1. ‘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

2. Musical background

3. Scottish Borders

4. Instrumental music teaching

5. ‘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

6. ‘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

7. Teaching via videoconferencing
Educational context

8. 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

9. Pilot studies

10. 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

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

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

13. 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

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

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

16. 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

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

18. 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

19. 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

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

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

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

23. 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

24. Study 3

25. Study 3

26. LOLA Trials

27. Videoconferencing
Learning Management Systems
Technology in schools

28. 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

29. Next steps…

30. 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

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

32. New research partners needed…