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These are some FAQs I've either gotten myself or seen presented to my colleagues. This is by no means exhaustive, so please contact me if you have an additional question!
"HOW DO ONLINE LESSONS WORK?" FAQs
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These are some FAQs I've either gotten myself or seen presented to my colleagues. This is by no means exhaustive, so please contact me if you have an additional question!
"HOW DO ONLINE LESSONS WORK?" FAQs
- What equipment do I need for online lessons?
- This is going to depend on what discipline you're enrolling in.
- For piano, you need an acoustic piano (in good tune) or an 88-key weighted digital at minimum.
- All students need a computer or mobile device to connect to the videoconferencing software. I prefer this to be a computer or large tablet to facilitate on-screen analysis and sight-reading activities. However, phones have worked in a pinch. I will also add that Chromebooks tend to work very poorly for this and should be avoided. I'd suggest a smartphone over a Chromebook if those are the two choices.
- Piano students may wish to have a stand or other surface to put the computer/mobile device on during lessons. I use a standard music stand, but something as simple as an end table can work.
- For music theory and composition, the keyboard quality is less important; it doesn't need to be full size but it should play the right pitches.
- All students need good, reliable Internet access. A wired (ethernet) connection is preferable, but excellent wifi works as well. If possible, make sure others in the house are not streaming or doing other bandwidth-intensive "fun things" during the student's lesson, and if siblings are homeschooling online, it may be best to schedule online lessons for times outside of their school hours.
- I recommend headphones to prevent annoying audio feedback and increase the sound quality on the student's end. I use AKGs, but these could be any good-quality brand. If possible, for greater comfort, go for the type that fit over the entire ear and have padding.
- From experience, I would suggest that students not use computers that run Linux. Linux Zoom seems not to get along with other types of Zoom and can create an extremely distorted, crackling sound on my end, which makes it hard to hear both speech and playing. (I've not had students try running Zoom from the browser while on Linux.)
- Why should I choose an online teacher? Isn't it fairly easy to find local teachers?
- Online lessons can be anywhere you, an instrument (if applicable), and good wifi are! Genuinely qualified piano teachers are not easy to find as some may think they are.
- Studio DiPaolo offers several teaching specialties that most other teachers just aren't experienced or skilled enough to offer: for example, tonal/historical composition, college-level music theory, piano accompanying, and Hungarian-school piano technique. If you have interests in those areas, your likelihood of finding a good teacher locally (unless you're in a major city) falls to near zero. You also won't have to make major commutes to study with renowned teachers. But you can always join Studio DiPaolo online!
- As anyone who lives in a snowy environment is aware, sometimes we simply cannot travel to a studio location/teacher or the teacher cannot come to a student's home due to outside circumstances. Is your area in another COVID lockdown? No problem! Your musical pursuits can proceed as usual.
- Illness is no longer a factor as long as you/the student has enough mental and physical energy to benefit from a lesson. Online lessons don't spread germs!
- Long commutes are a thing of the past when you study online. Additionally, online teachers can offer lower rates than expensive travel teachers who come to your home, have to use tuition to pay for gas and car maintenance, and have limitations on their schedules (and numbers of students they can take) due to all the drive time. Because being online creates fewer overhead costs for me, I can pass that on as more affordable tuition.
- If you live in an area where the cost of living is extremely high, so local teachers are charging high tuition rates commensurate with that, you may find yourself unable to afford lessons with a local teacher. But you don't have to miss out on music education when a top-tier online teacher is available!
- If you split your time between two locations (like "snowbirds" who live in Florida during the winters and Michigan during the summers), an online teacher is the only way to maintain year-round consistency without forgoing lessons for months and losing all that progress when you're in your other location.
- You'll be playing on your own instrument during lessons, which means you won't have trouble adjusting to my instrument when you may already be nervous to play for me.
- Some students just do better with the online delivery format. Studio environments or teachers' homes, or even the teacher coming to the student, can be a distraction for sensory-defensive kids. My own observations have shown that my neurodivergent tween and older students (contrary to popular thought, perhaps) have sometimes done especially well in online lessons.
- You mention Google Meet and Forte platforms. Do I get to pick one or how does it work?
