online music lessons for kids, teens, and adults

Virtual Lesson Handbook

Greetings Guitar Shedders! We’ve now had several weeks of virtual lessons and have learned a lot. Here are some guidelines for ensuring a great lesson experience.

Preparation:

-Make sure you have a lesson space clear of distractions.
-Have your music and materials ready prior to your lesson.
-Tune your instrument beforehand if applicable.
-Position your device in a way that would emulate an in-person lesson.
-Verify your method of contact with your teacher.
-Record your lessons to use as reference throughout the week.
-And most importantly, practice!

Connectivity:

-A stable internet connection is important!
-If possible, connect to the internet via ethernet cable.
-If using WiFi, make sure to be in a part of your home that has good signal.
-If you are having connectivity issues and cannot move to another part of your home, it may be worth trying to move your router closer to your lesson space.
-A computer or tablet is recommended for lessons, but a phone will work as well.

Audio:
-Headphones make a big difference! Over-the-ear wired -headphones are preferred. Bluetooth headphones can have connectivity issues. Noise-cancelling headphones are even better.
-Make sure that you can hear your teacher clearly and speak up if you can’t.
-Find a quiet space for your lesson if possible with minimal background noise.
-If you are interested in improving the sound quality of your instrument, we recommend purchasing a USB audio interface for your computer. Audio interfaces are in high demand these days and you might have to check with a few different retailers for availability. There are also several more affordable interfaces for phones and tablets. If you have an instrument that does not plug directly into the interface, you will need to purchase a microphone and xlr cable and mic stand.
-Zoom has several audio adjustments that will improve your sound.
–Click “Advanced” under Audio and check “Show in-meeting -option to “Enable Original Sound”
–Once you are in the meeting click the option to “Turn on Original Sound” in the upper left corner
–Under “Audio Processing” in the Advanced Audio Settings, disable Suppress Persistent Background Noise and Suppress Intermittent Background Noise. Set Echo Cancellation to Auto.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact our teachers and administrators. We appreciate everyone’s effort and we’re working hard to make our virtual lessons a great experience!

View our Teen Band collaborative videos below that they have worked hard on during this period of virtual lessons!

We currently offer virtual lessons on all instruments! Some of the advantages to remote learning online are…

-Use your own gear and educational materials
-Flexible Scheduling
-Help with your practice rig
-Connecting with your teacher from any location
-Record lessons and practice with them throughout the week
-Our teachers are happy to use Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and any other preferred video-conferencing applications

To get started register here to schedule your first lesson!

Virtual Lesson Testimonials

I have been a student with Sean at Guitar Shed for 2 years now. Sean has a wealth of knowledge and experience with music and is excellent at helping me learn new skills and keeping me engaged. They have done a great job pivoting to online lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic. I recommend Guitar Shed to anyone looking to start learning a new instrument or who is looking to improve skills they already have.
-Rachel

Guitar Shed is an excellent resource for teaching music and instilling an appreciation of music. Our son has been receiving lessons there for nearly two years and we’re very happy with the experience. Even during the pandemic, they’ve adapted to virtual lessons seamlessly and his progress has continued. Highly recommend this great resource to anyone seeking to learn an instrument!
-David

If I could give it 11 stars, I would. Our son has played with Sean M. for over 5 years now and has progressed from a Ukulele to playing Electric Bass in two bands and being able to play Ramble On by Zeppelin at the age of 13 (he recently took the step of learning careless whisper all on his own, I know, hilarous). We love the family at guitar shed and how the teachers and ownership are able to grow so much amazing talent from voice to drums. If you are a music lover or former musician like me and want your child to develop the skill, understanding and the tingling sensation when the hair stands up on the back of your neck, this is the PLACE! As for COVID, our son loves his weekly online lesson and has still been able to play safely in the teen band. It has been one of the bright spots of this horrible time in our lives.
-Henry

My daughter has been taking guitar lessons with Sean for a year and a half. Since the pandemic she they have gone virtual and Sean has been fantastic in teaching my daughter news skills and improving her playing. I love the Guitar Shed and Sean!
-Tamar

We’ve had a fantastic experience at Guitar Shed for piano lessons for our son. Chris is an amazing musician and patient teacher who has helped him progress steadily. They have made the best of the COVID situation and the virtual lessons are almost as good as meeting in person, and our son’s piano skills have continued to improve. Highly recommended for music lessons.
-Tommy

