Something important to remember is that almost no one is functioning at their normal levels right now and that’s okay. Acknowledging to yourself that you could be having a tough time will make it easier to realize that your students are having a tough time too.

2.) Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

It’s your job as a teacher to critique your students’ playing. That means when you hear something that is obviously wrong, it’s your job to identify the problem and offer solutions for how to fix it. When you’re meeting in person, sometimes it’s appropriate to drill things for an extended period of time. However, when you’re teaching online, your student can’t easily read your body language, nor can you read theirs. Now is not the time to get “stuck” on one thing during your lessons. Of course address it and spend some time working on it, but if you get hung up on one thing, you and your student are just going to get frustrated about it. You can’t give the same kind of direction online that you can give in person, so consider that it’s not your student’s fault that they’re not understanding the concept you’re trying to explain. If something just isn’t working, move on. Come back to it at the end of the lesson or even at the next lesson.

3.) For Younger Students, Try Multiple Mini-Lessons

I have a couple of very young students who have trouble focusing throughout our normal 30 minute lessons when there isn’t a global pandemic. When I made the switch to online lessons, they were my first thought. How am I supposed to engage them for a full 30 minutes at a time when I’m talking to them through a computer without proper mics and speakers? That’s why I decided that for my younger students, I would do two 15-20 minute lessons a week rather than one 30 minute lesson. I’ve had a lot of success with this! It’s still hard to get complete focus, but you have to look at the small victories. Did your student play for half of the lesson? Great! Did they show you their toys for the other half? Also great, they’re probably so happy to have been able to show you. I’ve found that I’ve gotten a more personal look into their lives through this, and I’m thankful for it. Remember that you are teaching the whole person, not just the musician when you take on a young student. Maybe this is the time to inspire musicality through emotion rather than focus entirely on technical details.

4.) Connect With Other Teachers

Guess what? There’s no guide to this. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve been searching for tips online since this whole thing started. Unfortunately, there’s not much out there, because we’re all winging this. So, connect with your teaching friends! Ask them how they’re doing and what they’re doing to keep their lessons beneficial and engaging to their students. Right now, they are your best resource.

5.) Remember Why We’re Doing This

After several lessons with frustrating lag, audio difficulties, and lack of concentration from students, you’re probably feeling burnt out more than anything else. That’s okay, give yourself time to feel down and angry about the situation. It’s not fair! But when you’re done, remember that you are giving these students something very important. The reason we teach music is so we can share something we love very much with others. So help your students. Show them that even through a global pandemic, music will still be there and it will always enrich their lives. Make it fun! Let it be an outlet for them, not a burden.

What have you been doing to cope during this time? I would love to hear from you about ideas you have had for your online teaching.