- By default, we'll start on Google Meet for our initial Meet & Greet, which is scheduled through Calendly and auto-generates a Google meeting room. At least 75% of my students find that this fits all their online lesson needs. However, if I hear poor or little sound from you and we determine that your computer and/or wifi connection would do better with another option, we'll proceed with Forte. Forte has some specific browser and equipment requirements, but is tailored for music, and Google Meet is a little more general-purpose. Note that I will not use Forte for students under 18 because Forte records all lesson footage on their end.
- How soon can I start?
- If you like, and if I have an available slot, you can start the day after our Meet & Greet! I'm always happy to see new students jump in with enthusiasm and excitement. Of course, that may change the scope of the material we cover that day when there wasn't much lead time to listen through and choose repertoire, print off my Technique Package PDF, etc., or we're waiting for your book in the mail, but we can make it work.
- If you are enrolling because you have a time-sensitive tutoring/exam/audition preparation need, we will skip the Meet & Greet and just do a brief interview at the beginning of our first lesson, which will be billed as a normal lesson.
- I'm in a time zone that doesn't observe Daylight Savings. Do I need to adjust my lesson slot and log in 1 hour earlier when the US enters DST?
- No. I make all DST scheduling adjustments on my end so your lessons happen at the same time every week for your own time zone. I have several students in time zones that don't observe DST and tend to schedule lessons back to back when my setup is in place, so this works best for my studio system. If DST will impact my ability to log into your lesson on time, I'll notify you well in advance so we can make other arrangements, like a temporary change in time slot.
- Will you travel to my home?
- No, Studio DiPaolo is entirely online and will remain so.
- Can I bring my child to your home or come myself for in-person lessons?
- No, Studio DiPaolo is entirely online and will remain so. (If you came to this website through the Google My Business listing, the address given is simply a mailing address required by Google in order to register the studio with them. It is a Post Office Box and not a physical location.)
- Do you offer group or partner lessons?
- Not for piano or composition. However, I'm occasionally approached by pairs or groups of classmates enrolled in the same college music theory course who are all seeking tutoring at the same time, and in those cases, schedule permitting, I've offered group theory tutoring sessions at 2/3 of the individual rate per student. When undertaking this arrangement, I advise adding one additional half hour for each additional student (so if one student has one hour, a group of 2 students should book 1.5 hours and a group of 3 should book 2 hours).
- In the future I do plan to host a Theory and Music Literacy Fundamentals Workshop that will happen in a group "flipped classroom" format; however, these will be substantially different from group performance lessons. These workshops will target incoming AP Theory students, RCM and ABRSM students needing to pass theory exams, and other interested parties who can't afford the time or tuition for private lessons or more intensive camps.
- What method(s) will you use with me?
- That question won't be possible to answer until we hold our free Meet & Greet, most of whose purpose is for me to get a sense of where you are and what materials will help you achieve your goals. By visiting my various Piano, Music Theory, and Composition information pages, you can see a list of the materials I use frequently, but their combinations and supplements will vary based on the individual student's situation.
- I want to learn pop/rock/jazz or contemporary songwriting. Can you teach me these styles only?
- No. This is like asking if a native English speaker can teach you French when they have never studied French. These may share a bit of vocabulary but are totally different languages. I do allow students to bring in the occasional fully notated pop/rock song. In composition lessons, if songwriting is your interest, we can work on the fundamentals of notation, phrasing, melody, and harmony. After we study fundamentals for the amount of time needed, you may choose to seek a songwriting specialist for instruction. At that point, I can refer you to jazz piano and songwriting specialists who teach online.
- We just moved here and our previous teacher used Suzuki (or insert other method here). Can you use the same method?
- In general, no, I will not use a particular method just because the child came to me already in that method. I also tend to supplement heavily and borrow from other materials rather than follow a strict "method approach." However, if the method is one I already find to be useful with many children, or if it seems to be working very well for that particular student, I could make the executive decision to stay in that series (even if it is not the one I would choose for a new student). I will also put siblings in different method series at my discretion/to prevent siblings from comparing themselves in progress rates or sloppily half-learning each other's repertoire by ear, which can stunt students' motivation to do detailed work on their own repertoire.
- We have a digital keyboard at home. Is this OK for piano lessons?
