Teaching Instrumental Music Using Videoconferencing

Videoconferencing is increasingly being used as a medium to connect people in education. There are many reasons for choosing to use videoconferencing for education, and in Australia the geographical isolation experienced by remotely located regional students can be partly overcome by using this medium. In recent years music educators have started to use the medium to teach group and individual music lessons. Research in the field of videoconferencing use in music education has to date been limited. This study investigated the teaching of instrumental music through the videoconferencing medium, using Sydney Conservatorium's VideoLink program as its focus. Using observation and interview to study the delivery of instrumental music lessons by Sydney Conservatorium teachers to students in four regional centres in New South Wales, the study identified important issues for music teaching through videoconferencing. Three broad areas were established relating to videoconferencing music programs: (1) organisational issues within a program, (2) effective teaching approaches and (3) technological issues, and the study found many areas in which teachers and students need to make adaptations to maximise the benefits of instrumental music lessons by videoconference.