Online Piano Lesson Course Part 3: Voices from Teachers, Parents, and Students

It has been quite a while since the last update.

It has already been two months since we transitioned to online lessons via ZOOM in the second week of March. It seems that both the students and their parents have gotten quite used to it.

The online transition rate for our school is almost 100%. New students who joined in April have also started online.

This time, I will introduce the pros and cons of ZOOM lessons as seen from the perspectives of the teacher, the students, and the parents.

Teacher's Perspective

Pros

・The delay in sound and video is relatively low, so it is better than LINE.

・Whiteboard function (can write chords to teach).

Cons

・Delay issues are unavoidable. Lesson management must assume delays.

・Cannot see pedaling.

・Staring at the mobile screen for a long time causes a terrible headache after the lesson...

・I played in an awkward position to worry about the camera angle, so my lower back is shot (it hurt so much that I taught while standing for a while, haha).

・Poor sound quality. My ears get tired from listening to the muffled piano sound characteristic of phone connections (by the end of the lesson, I don't even want to hear piano sounds anymore...)

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Teacher, aren't you falling apart physically? Haha.

It is not entirely wrong to say that online lessons are actually more tiring than in-person ones! I wonder when we can do in-person lessons again...

When I first started, I used a mobile screen, but it was exhausting, so I switched to a PC in April. It became much easier. In addition, I can use a wired LAN, so the connection is stable! Compared to that, Wi-Fi is relatively unstable.

Regarding sound, I tried the widely circulated trick of turning on original sound, but it did not lead to a dramatic improvement. So, I carried out an upgrade of the hardware side.

I introduced an audio interface and input the electronic piano sound directly into the computer. By using a separate microphone for my voice, the sound quality improved, and sound distortion and automatic adjustments were slightly improved.

Thank you for waiting. Next, we will introduce the voices of the students.

Voices of Students and Parents

These are the raw voices heard during lessons!

Pros

・It is better to have online lessons than none at all.

・Even online, the teacher's instructions are easy to understand.

・Unlike regular lessons, it feels like the teacher is accompanying me during practice (for children who don't practice enough, I basically just have them play).

・Since I have to send a video every week in advance, I have started practicing more than usual (for children playing advanced pieces, I have them record in advance to ensure they have a proper grasp of the notes).

・ZOOM has better sound and video quality compared to LINE and similar apps.

・It is heartwarming to see them talking happily with the teacher. It is good for children to have someone to talk to.

・To keep them from getting bored, we don't just stick to the same piece; we play anime songs the child knows well, or I teach them simple improvisational accompaniment. The child seems to be enjoying it.

・The lesson videos sent after the lesson are useful for daily practice.

・In these times, I am grateful that you are able to provide lessons even if they are online.

・Thanks to you introducing ZOOM early on, I was able to handle ZOOM classes for other extracurricular activities smoothly. (An unexpected side effect, haha.)

Cons

・If I play along with the teacher, I can't hear them.

・The latency is still a concern.

・When asked to play it again, I do so, but I feel anxious about whether I am playing it correctly (this is because I cannot hear the teacher's comments while I am playing).

・Depending on the time of day, the internet gets congested, so there were times when the lesson was not possible. (Changing the time improved it somewhat, but it is still difficult to go over an hour in apartment complexes where the internet is crowded or when using a mobile Wi-Fi router.)

・If the child is young, a parent needs to be present the entire time.

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That is how it feels.

I was happy to hear that everyone agrees that lessons should be conducted even if they are online.

Some small children tend to wander away from their chairs when they realize there is no sense of intimidation (?) from having a teacher right in front of them. Mothers immediately helped them sit back down and accurately conveyed the teacher's instructions (such as music scores and note positions). It is truly helpful, especially since many mothers have no piano experience. Thank you.

The most common disadvantage was, as expected, latency!! It is frustrating even for me, so it is only natural that it would be for you too...

Real-time is definitely better.

The reason there is no latency is because of that ultimate software, Jamkazam (refer to App Section)

So, I had five test students install Jamkazam and we started using it in May.

As a result, we achieved stress-free lessons with no latency for both parties! Real-time, simultaneous performance is possible (two-piano playing can be done), and there is no sound distortion or automatic adjustment. All the issues that were challenges with other software were solved!

The disadvantage is that the setup is a bit difficult. I will delve into this in more detail in future installments.

Now, let's take a look at the real voices of the five test students.

Comparison of ZOOM and JAMKAZAM: Student Voices

Child A When we played together on Zoom, I couldn't hear it. On Jamkazam, I could hear the sound, but there wasn't much difference between the two. Parent's impression: Even when using Jamkazam, the gap between the sound and the video via iPhone (the teacher uses an iPhone as a webcam) seemed to cause confusion.

Child B
Zoom made the teacher's voice and piano sound muffled, so I was confused. But I could hear clearly on Jamkazam. However, I'm not used to talking into a microphone on Jamkazam. Parent's impression: It would likely be smoother if we used a lapel microphone.

Child C It was great because I could hear the teacher's sound and voice well. I thought it was amazing because the sound and hand movements were in sync. I felt like the teacher was right next to me playing an ensemble, and I was very happy.

Adult D
The difference is obvious. Jamkazam is almost like a real-life lesson. Zoom is for meetings, so the purpose is different to begin with.

D also said, 'If we could use Jamkazam for online work meetings, it would reduce those pointless conversations that happen when multiple people speak at once or when you try to change the flow of conversation without a pause, like: "Go ahead, no you go ahead. No, you were first. Wait, what?"'

Adult E
Zoom had latency, but I didn't feel any latency with Jamkazam, making it easier to take lessons. The sound depends on the speakers, of course, but there are no problems (it's good). However, it is difficult to talk into a microphone, so I will try holding the microphone next time.

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That was the feedback. Having no latency is a big deal! Especially the feeling mentioned in Child C's feedback—that the teacher is right next to you playing an ensemble—is truly amazing!

An area for improvement in lesson operation is the microphone. For students who use a separate microphone for their voice, I noticed they sometimes forget the microphone and talk without it. There were several times when the teacher couldn't hear the voice and had to ask them to repeat themselves. (The same goes for the other way around...) It takes some getting used to.

That said, both the teacher and student felt excited, thinking that this might just be the best possible online lesson currently available!

We want everyone to experience this amazing potential, so we are launching an exciting new project!

First up, we will soon be releasing a Jamkazam lesson video featuring little pianist O-chan!

The piece is Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 26, 'Coronation.' Will a remote ensemble actually work? Stay tuned to find out!

Please take a look at what a 'real' online lesson looks like, going far beyond Zoom and Skype.

In our next installment, Part 4, we will present the second part of our app series: 'We Tried Other Music Session Apps Besides Jamkazam.' Look forward to it!