- If nothing else is possible (like during quarantines or in extremely thin-walled apartments), we can work with a weighted, 88-key digital; however, we'll have to modify the technical approach and you will not get the most out of piano studies. Most keyboards are closer to organs in their actions, and I am not an organist. In such a situation, I recommend practicing mainly on churches'/schools'/colleges'/family members' acoustic instruments nearby if you can. After all, it's what many of us teachers did in our conservatory/college days when our dorms or student apartments didn't have room for a piano. I'm happy to help investigate leads on free or low-cost acoustic instruments in your area, too, and I am very skilled in this pursuit. Of course, if you are studying music theory or composition with me, the keyboard quality is much less relevant: it just needs to play the right pitches.
- Do you teach students with special needs?
- On a case by case basis, yes. But I am not a Registered Music Therapist (RMT) and thus do not provide music therapy. That said, if the student has a neurodivergence and we determine that lessons are a good fit, I need to know about it before lessons start. Additionally, given my vast teaching experience, I'll usually discover the neurodivergence during lessons anyway, even if the parents don't know or are hiding it. Hiding it won't work. Piano teachers are often the first to spot both neurodivergences and eye problems in students: Mozart famously saw (and noted) that a composition student "squints. She is squint eyed."
- I also embrace a results-oriented approach (equipping students with the skills to enjoy making music independently), so if your family's interests and needs fall more clearly into a process-oriented approach, in which you're just looking for your child to enjoy some exposure and fun every week, I would suggest the music therapy route or a group general music experience like Kindermusik.
- For ADHD in particular (a trait Mozart is thought to have had), as well as autism (which Beethoven likely had), I suggest strategic lesson scheduling: seeing if the student can take lessons during the school day while any medication is still in the student's system or on Sundays when they are not so dysregulated from getting through a whole school day. After-school lessons tend to be less effective when medication has worn off and families may need to ration medication on weekends or non-school days. Due to the dysregulation, after-school "lessons" tend to consist of more co-regulation than actual instruction, and co-regulation is really best left to parents or a qualified therapist. Instead of potentially losing an entire lesson's worth of time because the child needs me to co-regulate them immediately after school, I'm happy to teach them online during the school day, school permitting, and that may provide more progress and fulfillment. Before-school lessons tend not to work as well for ADHD, since ADHD minds take longer than neurotypical minds to transition from sleep mode to waking mode, but might be an option for autistic students without ADHD depending on time zone.
- Will you teach my 4-year-old beginner?
- I do not accept young beginners (pre-tween) for online lessons. I also don't generally believe that it's any more beneficial for a student to start at age 3-4 than it is for that child to start at age 6-7+, in general, when the piano is not an instrument that can be size-adjusted for smaller hands. When your 4-year-old starter and his 7-year-old starter friend are both 16 and competing in the same competition division with the same repertoire, it will be impossible to tell the difference between them! This gap can close even more quickly in many cases. Drawing on my own experience and a friend's: both of us started in Suzuki repertoire, and at 7, both of us were playing the three Anna Magdalena Bach notebook minuets that are included in Book 2. I started piano a couple months before turning 6 (I was a tall child). She started at 3. Having nearly 3 years of a head start didn't help her because it created a size disadvantage between her and the keyboard, and since I was older--and had more physical size and cognitive skills due to that--I progressed more quickly and caught up. These days, we're both active teachers and successful performers. In fact, because my own technique instruction was delayed and I needed a full technique rehab at age 18, I'm much more easily able to pass that on to my students because I remember the process, and my friend does not.
- Delaying theory and written composition instruction is a little more self-explanatory because those pursuits require some fluency in reading music notation and text, but I would also delay explicit theory instruction until the tween years (10 is a good average unless the child is profoundly gifted and committed).
- In summary: The differences in pianists who started lessons at 3-4 vs. 7-8 are negligible by the teen years, given equal commitment, IQ, hand size, and teacher/family support.
- Will piano lessons raise my child's IQ?
