Do online singing lessons & services really work or is it just a lockdown thing?
The short the answer is yes, they definitely work.
Read about our journey at RONNI so far and why for some students, online lessons are the perfect option!
Why RONNI moved to online services.
I have to say, that pre lockdown 2020, I was unsure myself about how online teaching might work successfully. At times, the idea had briefly crossed my mind as an option, but at that stage I had not done so before or pursued the idea any further until it was thrust upon me due to the pandemic in March 2020.
Thankfully, I did have some experience as a student myself with online tuition. A few years back I had completed a higher level voice accreditation training course with the Vocal Process spanning several months of tuition and assessments online because of distance, I was in England and my tutors were based in Wales. This included several parts of the training needing to be completed online via video sessions on Skype and later on Zoom. The online sessions, included producing voice demonstrations and practical work that was assessed during the video calls. This all worked perfectly successfully for me as a student and I graduated a fully qualified Vocal Process accredited trainer. In addition, I have also completed several other online training workshops which included group sessions, so I have had experience of working online in groups and in break out rooms too. The experience I gained from this gave me confidence as I began to lead my own business on its new online journey with our services.
Getting set up
When lockdown began in 2020 I was lucky to get Zoom set up really quickly, and I upgraded straight away to the paid version so there were no time restrictions with our students and the online lessons began immediately. Despite initially being rather hectic behind the scenes, figuring out the technical elements under pressure, this soon settled and I began forming successful routines with the online singing lessons for all our students. We provided a detailed online guide to help our students, of how best they can set up and prepare for their online singing lessons and we also offered a free Zoom test call in advance of any bookings for new customers and anyone new to using Zoom.
The transition to online services at RONNI.
The first students to go online
Adult singing group RONSTARS, The decision to move our choral group online was just before lockdown due to having several vulnerable members and it felt it was the right time to ensure everyone’s safety. We adapted how sessions were run and quickly found a great routine for these new online sessions and amazingly continued working on harmony group songs together despite the online challenges to do this. Ronstars have kept up the weekly singing sessions online for over a year now and the members have participated in several online recording projects with other singers at RONNI too. When our local singing group returns to the face to face sessions, the new added option and confidence for members now able to switch to online rehearsals, if and when needed, is a real bonus. In addition to our in person rehearsals, as and when needed, I can see the option to add in an online session as a top up facility for convenience, for extra practice when we can not all meet it person is an added bonus.
helpful and convenient way to provide extra practice rehearsals
As lockdown 2020 started,
Private singing tuition all moved online immediately. As we already had online payments facilities set up, it made it really easy for clients to book in for their regular lessons and pay as you go (PAYG) sessions whenever they wanted to and wherever they are based. Ronni now offers lessons for students all over the UK and abroad (uk time) which has really opened up opportunities to reach many more students without the limitations of location. This is a massive plus! and because we now have students based all over, our online services must and will remain online for specific clients when face to face options return for our local clients. The initial temporary online services will now become a permanent service offering for our clients which this suites best, be it due to location, or personal convenience. We will even offer the combination of both. Get in touch if you want to book a singing lesson or discuss what options work best for you,
Children’s group singing classes including complimentary classes, private group bookings and singing sessions for performing arts schools, have all been provided online throughout the year and it has amazed me how even the very youngest of clients have really benefited from these sessions and wowed us with their singing efforts and tech skills too.
And finally, I have to mention that despite many of our StudioDR recording services at RONNI had to be put on hold at the studio during the pandemic, we have still continued creating and recording remotely online. We have completed several recording projects remotely with several singers via our online sessions throughout the last 12 months and even released a Christmas song with one of our lovely students Mary Kate Miller, where several of our singers at RONNI recorded backing vocals for this project too. Have a listen if you can bare a Christmas song during Spring.
'Thinking of you this Christmas Time' Very poignant for the year we all had. Available to download your own copy and add to your own playlist ready for the next Christmas from the following stores.
continued creating and recording remotely online through 2020 & 2021
All of this has meant we can keep the love of singing thriving at RONNI during what has been an incredibly difficult year and it has opened up our eyes to the many possibilities that our new online services can and now offer for the future. We are excited for the future at RONNI filled with positivity for both the exciting return to in person services as well as the new proven successful online services we now and will continue to offer with confidence too.
Benefits V's Limitations
There are of course some limitations to online singing lessons when compared to in person teaching, however surprisingly there are also definitely many benefits to being online too.
PROS
Convenience.
Time saving.
Location can be anywhere UK time.
Improvements in confidence, feeling at ease in the comfort of their own home.
Development of technical skills vocally and practically using devices and technology.
Using the new online singing folders helps keep students focus on their action points for improvements.
CONS
A good internet connection is important to avoid disruption in your connection.
Some clients may feel embarrassed singing with other family members around.
There is a small delay online so singing at the same time is difficult.
It may feel not as exciting as visiting the studio for a lesson.
There is a limit to how much you can gain from only taking online lessons.
It is not as easy to work on posture and body alignment or any hands on tasks.
As a business going forward we are excited for our face to face services to resume, and we will continue to offer online services which definitely have a place in our changing world. Our reach at RONNI has grown so much now with clients across the UK and abroad that location is no longer a problem to join us. We look forward to welcoming and helping more clients with educating, inspiring and production services in person and online for singers and musicians.