The Use of Video Conferencing for Music Education
The use of video conferencing for education was made most popular during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were shut down and the only option for teaching and learning was through the use of technology and video conferencing. Just like with all technology, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using video conferencing for education and there needs to be careful consideration when deciding whether or not to use it in your classroom or teaching.
One advantage of video conferencing is the ability to meet with people all around the world. In the music classroom you can video conference with musicians, composers, and experts from anywhere in the world to speak to your class and they can learn straight from the source. Getting people like that to come directly to your school could be almost impossible because of travel, expenses, and time, but with video conferencing it is cheap and easy to meet. This is also helpful for students to develop cultural awareness as they are given the opportunity to meet with people of different countries and cultures (Daemon, 2019).
A second advantage of video conferencing directly with students is the ability to record lessons. For a music teacher this can be especially helpful for music performing heavy lessons or instrument lessons as students can then watch through the recorded video again to hear what they were playing or what the teacher was playing, or to even practice playing along with the video. For regular lessons it is helpful for students to go back through if they missed a concept or were confused about a concept to then review it. (Cerebroom, 2012)
A third advantage is that it is convenient to do video conferencing. If you do not have any options to meet in person, then it is a great and wonderful thing that you have the ability to communicate with others on video and be able to speak to them and see them at once. It also provides flexibility as you can video conference wherever you are. There is no travel time involved. This is a big draw for those who would like quality music teachers but are too far away to commute to a music lesson with those teachers (Cerebroom, 2012).
While there are advantages to video conferencing, there are many disadvantages as well. One of the biggest is the lack of personal connection and interaction. Social interaction is extremely important for all people, and especially our students. Working one on one with your students, or having them work with another student is made more complicated with video conferencing and does not have the same effect as it would in person. Teaching in a video conference becomes more like a seminar than it does a personal, engaging, and interactive classroom (Judebill, 2019). It also allows for students who may be more shy to hide behind their screen and use even less interaction than they would in the classroom (Daemon, 2019).
Another disadvantage specific to music is the lack of being able to physically work with the student. When video conferencing you are not able to help the student's hand position or posture. You cannot write in their music, point to the music while they are playing, or properly demonstrate certain techniques (Belibou, 2021). I am a piano teacher as well as my full-time job of general and vocal music teaching, and during the pandemic I taught my piano lessons fully online. It was one of the most frustrating things and I would never go back to it. My piano students progressed very little during that time because I was unable to help them in the ways they needed most.
In order to overcome the challenges of video conferencing you have to be extremely engaging for the students while online and find ways for them to interact with the material you are teaching and interact with one other. It also would help to get parents on board as much as possible so they can support and encourage their students while online and decrease the amount of distraction going on in the home. To engage your students you can use other Google tools while on video conferences, such as Jamboard where students can interact on an interactive whiteboard, use breakout rooms where students can discuss in smaller groups with other classmates, and Nearpod lessons that require students to interact with the material and answer questions.
Music is meant to be shared with people and is meant to be performed with other people. It is not something that should be hidden away and done by yourself all the time. While video conferencing helps to connect musicians, composers, teachers, and students, it cannot take the place of real live music making and music teaching.
References
- Belibou, A., Cazan, A., & Rucsanda, M. (2021, December 7). Student's Attitude Toward Music Education During the COVID-19 Lockdown. Front Psychol. 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753785
- Cerebroom. (2012, January 12). The Pros and Cons of Distance Music Lessons. Cerebroom. https://blog.twedt.com/archives/1782
- Daemon, D., (2019, September 16). Video Conferencing in Education. My Own Conference. https://myownconference.com/blog/en/video-conferencing-in-education/
- Judebill. (2019, November 26). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Conferencing in Schools. Oasis. http://oasisinternationaljournal.org/science_and_technology/2019/11/26/video-conferencing-in-schools/#.ZCmkCezMJ-U
Hi Anna, I really enjoyed reading your well-articulated responses where you showed the benefits and disadvantages of video conferencing. Your point on how video-conferencing cannot take over live instruction is clearly communicated. I want to add on that I think video-conferencing is not the same as learning online because video conferencing is only one tool. Yet, for a music teacher like yourself, I can imagine how frustrating it must have been to be teaching piano fully online during the pandemic. Do you use other kinds of midi controllers and tools online to develop students' music theory during the piano lesson? How would you be able to see what your students were playing when teaching piano - this is all rather fascinating for me, because my husband is a music teacher and I know he had similar struggles teaching voice lessons over video conferencing. However, I mostly identified with the part where you said you could not demonstrate the technique or correct postures (something that probably needs the most immediate feedback). Finally, I also like your comment on engaging parents, limiting distractions, and engaging students' learning by using other tools.
ReplyDeleteMusic, and art, and gym class oh my! Must have been the concerned cry of educators during the shut down. How to relate these courses in virtual time vs. in person? Your experience paints a vivid picture of how difficult this was. Learning to play the piano is a "touch, feel" sensory experience. Correcting posture and form is best explained in person. I learned this the hard way, trying to continue my yoga practice during the shutdown. My instructor had limited viewing of my pose placement. I, not unlike your students, did not progress much during this Zoom teaching trial. There are advantages for sure, less time commuting, video conference with experts from around the world, reviewing any recordings for continued study and absorption of material taught. Your pro-con list, confirmed there is a place for this teaching platform. However, there is no substitute for person to person connecting except live in person relating, feedback, eye to eye contact and body language expression.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing about your experience with video conferencing! One potential advantage that I noted about video conferencing was that it overcomes the time and space limitations of traditional instruction. However, I was only thinking about the fact that the ability to conference with people anytime and anywhere was useful for teachers connecting with students and families who are stuck at home. I love the idea that this feature also allows teachers to easily bring experts into the classroom! Having relevant speakers join the class over video conferences is a great way to broaden students' horizons from the classroom. Recently, I heard a teacher share that a parent could not come share with the class in person because she did not have the necessary clearances to come into the school building. However, she was able to video conference and still be involved in the classroom! Therefore, I think the ability to connect with others is a major benefit of video conferences. Thanks again for sharing!
ReplyDelete