Transitioning to online lessons during the time of social distancing

Attention students of Velarde Voice:

As the situation with Covid-19 progresses around the country, I wanted to reach out to all of you. At this moment, I am transitioning all lessons to online lessons, via free accounts on voicelessons.com. I have several members of my family, including my husband, who are in the high-risk category. In order to best protect everyone’s health, my family is making the decision to practice as much social distancing as possible.

First, in order to help with this transition, I am opening next weekend’s previously closed availability for all currently subscribed students for an ADDITIONAL lesson, at no charge to anyone, in order to get used to the platform. Fortuitously, I have been working for over a month on setting up this online option, and it’s a strong platform supported by a voice teacher who is passionate about finding the best way for teachers to deliver lessons in an online environment.

Second, all other lessons will take place as previously scheduled.

TL:DR—FREE lesson this weekend via voicelessons.com (check your email)

Wondering what to expect with online lessons or how it works? Here’s everything you need to know. 😊

1) Are online lessons the same as in person lessons?

No. Online lessons are a different learning medium which gives us a unique opportunity to focus on student-centered learning even more that we already do. The pace is slower and more self-reflective on the part of the student.

2) What equipment do I need?

a) I am sending an individual account setup invite to each of you. You will need to install the voicelessons.com app, following directions in the email.

b) I HIGHLY recommend an HD video camera (mine is from Logitech and was about $60). This will help with mobility of camera positioning, and for now, provide adequate audio input.

c) We will need to work with tracks for accompaniments for you. Once connected, either you or I can add a track or link to an online track into the voicelessons.com lesson space. You may want to obtain a subscription (free for 30 days, but Apple only at this point) to Appcompanist, which is high quality accompaniment for primarily classical and MT repertoire. I can also prepare accompaniment recordings for you, if you can’t find one that works.

d) I recommend that you use a USB/Bluetooth external speaker for sound, but it is not required.

e) You will need your music – you should already have a copy. If I do not have a copy, please scan it and email to me so that I also have it.

e) A place where you can give yourself permission to SING.

3) I am taking this opportunity to increase my skills in teaching and listening to my students, following the advice of my own current voice teacher, Robert Sussuma (with whom I take online lessons!). He has been teaching solely online for the past 7 years and has strong experience in this area.

Above all, take care of your health and let’s KEEP making music! I’m going to begin posting weekly videos of my practicing my singing, for you to see what I’m doing during this time. My colleagues who teach exclusively online tell me that there are so many advantages to the online lesson format. As usual, let’s experiment and find new ways of hacking our brains to improve our singing!

Happy singing.

Love to you all.

Rachel

Dr. Rachel

Inspirational vocal coach in Northwest Missouri. In private voice lessons, Dr. Rachel helps singers find joy in vocal exploration, so they suspend judgment, follow their intuition, and ultimately communicate with joy in ways previously unknown.

https://www.daylightvoice.com
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