The nature of brass instruments makes them one of the easier families of instruments to teach online. Although there are technical issues such as stuck slides or valves, these can generally be overcome easily. That said, a basic pre-recorded video clip covering maintenance for each instrument is essential for the parents of younger pupils to help them keep the instrument working well. Introducing cleaning and oiling routines early in the teaching will save time in the long run. Do encourage the pupils to check the instrument over before the live lesson begins so that any issues can be addressed and you can avoid wasting valuable lesson time.
A good seating position for brass playing is essential. From your point of view, it will be important for your student to be able to see clearly the valves or slide. The same will be true for your view of the student. Playing sideways on so that your right side is facing the camera gives the best angle. This also stops the pupil playing directly into the microphone (often resulting in a distorted sound if you have not adjusted the input level). If the audio does drop off due to high volume have the pupil check in the audio options that automatically adjust whether volume options are turned off. For the teaching of the French Horn you will need to turn around and have the pupil turn around when discussing right hand position.
Within Zoom or other online communication software, using a ‘shared screen’ option is useful not only to share images and .pdf files of pieces but also to run software like Smart Music or YouTube play-along tracks.
To back up my learning I have created finger and slide quizzes for trumpet and trombone to help with my students’ learning in the early stages.
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