My daughter has been taking piano lessons with Chris for over four years. I cannot say enough good things about this business or about Chris himself. My kiddo usually takes a long time to trust someone, but she trusted Chris from the start and has thrived under his instruction. The non competitive environment has meant my daughter gets to explore the piano without the stress, which has made her fall in love with her craft. Even through our the pandemic they have amazed me with how well they’ve handled things. It takes a truly amazing instructor to be able to teach well virtually, and we certainly have that in Chris!
-Jessica

We have been at Guitar Shed for 2 years now. My son started piano at 5 and is still loving it! The front office staff is delightful, and he and his piano instructor (Mr. Chris) have really clicked. We loved in person lessons and were a bit hesitant to transition to virtual – but Guitar Shed has really knocked it out of the park! My son still looks forward to his virtual lesson. Guitar Shed has had numerous virtual recitals – and it has been so great to be able to include family and friends near and far in his recitals. My son has let me know that after mastering piano, he intends to learn to play “every instrument I can take lessons for at Guitar Shed.”
-Naomi

Great place to really get into an instrument! I always look forward to my piano lessons with Mr Chris Case and have learned so much. I hope soon we can be back in person but for now I’ve enjoyed getting back into piano from my home
-Martha

I highly recommend Guitar Shed for anyone looking to learn to play an instrument or improve their skills. We have had excellent experiences with guitar lessons from Sean McMorris and drum lessons from Dylan Banks. Not only is their instruction top notch, but so is the entire school experience. From the very first impression, we saw that Guitar Shed was run by kind and friendly people with a passion for teaching music. When the pandemic hit and GS switched to virtual lessons, the school handled it with great professionalism and concern for students. We can’t wait until it’s finally over so we can once again enjoy GS’s fabulous student showcases live and in person.
-Nick

My son has been taking lessons with Nichelle for several years. Even throughout the pandemic, she has found a way to keep my tween engaged with virtual lessons by identifying tunes that he can relate to.
-Christy

Desmond is an AMAZING teacher with my boys! They have not skipped a beat in their progress by going virtual, he is so engaged and responsive that it feels like he is in the room with them. He is energetic and encouraging which really motivates them to succeed. My oldest has gone from grumbling about practicing to now not being able to pass by the piano without playing a quick tune and Desmond is 100% to credit for that. He is THE BEST teacher!
-Annie

Thanks so much for Avery’s music stand he loves it! It has been a huge help. I also wanted to thank you for keeping up the lessons. Max, Drew and Gail are amazing and have been our only constant and normal throughout this experience. Even though Avery and Erin may bellyache about practicing sometimes, they always love having lessons. We appreciate all of you very much and wanted to let you know.
-Suzanne

Personally, we are loving the virtual lessons!
-Brie

“I just wanted to say everything was great. Skype worked well on our end and Finn was engaged and learned 2 new songs! Charlie had his lesson with Max today as well and Zoom was awesome. I loved how Max could put up the music on the screen instead of us having to prop it up next to him. Thanks for making online lessons work. Keeping some semblance of normalcy in our lives through all this chaos was really helpful.
-Nancy

You and Guitar Shed have brought me so much joy. Thank you for all you do.
-Sara

Continuing my lessons during this time is a source of great peace and normalcy. Chris does an awesome job of making this work well. Not only am I continuing to drive my piano abilities, I get to keep another weekly connection. Thank you Chris and Guitar Shed for enriching this time for me.
-Wende

Thanks for making this an option, we very much want to continue to support the business (and instructors!) we care about and love having an option to continue.
-Jessica

We are so happy that lessons are continuing online. It is something to look forward to that is not homeschooling!
-Suellen

We had our first virtual lesson with Hoberdan last Friday and it went great! The lesson started right on time, the connection was great, and Charlie loved seeing his teacher. It was very well done and we are very happy with this new virtual experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested.
-Brittany

I assumed that online would not work well for a child of Diana’s age, but actually just the opposite is true. I think that online pianos lessons can really work for her.
Another case of kids teaching us again that they can adapt to anything and it is the grown-ups that are the problem…
-Mike