We want to remind Students and Families of our In Person and Online Lesson Policy.
If your student does not show up at their regularly scheduled lesson time, teachers will wait HALF of the lesson time until they leave Zoom or the school.
For example, if your lesson is 30 minutes, the teacher will wait 15 minutes until they leave. For 45 minute lessons, they will wait around 23 minutes, and so on.
If you let us know that you are running a FEW minutes late, or give us a call regarding technical issues of course we will work with you and communicate that to the teacher. If you have any questions about this policy let us know!
5/12/20 8:00pm
“We are committed and dedicated to your ongoing music education. We recognize that you were looking forward to completing your RCM examination, receiving your well-deserved credit, and celebrating your achievements after a year of dedicated study.
The RCM is pleased to be able to offer our practical examinations remotely via online video conferencing. In development for over a year, our new Remote Practical Exams offer students the ability to complete their exams from the comfort of their own home.
By utilizing easy to use software, and your smartphone, PC, iPad, or Mac you will be able to connect to an RCM examiner, at a time of your choosing, to conduct your exam.
What does this mean?
You will receive an invitation to attend a webinar on how to prepare for the exam. As you are already registered for a practical exam, you will be automatically enrolled and there will be no additional cost.
We wish you the best of luck with your studies!
We will continue to send updates as they come, and please keep checking their website where they are posting updates: https://www.rcmusic.
Not to worry, the school is still open for online lessons! All 27 of our teachers and all 350 students have converted to online Zoom lessons. We have been doing online lessons for over 5 years! We currently have a student in Japan who takes ongoing voice lessons, and it has proved to be very successful for our students!
What our students are saying about online Zoom lessons:
“We love our vocal lessons on Zoom – we get to work on technique and all the fun music from our in person lessons. Thank you ISM for making this transition so easy!”
– Elvira M., Mother of ISM piano student Sofie (age 5) and ISM drum student Arthur (age 8)
“We get to go in depth with many parts of the online lesson, even technique!”
– Colin S., (age 15) and ISM piano student since 2005!
“The Zoom lessons have been so easy to use and fun – Ms. Joey plays music theory games online and we are learning just as much online as in the classroom – Thank you ISM”
– Anna K. mother of ISM piano student Jonathan (age 9) since 2012
Helpful “How-To” Videos
Zoom Walk-through for a Laptop:
Zoom Walk-through for an iPad:
Google Folder: How to upload sheet music for my teacher!
Please enhance the lesson experience for your student and teacher by doing the following – this technique makes it possible for teachers to hear and see nuances as if you are in the same room!
Teacher Gilberto coaching student Shawin (Age 7, student since 01/2020) in dynamics and overall phrasing with Bachs’ Minuet in G minor.
Best practice for parents/adult students to set up Zoom device:
We at ISM want to thank you for all the ways you support your child in his/her music lessons. With school starting up again we’d like to provide some pointers on how to get the most from music lessons.
Timely arrival
Make every effort to arrive on time for lessons, music books in hand. Students who come in late disrupt the class flow and have already missed a portion of their lesson.
Should I sit in on my child’s lesson?
Allow your child to build his/her trust by bonding with the teacher one on one. Parents are welcome to watch through our observation windows, but experience has shown that when parents are present weekly in the classroom, a student’s attention is divided and the student/teacher bond is often compromised. That said, there are times when the teacher may call a parent into the classroom to observe the student for instructional purposes. The last few minutes of each class are reserved to update parents on their child’s progress, answer questions, and provide parents with ideas for helping at home.
Come in the last few minutes of class to touch base with teacher
Even if your child is old enough to be dropped off at class, please make it a priority to come in for the last 5 minutes of class so the teacher can update you on your child’s progress. This is very important to your child’s success in music class. Teachers want to keep you informed, but it takes time away from the lesson if the teacher has to walk the student to the car to touch base.
Time management for at home practice
Parental involvement at home is key to a child’s success in music lessons. While older children may practice accurately at home, younger students need positive guidance to be sure they are practicing correctly. Most six year olds cannot be realistically expected to practice alone. Show interest by asking your child to show you their new songs for the week. Set up incentives to reward them for playing the song more than once, counting aloud, singing their notes, curving their fingers, etc. Your teacher can provide you with an appropriate practice check list. Help in finding a consistent time each day for practice. Daily consistency is important to ensure students retain their musical instruction.
Finding a consistent practice time, providing incentives, and monitoring practice with encouraging words are all ways to help your child get the most from music classes. Ask your child’s teacher for more ideas. Be creative. Make music a family priority, and watch your child grow in self- discipline as well as musicianship.