Instructions For Virtual Students
It is my heartfelt desire that our virtual classroom experience mirror, as closely as possible, that of in person lessons. To help facilitate this I have put together some tips and requirements that I believe will help us achieve this goal.
Check with your internet provider to assure that your internet speed is adequate to support online video conferencing.
When possible you should choose the room that your WiFi is located to guarantee the best and strongest connection.
When possible schedule your lesson at a time when no one else in your family is using Zoom/Google/Facetime or gaming. This WILL affect your connection.
I have chosen an AMAZING forum (Voicelessons.com) for my teaching platform. It was designed for voice teachers, by voice teachers, and they have pulled out ALL the stops to make this platform a classroom in which we can distance learn with an authentic classroom experience. Once you receive my invitation to join please click on, and fill out the registration form. This will immediately connect you to me.
Next you’ll need to download the Voicelessons App. Each time you click on the icon to join a lesson you’ll just need to login with the credentials you created, then click “Start Lesson”. I will be in our virtual classroom waiting for you.
This next step is imperative to having a superior learning experience. I’m asking each student to purchase a CAD Microphone (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014L7LB0A/ref=dp_cerb_2) This can be purchased on Amazon. Having an exterior microphone will greatly enhance the quality of what I’m hearing, better allowing me to assist you with your learning experience. The built in Apple and PC mic’s are “ok” for conversing, but not for hearing how a student is using their voice. Unfortunately these built-ins were not designed for the higher intensity frequencies so the built-in mics compress the sound causing it to distort. Something more is needed. Because this is an unforeseen expense I credit each new student with one free lesson to help offset the cost.
My final recommendation is that you use a set of quality headphones. The speakers built into laptops seem to be fairly adequate for receiving sound when a good mic is used, but there’s still some compression that occurs. This can be eliminated with headphones. This is not a ‘must’, but will definitely enhance your learning experience.