What is it?
What is subscription-based learning? It can be anything really. Generally speaking, someone pays a certain amount per month and receives access to premade lessons, materials, etc., and potentially access to a live interaction held over the internet. After that, it’s up to the provider and the subscriber.
When the pandemic first caused schools and communities to shut down, people who were freelancers had to suddenly switch gears overnight. Studio teachers are freelance artists. We advertise ourselves, market ourselves, we hustle or we don’t, we set our own hours and agendas. In exchange, we have no job security, benefits, or general access to unemployment benefits. Studio teachers came together and supported each other by exchanging knowledge, information, and encouragement. We had to- we had to keep generating income and the shut-down happened right when most of us were at the beginning of our busiest season.
What we thought would happen was studios would empty, and kids would stop being interested. To some degree that did happen however, studios came back, and a lot of kids didn’t leave. Some teachers reported being busier than ever as private teachers became lifelines between a school band/orchestra/choir and the student. Parents were relieved to not have to drive, and know their children were engaged and learning for anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. We were more than music teachers. We became counselors, mentors, friends, confidantes, but mostly we made ourselves available.
I watched as my students improved in their playing and many became more engaged and more curious about music. Thanks to a lot of band directors being brave and implementing topics such as theory, composition, social justice, basic recording and production students found music to be a needed outlet. It’s too early to know why students didn’t burn out and shut their instrument cases to the levels we anticipated. I suspect it’s because teaching and learning are about heart and content- not the venue. We are blessed with so many music educators out there.
I know there are now students who believe in their own abilities to improve and grow as musicians and I can’t wait to work with you. Subscription-based means we can work out the amount of materials and pre-recorded instructional videos made just for you that will allow for maximum learning, and that will vary with each student. We can meet virtually once, twice a month, as a group or in one-on-one lessons. You can submit video or audio of your playing any time you want, through an interactive app. It’s really up to you, and I’m here for all of it! It’s self-paced, and it can change depending on your schedule and your needs.
Of course, some students thrive with in-person lessons and there are absolute advantages to assessing performance in person. Virtual learning options are not intended to eliminate the need for in-person live lessons. Some teachers and students never want to log into Zoom again, and I am here for that too. The Clarinet Room was created so those who found a benefit to virtual learning and who prefer it for any number of reasons can continue to grow and improve and fall deeper in love with music.
See you in the room!