- In short, no. IQ depends on a lot of things (genes and an appropriately stimulating environment/nutrition in infancy), but once the child's old enough to consider piano lessons, it's "set" for life, since it crystallizes by about age 3. While there's a correlation between high piano achievement and high IQ, it's due to the reverse circumstances: high-IQ kids, looking for a stimulating activity and emotional outlet, gravitate toward the cognitively challenging world of two-staff piano music—or their parents recognized that under-challenging schoolwork would not teach them to work hard and the kids would need an activity to foster that growth mindset. (Kenneth Elpus, 2013, has some studies on this.) It's also possible that piano could improve a student's psychological health (by providing an expressive outlet and increasing self-esteem) and that improved mental health may help the student achieve better school performance, but that's an indirect relationship.
- My child doesn't yet speak English (or Spanish) because we just arrived here/we are in a non-English-speaking country but I want piano to be a way to expose my child to the English language for the first time. Can you still teach them?
- Online lessons require stronger reading and verbal comprehension skills than in-person lessons do, so my answer will probably be "no" if the student is really not comfortable in English or Spanish. Total beginners who have just moved to English-speaking countries are best off working with a teacher who speaks their first language for those first several months before the student's English begins to catch up.
- Students who have no other exposure to English outside the piano lesson setting are usually best served by working with a teacher who's proficient in their first language. I wouldn't recommend piano as a way to learn English, since the vocabulary is too specialized and not really transferable.
- If the student is a neurotypical prepubescent child (still able to learn languages by immersion), their first language is Italian (not a dialect, but standard Italian), and they are working on their English, I may accept them on a case-by-case basis. My Italian is intermediate, not fluent enough to teach in exclusively, but enough that I can help out if a student needs sporadic explanations in Italian. I'm in a better position to do this if the student is studying partimento/historical composition, whose materials were originally published in Italian.
- Many autistic and ADHD kids need to approach even native language learning like an adult learning their second language, so I would not recommend the immersion approach of studying with an English-speaking teacher as a way to learn English in this situation. Formal classes with explicit grammar study will be much more effective (much like the language classes you took in high school).
- In the absence of in-person recitals, how can I or my child show off a polished repertoire piece? What performance opportunities are there?
- Studio DiPaolo hosts occasional casual Piano Parties on Google Meet, but I encourage all students to audio-record each repertoire selection that is polished to what we feel is a recording-quality standard (which will vary based on the student's experience level and goals). Then, when the student has gotten a quality recording, I encourage them to send it to a friend, particularly someone who lives far away or who is not a musician. Music is a gift meant to be shared, and this practice emphasizes music's power to bring people together. As a bonus, the resulting collection of recordings can serve as a running catalog of the student's repertoire and a record of the student's musical growth over time. Students who are in high school and beginning the college application process may even decide to include these recordings in their application portfolios.
- ¿Podrías enseñarme (o a mi hij@) en español?
- ¡Claro que si!
- Wow! This tuition rate is too good to be true! What's the catch?
- There really is none: I just want to make world-class music education accessible to those for whom it might otherwise be out of reach. I also keep my overhead costs low by not using my car and gas to travel to you, not needing to rent or maintain a studio space equipped for in-person traffic (which usually requires additional insurance/supplies), and not needing to recruit entirely new student pools every time I relocate. The costs I incurred to purchase my specialized equipment were pretty minimal in comparison to these.
- Are your rates negotiable?
- Absolutely not. My rates are already among the lowest available for the wealth of scholarship and experience I bring to Studio DiPaolo. If you are interested in composition fundamentals, beginning partimento, or traditional music theory studies, it may be possible to assemble a small group for lessons at a slightly lower per-student rate (usually 2/3 the individual rate per student), so please feel free to inquire about that if you have already put together a group who's ready to enroll. Examples include a group of college seniors who need to prepare for graduate music theory entrance exams at music schools whose theory requirements reflect a more traditional curriculum than what the group's undergrad institution offered.
- When are payments due?
- For students on a monthly tuition plan, they are due on the first lesson day of the month. I encourage using AutoPay through Zelle if remembering these dates would be a hassle. A la carte is just that--a la carte--so payments for those lessons are due on the lesson day.
- Generally, I will not send an invoice or bill first unless we've determined that the only way the student can access a payment method is by receiving a bill to fill out. Please get in touch if that may be the case for you.
- Do you offer sibling or multiple-family-member discounts?
