Practice makes perfect as Zoom piano lessons resume

Last year's circuit breaker period was the first time in 12 years of piano teaching that Ms Valerie Chan had to teach by video link.

"It was stressful and difficult as it was a totally new thing. There were problems like installing and logging into Zoom, and where the camera should face so I could see them playing during lessons," said Ms Chan, 33.

She was relieved when physical classes could finally resume last June, but the reprieve was unfortunately short-lived. Most of her classes are back online under the latest Covid-19 restrictions, which suspend all in-person tuition and enrichment lessons for students aged 18 and below.

In her online classes, Ms Chan uses her iPad to see and hear her students playing the piano. She corrects their mistakes, such as when they play the wrong notes, by demonstrating the correct playing through Zoom.

But sometimes, the sound is distorted, cut off or unclear.

"Once, a student's device ran out of battery and he continued playing, but the video was already cut off," she said.

At times, her three-year-old son also clamours for her attention, disrupting the class.

This time around, three of her students have requested that they stop their lessons as they prefer face-to-face classes, and she expects her income to drop by about 30 per cent.

Though disappointed, she is still looking on the bright side.

"The impact on finances is not as severe as most students choose to continue with Zoom classes. Teaching online is also easier now as most parents and students are familiar with Zoom," she said.

She is also glad that students can still learn and make progress through online classes, even if the pace may be slower than with in-person learning.

"I understand that it is necessary for now and it may be a short-term thing," she said. "I will continue to do my best to deliver the lessons even though they are online. Hopefully, face-to-face lessons can be resumed soon."