How to configure Zoom for the best sound for music lessons:

Zoom is primarily designed for the human voice (not for music), so it makes a huge difference to configure your Zoom app for the best sound for music. Below are instructions for configuring Zoom on a laptop, desktop, iPhone, and iPad. As far as we know, you cannot configure the sound on a Chromebook. We strongly recommend avoiding Chromebooks, particularly for your private lessons, if at all possible. 

On a laptop/desktop:
Go to “Settings” or “Preferences”, “Audio,” “Advanced”
– Check “Show in-meeting” option to “Enable Original Sound” from microphone.
– Set “Suppress Persistent Background Noise” to “Disabled”.
– Ensure that “Echo Cancellation” is set to “Auto”.

On an iPhone:  
-Lower right corner, click “settings”
-In settings, click “meetings”
-In meetings, scroll down and click “use original sound”
THEN, once in the meeting (this must be done for each meeting!)
-Tap the screen
-Click “more” (on the bottom right corner)
-Click “enable original sound”

NOTE: if these options are not available on your iphone Zoom, that means you have an old version of Zoom and you need to update it or uninstall then re-install the new version.

On an iPad: 
-Home screen, lower left corner, click “settings”
-In settings, click “meetings”
-In meetings, scroll down to click “use original sound” (if you don’t see this option, you need to update or get a new version of Zoom)
-THEN, once in the meeting (this must be done for each meeting!)
-Tap the screen
-Click “more” (on the upper right corner)
-Click “enable original sound”

What your child should know how to do on Zoom:
–Mute and unmute themselves
-Get from gallery to speaker view and back
-Turn on Original Sound (it often toggles off automatically even if you have corrected the settings)

How to position your child up for the best Zoom experience for group class:
–The optimal position for you child to be in for group class is to have them viewing class on a screen that is big enough for them to be able to stand back far enough that we can see them from at least the waist up and have them still be able to see and hear the class successfully. Some families are able to use a big monitor or a TV for this— if you have that option, it’s excellent. If not, see if there is a set up you can find that you can hopefully use every time that will allow for good lighting (no back lighting), and enough space for your child to be able to sit and stand and play easily.

-In order for your child to get the most out of their group time, please try to set up your space and device 5 minutes before group.

–Help your child understand how to stay in the frame and how to see if they have moved out of it.

–Coach them to speak loudly enough that we can hear them when they answer a question (you do need to speak up to be heard over Zoom unfortunately).

–Please tune your child’s instrument before group begins. If you are unsure how to tune, ask your teacher and/or attend one of Karolyn’s Thursday night parent support group meetings.

-While many activities that kids are doing these days allow for “video off” to be an option, we ask that your child’s video remain on at all times as this vastly improves the level of instruction your child will receive. If you anticipate any issues with this, please let us know ahead of time.

–Have a metronome available for your child. While we’re remote, it’s particularly important that your child has a metronome they can work with. Due to the delay, we cannot, for instance, clap the beat for your child— they need their own metronome. While we all most often use apps these days for metronomes and tuners, there is a lot to be said for owning a stand alone metronome tuner: your child can keep it and use it even if you need your phone or aren’t at home, your child can use it easily even if they are using the tablet for their Zoom lesson, your child will like having their very own metronome and it will increase their independence in practicing for all of the above reasons. Also, if you get a good one, it is much louder than a phone or tablet which is a huge help in setting your child up for successfully using a metronome— and LINKING to use a metronome.