- No. I spend as much time and as many resources preparing to unlock every student's potential in lessons, whether or not they happen to be in the same family. If you can demonstrate exceptional financial need (through outside evaluating bodies like MusicLink), however, it may be possible for me to offer a modified, partly combined lesson structure for two members of the same family, depending on ages and levels.
- Can I get a free trial lesson?
- Studio DiPaolo does not offer free lesson trials, but I do provide (and usually require) a free tech setup and interview prior to the first lesson, which I call a Meet & Greet. This is also my chance to evaluate the student's previous experience, if any, and choose the correct materials for them. I generally allow at least a half hour for these, and Calendly will automatically provide an hourlong slot. If part of the interview involves assessing whether a young student is ready to begin online piano lessons we will definitely need closer to an hour.
- Do you do scholarships/MusicLink?
- Not at this time, since MusicLink covers only materials costs, which are almost nonexistent in the studio due to my large materials library and the fact that online studios do not need to reserve halls for recitals. Thus, enrolling with Studio DiPaolo is more cost-effective than joining studios that charge for registration, materials costs, and recital booking fees, and it may even be more cost-effective than enrolling with a MusicLink teacher.
- Can my 2(+) children share a single method/theory book so we can save a little money?
- No. If a book is shared, then it will be impossible to tell which musical score markings are for which sibling, which will confuse both of them. Furthermore, siblings who are different ages will likely progress at a different pace and will usually need entirely different method series in order to prevent undue competition/negative self-comparison/sloppy aural half-learning of the other sibling's repertoire (and refusal to refine it in lessons later).
- That said, I do encourage families with multiple piano students to start building a library of supplemental repertoire books, which can and should be shared as the kids' skill levels permit. These create great opportunities for curious students to simply sight-read through new music for the pure pleasure of discovering it. Duet books are particularly good for this purpose if you have two children taking lessons.
- If I furnish something (like a set of theory worksheets) digitally and intend for both/all the students in your home to use it, I'll ask you to save each student's copy with a separate filename to prevent confusion about markings.
- How often and by how much do you raise rates?
- I try to keep rate increases to a minimum compared to most teachers—they will not increase for a specific student more frequently than once every 2 years. The amount of each increase will depend on if you're a new or returning student and if you're enrolled under a promotional rate that is subject to expiration (like Bloomington affiliates or promotions I may sometimes run in online communities for new enrollments). Most of my rate increases apply to new enrollments only, so long-term students with ongoing enrollment see them less often. In years that they happen, rate changes for current students will happen in May/June or September of that year.
- I try to keep rate increases to a minimum compared to most teachers—they will not increase for a specific student more frequently than once every 2 years. The amount of each increase will depend on if you're a new or returning student and if you're enrolled under a promotional rate that is subject to expiration (like Bloomington affiliates or promotions I may sometimes run in online communities for new enrollments). Most of my rate increases apply to new enrollments only, so long-term students with ongoing enrollment see them less often. In years that they happen, rate changes for current students will happen in May/June or September of that year.
- What days are you available to teach?
- I currently have pockets of availability on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Specific timeslot availability depends on the lesson length we determine that you need after our Meet & Greet. Of course, shorter lesson lengths make more slots available, but certain goals, levels, and fields of study require longer slots. (For instance, I'll rarely recommend 30-minute partimento lessons unless the student is on the cusp of being too young for such lessons and we are simply trying them out.) My Mondays are completely full, but if that is the only day you would be able to meet, I'll place you on my Monday waitlist. Studio DiPaolo is closed on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- I currently have pockets of availability on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Specific timeslot availability depends on the lesson length we determine that you need after our Meet & Greet. Of course, shorter lesson lengths make more slots available, but certain goals, levels, and fields of study require longer slots. (For instance, I'll rarely recommend 30-minute partimento lessons unless the student is on the cusp of being too young for such lessons and we are simply trying them out.) My Mondays are completely full, but if that is the only day you would be able to meet, I'll place you on my Monday waitlist. Studio DiPaolo is closed on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Can I have a different lesson slot every week because of my child's travel soccer team schedule?
