Tech And Specs For Taking Music Lessons Online

The right equipment is what separates a frustrating online music lesson from an effective one. Audio lag, poor mic quality, and compressed sound all get in the way of what matters — the playing, the feedback, and the connection. This guide covers the essential tech and specifications for both teachers and students, based on real experience teaching online.

Tech & Specs for Teachers

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Video Conference Software

Recommended: Zoom

✔ User friendly, especially for group calls

✔ Stable software with reliable audio quality

✔ Reusable meeting ID and password

✔ Screen share, record, whiteboard, and waiting room functions

Take time to configure Zoom’s settings for your setup. Specifically, enabling Music Mode disables Zoom’s default noise suppression and allows your instrument’s full frequency range to come through.

Sound Equipment for Online Music Lessons

A good external microphone is the single most impactful equipment upgrade for online music lessons. Unless you’re using a USB mic like the FlashTrack DSP, most mics need an audio interface before plugging into your computer. The Zoom H4n doubles as both a recorder and a USB audio interface — a versatile option many musicians already own.

Your internet connection determines most of your audio experience. When using WiFi, stay within strong range of your router and aim for 40 Mbps or faster. Run a speed test before teaching. Use headphones to prevent feedback. For a deeper look at how different microphone and recording setups compare, see our comparison of Cloudvocal’s recording products.

Audio EQ for Online Lessons

Because the instrument’s sound is processed through a mic, interface, and the internet, its natural tone doesn’t come through cleanly. Acoustic violin in particular outputs uncomfortable high frequencies — especially on the E string — when sent through standard video compression. Using an electric violin like a Yamaha YEV-104 with a good acoustic amp or PA can make a significant difference.

Test and adjust your Zoom EQ settings to find the tone that most closely resembles your natural acoustic sound.

Intonation App

Recommended free tuner/metronome: Sound Corset (Android/iOS). Key features:

✔ Built-in recording function

✔ Visual grid tracking of sound quality

✔ Student-friendly interface

Students gain confidence correcting their own intonation. Most report the app is most effective when they focus on producing a “consistent ringing tone.”

Annotating Music

For score annotation: ForScore on iPad Pro. It imports PDFs and allows annotations with a stylus. Students upload their music PDF to Google Drive; annotated copies are shared back at the end of each lesson.

Lighting

Face your laptop camera away from windows to avoid backlight. A clip-on stand light is a versatile, inexpensive addition to any teaching setup.

Teaching Without Talking: Visual Cues

One underrated technique: mute yourself and hold up note cards during warm-ups. Students work through tasks while you use positive reinforcement cards — “Beautiful!” — without interrupting their playing. This turns an online limitation into a teaching tool.

Making Music Fun Online

Playing simultaneously isn’t possible due to internet lag. A practical workaround: create backing tracks in GarageBand or Logic Pro X for students to play along with. This works especially well for group classes and keeps students engaged between live sessions. You can find backing track resources at Megan Shung’s downloads page.

One more practical note: consider a carbon fiber bow. Teaching online means your bow arm is closer to hard surfaces than usual. Carbon fiber is more forgiving — and no less effective than wood.

Pro tips for students

Set a recurring alarm 15 minutes before your scheduled lesson.

◎ Set up within range of your router

◎ Place a music stand to your left and a table or second stand for your device in front

◎ Practice standing with your instrument in frame

◎ Avoid light-coloured clothing that blends with your hands

◎ Download a tuning app and tune before the lesson: How To Tune Your Instrument

◎ Use a good speaker (JBL Flip) and set the mic to your computer’s mic: How to set Zoom to Music Mode

◎ Scan PDFs of your music and upload to a shared Google Drive folder with your teacher

For further resources, the Facebook Group Distance Learning Forum for Suzuki Teachers has been a valuable resource. Violinist.com and Backstage Forum both provide relevant articles by professional violinists and teachers. And if you’re also exploring whether online lessons are right for you in the first place, see Are Virtual Music Lessons Good? A Teacher’s Honest Answer.