Virtual Music Lessons

We accept students of all ages for online music lessons. Although we do recommend in-person lessons for young or beginner students, we can in fact teach these students via online one on one music lessons. For very young beginner students, ages 4-7, we ask that parents or guardians help with camera set up and connection. Advanced students can benefit the most from these lessons.

Internet Connection: A stable internet connection is required for video lessons. WiFi connected devices are preferred over your carrier’s data connection. For the most stable connection, it is recommended to use a computer or laptop connected directly to your modem via ethernet.
Device: All smart phones can do video chat. You can also use ipads/tablets, and laptops/computers as long as you are able to download and install the preferred applications. Different instructors of ours will have different preferred apps, although most are flexible and will be able to connect with you if not with your first preferred application then a back up that is suitable for both teacher and student.
Apps:
FaceTime is one of the easiest ways to do Video chat, but can only work if both parties have apple products (iPhone, iPad, iMac, Macbook).
WhatsApp is great for all smart phones as it is cross compatible with both Apple and Android.
Skype has the longest history of being a reliable video chat platform and works across all smart phones and can also be used on computers/tablets.
Zoom has been promoted by most school systems and many of our teachers are able to use this platform as well. Zoom is cross compatible across all smart phones, computers, and tablets.

Nowadays, most computers and smartphones will have built in cameras that you can use for these online lesson platforms. A separate webcam is not necessary. However, the camera will need to be properly set up so that the instructor has the best view in order to help. Below are diagrams of how we like to have the camera set up. For piano students, the camera should be at an angle that captures the students hands, piano keys, and shows posture. For more advanced students, the camera will need to be set back by another foot to capture their feet for pedal use. For non-piano students, you can set up the camera to face you directly.
We would recommend purchasing a camera stand:
SmartPhone Stand: https://amzn.to/2XIFPvX
Tablet Stand: https://amzn.to/3bedwcK
Goose Neck Stand: https://amzn.to/2VFNbOj
You do not need to purchase these exact models but this will give you a good idea of what to look for. A separate stand is not mandatory, as you can prop the camera on anything, like a music stand, but the stand may be worth the investment to avoid the phone dropping or slipping off the preferred angle.

We do not offer instrument sales nor rentals, we strictly focus on music education through music lessons and we do offer performance opportunities as well as master classes.
For piano students located in Georgia, we would recommend checking out cooperpianos.com (don’t forget to mention North Fulton Music for the best service). Cooper Pianos offers sales and rental programs for all types of pianos including uprights, baby grands, grands, and digitals. For your student’s first piano, we would recommend buying a starter keyboard. The keyboard must have weighted keys and be a full size (88-key) keyboard.
For guitar students, we would recommend buying a cheaper guitar that is under $100. At these prices, it would not be wise to rent. In the beginning, we are mainly working on finger placement, learning notes and chords, and learning how to read music. As students develop their ears, they will eventually be able to hear the difference in sound quality from different guitars (even among great guitars that are in the higher price points, sound will differ according to different variables like body size, wood used, etc). When you first start with the guitar your fingers will most likely hurt from pressing down on the metal strings and your fingers will need to develop calluses over time in order for this to get better. Many opt for Classical Guitars which have Nylon strings that are much softer on your fingers, but do have a different sound.
For more expensive instruments, we would recommend renting before buying. Although we all have the best intentions in mind with starting music lessons, life happens and interests can change, especially for young students. Before you fork out $3000 on a violin, we would recommend that you check out rental programs first. For those in Georgia, we would recommend visiting Beau Vinci Violins in Alpharetta (mention North Fulton Music for the best service and deals!).
Electric VS Acoustic
With technology rapidly advancing, electronic instruments have gotten much better. Digital pianos offer very accurate sounds and often come with the ability to change the instrumental sound on the keyboard (samples are prerecorded from different pianos and instruments). It also does not require the same amount of maintenance (no tuning needed) and much easier to move (instead of having to call the pros). Many digital pianos have not only weighted keys (which we require for our students) but also have touch sensitivity which allows better dynamics (push harder for louder, and softer for…softer – PIANO FORTE!). Digital instruments are not just for piano, we all have seen electric guitars but did you know about electric trumpets, violins, drum sets, ukuleles, saxophones? Another huge plus for digital is that you can generally plug in a headphone to practice and not disturb your family or roommates!

For any trial lesson, the teacher may email you a copy of the first few pages of the Beginner book. Since our music lessons are one-on-one, teachers may recommend different books that they feel are best for their student or one that they have good experience working with. You can purchase these books from various online websites such as Amazon, hutcinsandrea.com, or other music retailers.

The day before the lesson, it is recommended to email your teacher scans of the student’s work so that they have time to look it over before the lesson. At worst case, you can send a picture message if you cannot scan and email. As long as the teacher can receive the work and it is legible.

With online lessons, scheduling is generally more flexible since the instructors can have more options working from their homes (or from our studio). As the office, we like to confirm the trial lesson and regular lessons at a set time so you have it confirmed on the teacher’s schedule. However, you can reschedule the lesson for a different time with 48-hour notice to the teacher, and they will directly work out scheduling for you. We are located in Georgia and follow Eastern Standard Time for scheduling and office hours.

Due to the nature of live performances, we are unable to offer live performance opportunities to online lesson students; however, we have had online students perform at our annual recitals in Atlanta and Alpharetta, Georgia. Recitals are not mandatory.
Traditionally, our master classes, workshops, and other clinics have been in-person but we will now be creating videos for these events and will publish on our website for our online-students to watch and learn from.
Our annual music assessments will have an online division where you can submit your performance via video to receive critique and earn awards.

We require a 30-day written notice emailed to info@northfultonschoolofmusic.com for discontinuing enrollment – this is customary and usually required by most music schools and stores. We will prorate your final payment to only include lessons within the 30-day notice period.
If you re-enroll within 6-months of suspension, we will waive the $30 registration fee upon re-enrollment.