- If your schedule doesn't allow for the same time slot every week (like you need a different time each week or you can only come in every 2 weeks), you can go a la carte, which would activate the "per lesson" rate given for each lesson length on the Tuition page. However, you'll be limited to whatever slots are left over after others have scheduled their make-up lessons, last-minute theory tutoring sessions, or other teaching commitments I have, so selection is limited. The extensive time commitments of high-level sports often make musical achievement difficult, as well, and that needs to be kept in mind when families decide how many commitments to take on.
- I am sick today or my Internet is out; can I reschedule?
- Yes! The beauty of online lessons is that rescheduling is easy. If you are or your child is too ill to concentrate for the lesson period then we will find a make-up slot.
- What happens if I need to be late or am accidentally late to log in for a lesson?
- Each lesson will still end at the appointed ending time. If appropriate notice was provided for the late arrival, we may be able to find a time for a make-up lesson; however, random late arrivals will not have the missing time made up. Studio DiPaolo needs to run with military precision in order to accommodate all the students who are enrolled as well as my active performing career, so it is not possible to extend the lesson length to accommodate lateness. If sticking to a schedule is difficult due to your own obligations or a neurodivergence like ADHD, an a-la-carte arrangement (in which lessons are scheduled and purchased one at a time) may be a better fit.
- Do you provide summer lessons, or are summers considered a break time in your studio?
- Studio DiPaolo runs 52 weeks a year: imagine trying to take 3 months off learning a new language! You would forget everything, it would be incredibly frustrating to feel that skill backslide, and you'd be much more likely to quit. This consideration is even more important for a discipline like piano performance in which extremely precise physical movements also need to be rehearsed consistently over many years. Additionally, my students are mostly adults who live all over the world and adhere to different calendars, so having a "master calendar" doesn't make sense. The Northern Hemisphere's summer is the Southern Hemisphere's winter, after all.
- That said, tuition is billed on a month-to-month basis with no "lock-in" required past the current month, so if you have an unavoidable travel or other conflict and can notify me ahead of time, we can work with that. I do provide fair warning that a skill backslide is likely if your travel or other obligation limits your access to an instrument/your typical materials, and in the lessons prior to your time off, we will discuss listening lists and other strategies to keep your musical growth progressing during your time away. I particularly discourage long breaks for neurodivergent students, for whom learning loss can happen more quickly and dramatically and for whom routine can be extremely important.
- Can we pro-rate months in which I have to miss a lesson?
- Generally, we will instead try to find a make-up slot for lessons that needed to be missed. Absences that are planned well in advance or medically necessary breaks from lessons are an exception to this; however, substantially decreasing the number of lessons will impede progress and it may make more sense to flip you onto an a-la-carte plan instead. Random no-shows will not be made up or pro-rated unless an emergency or serious technical issue occurred. If the absence was my doing (for instance, if my Internet was out) I will guarantee a make-up.
- I am actually a fellow music teacher and I'd like to ask you how you teach online and get students! Can you tell me all your secrets?
- I offer consulting for new or aspiring online teachers at my a la carte rates (or if you'd like to coach weekly, you can join the studio under one of the monthly tuition plans). I'm one of the most experienced online multi-discipline music teachers out there and am fluent in Zoom, in particular, although I am transitioning away from using it in my own studio. I've also taught independently since 2001 and can provide some helpful leads on student recruitment. Click here to visit my Consulting page and get started.
- I'm an educational composer and see your success in this field. Can you teach me how to write what students need, then market my compositions?
- Absolutely. This is one aspect of coaching that I offer to teachers who enroll in my consulting studio. Unfortunately, it seems that many composers are simply not taught proper compositional skill-building or how to market or how to assess their target demographics, and the result is a pile of self-promotional cross-posts in numerous Facebook groups that drive customers away rather than drawing them in. I can show you how to spot where holes in the market may be and how you can fill them, as well as provide tonal composition training that is particularly relevant to educational composers writing in older styles for their students' benefit. Sessions can be regular (under one of the monthly plans) or a la carte.
Does Studio DiPaolo seem like a good fit? If so, CLICK HERE to start your music-making journey!
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Home | About | Tuition/Info | FAQ | Piano | Theory | Partimento | Composition | Accompanying | Consulting for Teachers | Media | Shop | Contact/Enroll