In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, I have taken a number of steps to ensure my piano lessons continue to be delivered professionally, responsibly and safely; while making sure they remain fun and effective. Please note I’ve updated this policy to reflect the fact that on July 19th 2021 the country moved to Step 4 of the government’s reopening roadmap.
Firstly, students are free to choose and switch at any time between in-person lessons at my house, or online lessons via videolink, depending on their preference. I have found both to be effective methods of teaching!
If students choose to have their lessons in-person, I take reasonable precautions in-line with the latest government guidance, including:
- having hand sanitiser available for all students to use;
- requiring that students with Coronavirus symptoms do not attend the lesson unless they have tested negative;
- keeping windows open where appropriate;
- having a buffer period between lessons to minimise different students passing each other;
- minimising potential transmission opportunities in general – otherwise known as using common sense! For example, by supporting students (or their parents) to make their own lesson notes, where appropriate.
With the Step 4 changes in the government’s road map, social distancing is no longer required. This is helpful in all sorts of ways to students’ learning: for instance, we can more easily point to parts of the music, or ask a student to watch closely as I play a melody, or duet together. It also just feels friendlier to be interacting normally with each other. On that basis, I no longer have a blanket policy of keeping distance, particularly as I believe piano lessons are inherently low-risk, given that we work on a one-to-one basis.
However, I am also aware that people have different boundaries, so I am very happy to keep more distance if you would prefer – please just let me know.
As for online lessons, where we have a piano lesson over the internet using a program such as Zoom, Skype, or Facetime, I have found students make similar progress this way as they would with in-person teaching. In fact, it seems to suit some students better! I feel this is a viable option for students on a long-term basis.
I hope this provides reassurance and clarity. Please do get in touch if you have further questions – thank you 😊
Piano Lessons with Jonathan 