Lessons Without Borders: Teaching Music in a Virtual World

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This webinar will be hosted online on February 17, 2014 at 8PM EST by Polyphonic.org. To attend, you’ll need a computer (or smart device – read more here) and a good internet connection. Register in advance to get email reminders and a direct link to join the webinar on February 17 (feel free to join 5-10 minutes before the start time). You’ll be automatically muted during the webinar but feel free to ask questions during our live Q&A session at the end. Please email us at info@polyphonic.org with any questions or concerns.

Description:
In today’s world of music instruction, the journey of apprenticeship is only an internet connection away. With online tools, music instruction is neither limited by geography, nor by the fifty-minute classroom schedule, creating exciting opportunities for students and teachers to interact and improve their skills and methods. This webinar, led by Dr. Nina Perlove (“The Internet Flutist”) and master violin pedagogue Kurt Sassmannshaus, will discuss a variety of online music tools that offer opportunities for virtual instruction ranging from simple course supplementation to real-time, webcam lessons. The presenters will categorize the platforms based on their level of teacher-to-student interactivity, ranging from one-way interaction only, to immediate, real time communication and feedback between participants. The presenters will also discuss online marketing techniques to attract virtual students, discuss the motivations behind why some students choose virtual instruction, discuss the limitations and work-arounds of the virtual classroom, and share stories from personal experiences.

First Prize Winner in the Laurence Beauregard Competition and winner of the 2009 YouTube Symphony Competition, Dr. Nina Perlove is one of the most listened to classical flutists of her generation with over 8 million views to her online video performances and tutorials on www.REALFLUTEproject.com. She has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Australia and is an early adopter in using webcam teaching for private music lessons. In addition, her articles have appeared in Perspectives of New Music, American Music, Pan Magazine, Windplayer Magazine, Flute Talk Magazine, CMA Matters, and The Flutist Quarterly. She is currently on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Flutist Quarterly and has worked as an arts consultant and advisor for Google (YouTube Symphony 2011), Ashbury Music Hall/SessionEx, Gemeinhardt Flutes, and Instant Encore. She has presented seminars and webinars for organizations including Polyphonic.org, Arts Midwest, The National Flute Association, and APAP, and is frequently a guest artist for flute clinics and masterclasses nationwide. Nina earned her BM from the University of Michigan, an Artist Diploma from the Paris Conservatory – CNR de Paris, and MM and DMA degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Since 2011, Nina has held the post of Executive Director of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and in 2013, The Gemeinhardt Company launched the “Nina Perlove Signature” line of flutes. Photo credit: Dennis Guillaume

Considered one of today’s preeminent violin pedagogues, violinist Kurt Sassmannshaus holds the distinguished Dorothy Richard Starling Chair for Classical Violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). His students include prizewinners of major international competitions, prominent soloists and chamber musicians, and orchestra leaders around the world. Many of them hold important faculty positions in European, Asian, and American Conservatories. In September 2004, Sassmannshaus premiered the not-for-profit web site www.violinmasterclass.com, a groundbreaking internet site offering free video instruction on all aspects of violin playing. With more than 20 million hits annually this web site made him the most widely effective and globally recognized violin teacher in the history of violin teaching. According to London’s Strad Magazine, he is the “King of the online violin tutorials”. The latest offerings on this site are live online lessons by Sassmannshaus and many of his colleagues. “Access to the best violin instruction has always been a matter of geography and financial ability. Now you can live in Kenya, Peru, Malaysia, or New York and get excellent instruction – this website makes geographical distance and cost of travel irrelevant.”