‘Listen with your eyes’ The use of Videoconferencing in Instrumental Music Lessons Ben Redman 3rd year part-time research student Royal Conservatoire of Scotland April 2017

Musical background

Scottish Borders

Instrumental music teaching

‘Local Authorities should complement individual and group instrumental music tuition and explore the huge opportunities arising from the use of technology to enhance the delivery of a 21st Century instrumental music service.’ (Instrumental Music Implementation Group, Scottish Government, 2015) Educational context

‘There could be budget cuts of almost £1 ‘There could be budget cuts of almost £1.9 million to music services over the next few years, with almost 40 full-time equivalent posts lost and 3,600 children potentially missing out on tuition.’ (Hepburn, Times Educational Supplement – Scotland, 4th March 2016) Educational context

Teaching via videoconferencing Educational context

What changes in the experience of both the teacher and the learner, from the face-to-face instrumental music lesson to the videoconferencing lesson? Research questions

Pilot studies

Survey of technology-mediated instrumental music teaching in schools The aim was to find out: How school instrumental music teachers use technology in their lessons To evaluate what was already taking place To monitor new developments Study 1

Survey of technology-mediated instrumental music teaching in schools Apps Study 1

Survey of technology-mediated instrumental music teaching in schools Audio and video recording on iPhone Audio Video Study 1

Survey of technology-mediated instrumental music teaching in schools Videoconferencing – most teachers unsure about: Tuning and set up of instruments, including simple repairs Building up of a relationship Adjustment of posture Quality of connection, audio, and video Cost / benefits Accompaniments Study 1

An investigation into the experience of instrumental music teachers and students using videoconferencing Study 2

Study 2 The objectives of this study were to investigate: The Challenges of videoconferencing How those challenges may be mitigated Study 2

Findings ‘My biggest concern is really the sound quality I think. I mean it's good, it's reliable, but it's not nuanced, it's not as nuanced as I would like’. Study 2

Study 2 Findings The teaching experience: ‘Listen with your eyes’ (Grant Golding) Lessons require more planning and structure. Study 2

Study 2 Findings Building a rapport: ‘I find when it's like this, you sacrifice a bit of the social aspect, but I get much more done in an hour on Skype with a student than I would in person. So there are trade-offs’.  Study 2

Study 2 Findings Positive student experience: ‘Some of the students get instrumental lessons through Skype… they generally rave about it a lot, because living somewhere [remote], if they need to travel to [the city], it's a long time on the bus, it's really expensive, it all adds up, so the ones who are doing it… are all sticking to it’. Study 2

Study 2 Findings Desired technical improvements: Faster more reliable network Better audio and video quality Study 2

Findings ‘It's a big frustration not being able to play together’. Study 2

An investigation into the frequency with which teachers and pupils perform together in face-to-face instrumental music lessons Study 3

Study 3 Four separate types of interventions were logged: Teacher demonstration Teacher and pupil playing the same part simultaneously on the same type of instrument Pupil playing with live accompaniment from the teacher Pupil playing along with a recorded accompaniment Study 3

Study 3

Study 3

LOLA Trials

Videoconferencing Learning Management Systems Technology in schools

Summary Educational context – technology, cuts Literature and studies – videoconferencing functional but playing together missing Low-latency videoconferencing does allow remote parties to play together Problems with introducing technology in schools Data security Staff wary of the technology Schools need to see the benefit and be supportive Balance between the availability and cost of the technology, the technical and administrative support required against the value of the musical experience.   Summary

Next steps…

What changes in the experience from using standard videoconferencing systems to low-latency videoconferencing in instrumental lessons Will we be able to use low-latency videoconferencing in schools Might low-latency audio-only systems be more suitable How can we use technology to support pupils in between the weekly lessons Research questions

Are there some elements of instrumental music teaching that can only be done in face-to-face lessons Research questions

New research partners needed…