No matter where you are, if you are reading this, you can probably use Facetime or Google Meet, right? If you have internet, you can learn how to play ukulele, violin, viola, guitar, mandolin or bodhrán. I've been teaching online since before Facetime was invented. When I began, one had to drive to a school district building and use their internet video conferencing to reach anyone in an Alaskan village. Eighteen years later I am just as comfortable teaching on an iPad using Facetime, as I am teaching in person.
So no matter where you are, and with time zone adjustments, we can make it work and have some fun, too.
For the month of January I'm offering one free 20 minute lesson to anyone interested in distance lessons. If you have an instrument, let's try it! If you don't, or you don't know which instrument you'd like, we could chat, and I could show you some of the music that each instrument plays.
My contact information is in the left sidebar. Send me an email and we'll make an appointment. I'd love to meet you.
Welcome to Workshop Winter here at Tartan Tundra Music!
Kicking it off with a bang, literally, is our Beginning Bodhrán Workshop!
Three Wednesday in a row, starting November 1: 5:30–6:30 we'll explore this Irish drum. You will learn three important rhythms that will help you play along in any traditional jam. Each week is a new rhythm. You'll get plenty of practice playing along with a live fiddler, and go home with handouts that will allow you to practice at home. You don't have to have a drum. Facsimile drums will be provided,(yours to keep) and you'll also get time on one of my drums during the class. Cost: $50 for all three weeks. Email jeanofiddler at gmail dot com (you know how to translate that, right?) to get more information and enroll.
Swedish Fiddling, Scottish Fiddling are both in the offing with dates and times TBA!
Both will be three weeks each, and the same cost: $50.
If you are interested in private lessons, I am certainly offering those, of course: fiddle/violin, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, vocal coaching (adults and teens only).
You may have heard I was moving away, but I will be here for another year of fun with music!
Fall Lessons start Monday, October 2, and continue through the end of the school year in May. Of course we'll have our usual lovely recitals: one in December right before Winter Break, and one in May before school ends.
I'm very excited about this year! Let me know what you want to learn!
As usual, I am teaching Monday through Thursday, both in person and online, via FaceTime or Google Meet.
What instrument do you want to learn? Violin? Viola? Guitar? Mandolin? Ukulele? Or maybe even Bodhrán? (That's an Irish drum.)
There are some workshops I'm considering teaching, so stay tuned and I'll see you down at the studio.
On May 13, 2022, we held the Spring Recital over Zoom.
Everyone stepped up and really performed! I'm always nervous before the program, and the students always blow me away, every time! One student had a school even and was unable to attend, so I recorded him and the video was seamlessly played along with all the live student performances.
Students from Fairbanks, North Pole, Dot Lake. and New Mexico were all represented. I'd love to have everyone in the same room in person, however the video recital allows everyone to be there "in person." It also allows friends and family members to attend in real time, no matter how far away they are. They can clap and send encouraging messages, too!
For the Winter Recital, I envision a hybrid event, where the local students can play in person, and the distance students might be on a large screen onstage. It all depends on the state of the pandemic, I'm afraid. But I am hopeful and eager to have an in-person recital.
Here is the link to watch our latest recital. Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/
I was hoping to resume teaching in-person at the end of October, but the death of a vaccinated friend this month made me realize that it's just too risky. I will take a look at it again at the end of Winter.
Online lessons have some great advantages!
Since I've taught distance lessons since 2005, before the age of Zoom and all those apps (and before people even used the word "app") I am very comfortable teaching this way.
For a brief month or two I was able to offer lessons in person, in the studio, but the Delta variant has put a stop to that. This is frustrating, as I have been paying rent on the studio all this time but am unable to use it. Please, if you are vaccinated, be careful and continue masking, keeping your distance and washing hands. If you are not vaccinated, please get vaccinated. Alaska has the worst rate of Coronavirus in the nation at this writing. It's no fun being #1 in Covid infections.
Online lessons are going well. I have been teaching distance lessons for at least ten years, if not fifteen. Many schools on and off the road system don't have a music teacher and there are kids who are now young adults who have learned to play violin and guitar through my distance teaching. I'm an old hand at this online teaching thing! Hey, I've been doing it since BEFORE Zoom!
I hope Freeze-up is treating you well and that you got all your summer projects finished. As the long dark descends, consider some music lessons to brighten your winter nights.
Today a feature about me ran in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner newspaper. Last month I was asked for an interview and today we see the results of that interview!
Here is the link: http://www.newsminer.com/features/sundays/becoming_alaskan/jean-mcdermotts-life-in-music-hits-all-the-right-notes/article_d6b3487c-aae6-11eb-bc45-03a5044ef034.html
Since I last posted, things are just a little different. Vaccines have rolled out in Alaska, and at this writing everyone age 16 and above can get the Covid-19 vaccination. Alaska has done very well in making the vaccine available!
More people vaccinated means lessons in the studio, as opposed to lessons online, also become closer. Not yet, but I can see the light at end of the tunnel! I can't say exactly when I will reopen the studio, but it's definitely something to look forward to.
Why not now? Well, there aren't enough people vaccinated yet. If I start giving lessons now, I will have to deep clean the studio in between every half hour lesson. Obviously that is an impossible task. When everyone who comes in is vaccinated (or as close to that as we can get), then I can reopen.
Will I stop giving online lessons? No way! I've been doing distance lessons for at least a decade. There are places in Alaska, and in the world, where distance lessons are the only lessons possible. So if that's more convenient for you, worry not. Distance lessons will always be available.
Recital!
