ANAM and CutCommon are launching a new interview series about the unstoppable artists of Australia — established and emerging — so we can facilitate an honest discussion about how musicians are continuing to engage in their music education during COVID-19.
Sean Burke, (QLD) tuba
Music education has shifted to the digital world almost seamlessly, hasn’t it? As a student, what have you found to be some of the best techniques to communicate in this new way, in the absence of physical presence? After all, music is indeed a physical practice!
Similar to face-to-face education, I’ve found that clear communication will do you wonders! My principal teacher lives interstate, so I wouldn’t normally see him as regularly as students who live in the same city as their teachers do — even when physical presence was still allowed!
Sending as many recordings as your teacher will listen to is a good goal. This also means that if there are any issues with a call during your lesson, your teacher will have a good fall-back option, as well as just tracking your own progress for yourself.
If nothing else, this situation is teaching students how to be great independent learners, which is a must for when we get into a job and we’re very much solely responsible for our own further development. [...]