TIPS & TRICKS FOR VIRTUAL LESSONS
SINGING POSTURE
Are your face and upper body clearly visible in the screen? You should be standing for the majority, if not the entirety, of your lesson, just like when we’re in person. Your device’s camera should be at eye level or just above. Stand/sit up nice and tall, shoulders back, feet flat on the floor.
SET IT UP
Get creative (with parental permission, of course) and set yourself up! Stack some books and rest your laptop on top. Find a bookshelf that’s about the right height and scoot some stuff over to make room for your tablet. Pop a step stool or overturned laundry basket on the counter with your device on top. If you phone has a Pop Stop, rest it on the lip of a mug or your laptop screen. Or invest in an inexpensive music stand, laptop stand, or tripod.
BE PREPARED
Do you have your zoom link or meeting password/ID? Are your devices plugged in or at full-charge? Are chargers and outlets nearby? Is your sound/mic on? If you like to use headphones and an external mic, are they connected and ready to go? Do you have your materials? Have your singing binder with sheet music and paper nearby. Do you have a pencil and eraser to mark your music and change previous notes? Do you have a glass or bottle of water to help keep your hydrated and clear your throat?
LIGHT IT UP
Make sure your main light source is FACING YOU, ideally behind or slightly to the side of your main device’s screen. Face a window (even if it’s cloudy), turn your screen brightness to 100%, move a lamp directly behind or slightly to the right or left of your screen. Lights or windows behind your or directly above you will either backlight you, making your features fuzzy, or will cast shadows across your face.