5 Tech Tools for Teaching Piano Online
With the current situation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot have turned to online learning as an alternative to face-to-face or in-person sessions or classes. Luckily, with the continuing development in technology, we now have a lot of tools for online music teaching that we can use for more efficient and easier ways of teaching!
For those of you who have already considered teaching music online, you may have already discovered some of these tools. Of course, as a teacher, you would want to be as effective online as you are in face-to-face classes. You want to make sure that you reach your students in a way that makes them feel as valued and is most effective for them.
When choosing the right tools, think about how each of these would apply to your studio and your students. Do not be overwhelmed with the many options available. I suggest that you pick two apps to start with and work your way from there.
Choose the ones that would help most in connecting and engaging with your students and provide a fun learning experience for them.
Most Recommended Tools for Online Music Teaching
1. Tonara Studio
Tonara Studio enables you to create customized lessons that you can save and reuse in the future. You can make assignments, track practice, and make fun activities that your students will pay attention to and be engaged with!
The app also has a messaging feature that you may use to communicate with students individually or as a group. To top it all off, this app is not only good for online teaching but can also be utilized for in-person classes. This is the #1 app I recommend for all music teachers and especially online music teachers.
2. Carol Matz Interactive Method
I absolutely love Carol Matz Interactive Method and it’s the first method that I recommend when helping teachers create a digital, portable music library. It’s a good learning resource in the form of digital books, and for a fun learning experience students of all ages. It comes with online accompanying games and activities for every unit in each book, which can be useful in evaluating your students and reinforcing important musical concepts and knowledge and understanding of each lesson or topic. Students can have their own copies of digital music on their iPad, computer, phone, or printed.
3. Internet MIDI and Classroom Maestro (Timewarp Technologies)
Created by my personal friend, George Litterst, a nationally known music educator, clinician, author, performer, and music software developer, this app allows you to connect your MIDI keyboard to your laptop. Which you can then share your screen and audio with your students! It’s a game changing software for online music teachers!
Another cool feature is that it also allows the students to connect their MIDI keyboards to their laptops, enabling you to do a buddy call. With very minimal lag time, this tool lets your student play along with you and even allow you to play duets, score!
As a bonus, Timewarp Technologies also developed Classroom Maestro, which can be downloaded and installed on your laptop. This app can act as a visual aid or display that can supplement your discussions. I use Classroom Maestro for demonstration scales, chord building, interviews, note recognition, jazz analysis, and more!
4. Super Score (for IOS devices)
This app is a digital music store that offers tons of method books. They also have tracks available that can be used as accompaniment or practice pieces. Also known as liquid music, its contents adjust to your screen size as you zoom in and out. This app can be downloaded for free and then you purchase the songs and method books that you need within the app, another one that I highly recommend!
5. Music Flash Class (for IOS devices)
This one is a very straightforward and simple app. You can provide a quiz to your students on their note reading. It can be a useful tool in doing knowledge checks in between lessons. I do a 1-minute flashnote quiz at the end of every lesson It is another way of engaging students and making learning fun for them.
6. Zoom
As we all know, there are a lot of calling and messaging platforms available in the market but for me, this is at the top of the list. And believe me, I have tried them all. The best thing about Zoom is that it lets you share not only your screen but also your computer sounds so that your students can hear the audio not through your microphone but directly on their devices. It works best with voice teachers as they would be able to share accompanying tracks to their students and hear them sing together with the music. Another thing I like about Zoom is that it allows students to annotate your screen. You can go through lessons with your students and when you ask them questions, they can directly write or draw the answers on the screen. It surely makes it a more interactive experience for them.
Bonus! Other Highly Recommended Tools
Google Drive
This one, I believe, needs the least explanation. Google Drive provides good storage space and keeps your music, PDF sheets, downloads, digital files, and other learning tools and materials organized!
Files are automatically backed up which means you can store your materials and use them over and over which can save you time that is otherwise spent on preparing lessons and activities for your classes. Also, your files can be accessed from different devices and can be shared with your students quickly and easily.
You’ll definitely need to consider organizing all of your resources and music in Google Drive so that you can easily share files with your students online! This is the easiest and fastest way to share information with your students.
Links to resources and discount codes:
Tonara Studio - use the code teachmusiconline for 20% off your first year subscription
Carol Matz Interactive Method - Use the code BEETHOVEN for 25% off digital only packages
Internet Midi - Join the TMO Membership for 50% off
Classroom Maestro - Join the TMO Membership for 50% off
Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
“I love Carly and Teach Music Online!” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more amazing teachers — just like you — move toward running a thriving online studio that they deserve. Click here, click “listen on Apple Podcasts”, once in iTunes - tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a new episode every week, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now!