Usually we have a fun recital in May, and in December. I have forgone doing recitals because of the obvious problems of gathering people together. However, I'm thinking that I will set up a Virtual Recital for the end of May that we can do on Google Meet. Students want and need to see what other students are doing, plus it feels great to show off! True, we will miss the potluck and fun visiting portion that follows the music program, but I'll see what I can do to make the recital fun for everyone. I'm not setting a date yet but I'll send out emails and post updates here and on Facebook. It's a step toward getting back to the normal!
So far, so good. Are things going to be exactly like they were before this pandemic? Probably not, but I think some of the changes we have made are for the better.
You may remember that long before the pandemic I asked people to wash their hands, or use the hand sanitizer on the desk before coming in for a lesson. Because if Miss Jean gets sick, then nobody gets a lesson! Fast forwarding to today, and that doesn't seem odd at all, does it?
CONTACT: You can find and PM me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TartanTundraMusic/, email me at jeanofiddler at gmail dot com. Or call my cell phone at nine oh seven, nine seven eight, five eight seven nine. Be aware that when I am teaching, my cell is on quiet so that the student's lesson is not interrupted. Please leave a message if you get my voicemail and I'll call you back. Thanks!
I have been distance teaching for over 15 years! Long before this pandemic, I taught classes from Beaver to Tetlin and many other places. Distance lessons are old hat to this teacher, and I'm here to tell you what that means to you and your students.
For the time being, and for my own safety and the safety of everyone, I'll be teaching via Facetime, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts or whatever video conferencing application works the best for you. I prefer Facetime as it seems to be the clearest and most consistent. Zoom is starting to want to charge money (and that's their right) but there are many others that are free.
There is ONE exception in that occasionally we can do an outdoor lesson, physically distance and masked, in my driveway if it is NOT raining or too cold. A few times this summer this has worked out well, especially for neighbors (Goldstream Valley) who have really iffy internet. But this is not reliable (as I write, a lake is growing in my dog yard) so distance backup is truly required.
At this writing I have pretty good availability for lesson slots, but should my schedule fill up, I will keep a waiting list.
Age five is the youngest I teach and there is no upper age limit. However not all 5-yr-olds are able to understand the video teaching aspect of things, although some do. I'm willing to try, but parents should observe how young children do when video chatting to judge if their child is ready for lessons. I can do mini 15 minute lessons for the young ones, if you think that would work. Be sure to let me know if that is your preference.
One of the interesting things about online teaching is that students tend to be much more focused on the music, the teacher, and their instrument. We are sitting there, on our screens (and most kids love to look at a screen!) and we really LOOK at each other, far more than in the physical studio. Students learn from watching me, and then trying things out while I watch them. All the distractions of a room are gone and BAM! It's ALL about music!
Once a week, generally on Sunday or Saturday, I will send out new materials: handouts, songs, tunes, charts, etc. that will be needed for the next week. Sometimes nothing new is needed, but parents and adult students should be able to print out their materials, especially the worksheets that require pen or pencil to complete. I have links to music books that you can download for a nominal price, too, for instance the old standard violin book, The Scottish Folk Fiddle Tutor, can now be downloaded for a mere $4.50.
It's still a very good idea to have a folder or binder that contains all the music/materials that I send, so when it's lesson time the student has everything he/she needs. A music stand is a great thing for both holding music, and holding the phone or tablet on which the student sees me.
Payment is different now that we can't meet each other in person. My preferred method of payment is the Venmo app. It is as simple as sending a text, safe and free (owned by PayPal). I do not use PayPal because they charge a huge fee for each transaction. Another option is Zelle, which is a direct bank transfer and many bank apps have that in their online banking. Those are the preferred ways, though you can use Facebook Pay, or even mail me a check (my lease favorite way but if it works for you and you can remember to mail it, we're all good! Homeschoolers pay the same as everyone else, and I will send you a receipt so that you can be reimbursed.
Payments are still on the same schedule, on the last week of lessons of one month, you pay for the next month. When you start I'll send you all the particulars.
We are all going to get through this if we hang on and keep doing things that make us happy. Music can truly improve lives, both within a pandemic and life in general!
CONTACT: You can find and PM me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TartanTundraMusic/, email me at jeanofiddler at gmail dot com. Or call my cell phone at nine oh seven, nine seven eight, five eight seven nine. Be aware that when I am teaching, my cell is on quiet so that the student's lesson is not interrupted. Please leave a message if you get my voicemail and I'll call you back. Thanks!
It's already Fall here in Fairbanks and beyond! Leaves are yellow and swirling around in the wind. Most schools in Alaska have already started, and Tartan Tundra Music is filling up with great, new students! Anyone age 5 or older is welcome, and there is no upper age limit.
Some are taking violin, some are taking viola, and there are guitar students, ukulele students, voice students, and mandolin students all having fun with music. So far there are no bodhrán students (Irish drum). Maybe that could be you?
As always, lessons are taught Mondays through Thursdays, from noon to the evening, with the last lesson starting at 6:30. Ole the Norwegian Elkhound therapy dog (with Companions, Inc.), and often Blueberry, the little "Elfhound," will be there to greet you.
When it's black ice or overly snowy, students at Tartan Tundra can take lessons from the comfort of their own homes via computer, thus saving themselves a harrowing ride into or across town. Or, if a student is ill, but not so ill they could not play (sniffles, some coughing) then being able to take a distance lesson saves energy for the sick person and yet he/she doesn't miss a lesson! This also keeps Ms. Jean from getting sick. Because if Ms. Jean gets sick, no one gets lessons! All in all, being able to take a lesson through the computer/tablet/phone is a service that Tartan Tundra gives all its students!
Students need to bring just a few things to their lessons:
We have a Winter Recital coming up in early December. We always have a fun theme! What will it be this time?