EXPANDING SERVICES
AT
Piano Lessons PLUS
In the late 80’s is when I made the jump into the world of computers. I did a lot of reading and saw the great potential that was developing in using computers in music education. I’ve been using computers ever since and have never looked back.
Today – a quarter of a century later – I see a new leap forward as the computer industry advances in making technology more immediately useful to educators. The opportunities are too much to pass up. What I can now offer students is so much more than I could when I began my professional teaching career in the late 70’s. I can even offer a great deal more than I could when I began Severino’s Piano Keyboard Lab in 1988. Let’s begin to explore what I can offer to piano students in this new wave of innovation.
IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND PROFESSIONALISM IN TRADITIONAL PRIVATE LESSONS
Tablet Computers is going to bring computing to a new level usefulness. The power that can be packed into a thin computing device the size of a book is revolutionary. Here is how I plan to take advantage of this technology in my PRIVATE LESSONS at Severino’s Piano Lessons PLUS. I will continue to use my innovative system of marking my students books by using highlighters to draw the student attention to my instruction. (See “HIGHLIGHT” Your Teaching). I will still continue to use the books and methods I’ve published through Piano Teacher Press. I will still continue to utilize the creative music programs I developed for readying students for music lessons when I was going to schools as Dan Dan the Music Man. I will still continue using the computer programs I designed that supplements the method books I designed in my Keyboard Kid series of books. What I will now begin to offer is a new level and a new dimension of instruction using the newest technologies available to give you better and more creative musical instruction.
What I can now do is to made a COMPUTER NOTEBOOK for each student. This notebook will include, among other things, mp3 files of key explanations given in my lessons. Let’s say in a lesson there is a need for a thorough explanation of “key signatures“. I can easily record this part of the lesson and include it in the student’s personal computer notebook. After the lesson I can now send this is to eMail this recording TO YOU so you can review the lesson again at home. The instruction can be reviewed for greater, more comprehensive learning.
Let’s say a little later in the lesson I assign a new composition. Very often I would play the piece for the student. Now I can make either an mp3 of the piece or even a video of the piece and put this directly into the student’s computer notebook.
I recently had a student learn – O What A Beautiful Morning from the musical Oklahoma. We listened to this song on YouTube. Now, I can put the link in the student’s computer notebook where they can listen to the piece again. They may enjoy the piece so much they may even put it on their personal iPod.
Often at the end of a lesson I don’t always get through all the music the student prepared. I can put a little note in the student’s notebook what we need to cover first at the next lesson. I can put a notation into the student’s computer notebook and send it via eMail so it will not get misplaced. I have a record and the student has the same record so there is less confusion and communication breakdowns. Progress will gain consistency.
It is the practice of many teachers to play new assignments for their students. What I can now do is make a video of that performance and again put it into the STUDENT NOTEBOOK. They can now have the performance as part of their permanent record. The student will not have to recall what they remember from the lesson but will have live recordings and performances of the most important parts of their lessons. This cannot help but make the piano lessons more effective.
I can also bring little inspirational quotes and easily put it in each students notebook to personalize the student’s notebook. It will be much easier for me to get out universal messages to my students concerning recitals or auditions. As it is now it’s easy for me to forget a family or two concerning an upcoming event. Now it will be much easier to get my messages to parents. This only scratches the surface to what I can do through Tablet Computers in making my studio run more efficiently and more professionally.
EXPANDING CONVENIENCE CAN MEAN LESS TRAVEL FOR YOU!!
Another emerging technology that has emerged in the past few years is that of the teleconference; the connecting of people not only aurally but visually. Some means of doing this is Google Plus – Adobe Connect – and the popular SKYPE. SKPYE has become a popular platform for piano teachers to connect with student for a piano lesson. A WebCam (Web Camera) often included with laptop computers, an internet connection and SKYPE (a free download of SKYPE software HERE ) is all you need.
I know many people, both adults and children, would love to take piano lessons if only it could be made a little bit more convenient. Severino’s Piano Lessons PLUS is going to now offer a program of study where one can, for example, take only one lesson per month at my studio and the other lessons through SKYPE. This would be especially helpful for busy professionals wanting a self-study program. BUT with the advent of “cyber-schools” it is being found that young children can learn just fine through this type of computer technology. Many people are even getting college degrees learning at home with a minimum of visits to a local university. Please call my studio at (724) 935-2840 if this program interests you. On the table below are the basic plans I devised for my expanding service of “CYBER-PIANO LESSONS”
| PLAN 1 | PLAN 2 | PLAN 3 | PLAN 4 | PLAN 5 | PLAN 6 |
| 30 minute PRIVATE | 30 minute PRIVATE | 45 minute PRIVATE | 60 minute PRIVATE | 45 minute PRIVATE | 60 minute PRIVATE |
| 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE |
| 20 minute SKYPE | 30 minute PRIVATE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 45 minute PRIVATE | 60 minute PRIVATE |
| 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE | 20 minute SKYPE |
| 90 minutes monthly | 100 minutes monthly | 105 minutes monthly | 120 minutes monthly | 130 minutes monthly | 160 minutes monthly |
| $75.00 monthly | $83.35 monthly | $87.50 monthly | $100.00 monthly | $108.35 monthly | $133.35 monthly |
Some may have questions concerning the effectiveness of online piano lessons. Here is an encouraging note. Actually, the nature of the medium gives way to increased focus and concentration. Thus, one can more done in less time and actually costs can be contained. This is why I designed my SKYPE lessons to be 2o minutes in length and pass that savings on to you.
American Journal of Distance Education, 24(2), 92-103. Orman, E. K. and Whitaker, J. A. (2010).
Time usage during face-to-face and synchronous distance music lessons.
This experimental study closely compares multiple aspects of applied instrumental music lessons in face-to-face and online lesson settings. Three middle school students (one saxophonist, two tubists) had lessons with a saxophone and tuba instructor respectively. Each student had a mix of face-to-face and online video lessons which were videotaped and coded for a variety of factors. When on-line lessons were compared to face to face lessons, there was a 28% increase in student playing, a 36% decrease in off-task comments by the instructor, a 28% decrease in teacher playing (modeling), and an increase in student eye contact. In the online lessons, less than 3% of the time was spent on technology issues, although audio and video quality concerns were mentioned.
THE EXPANDED SERVICE OF MUSIC LESSONS IN YOUR HOME
I mentioned that I began my teaching career by going to my student’s homes. When I saw the great things computer technology could add to piano lessons I began to do all my teaching at my studio. Now with the advent of the new technologies including the tablet computer I can bring a large part of that technology from my studio to YOUR HOME. With a piece of equipment the size of a book, and a rather thin book at that, I can again offer piano lessons as part of my expanded services.
Again, if this is the type of convenience you need please don’t hesitate to call my studio at (724) 935-2840. CALL TODAY!!
These EXPANDED SERVICES actually only scratch the surface of the exciting options I have available to offer my students. My first studio, Severino’s Piano Keyboard Lab, had the byline – Where Traditional Instruction Meets Modern Technology; That byline is still true and growing at Severino’s Piano Lessons PLUS.
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