Do Online Lessons Work?

Kathy Cammett is amazing! Norah has loved working with her. Online lessons has vocal study so convenient and productive.

Sarah M.

Brady has been working since 2018 with his voice teacher, Kathy Cammett, and really enjoys the flexibility of online lessons.  Kathy creates a fun and engaging learning environment where his love for singing and acting has flourished.

Kristy S.

Thank you Kathy Cammett for your online lessons for the past two years with Luke. He is discovering his dream under your instruction. ​

John R.

Thank you for teaching me singing lessons over the computer!  It's been really fun.  We've had some good laughs and I've gotten 1,000 times better with my singing.

Tyler G.

Kathy Cammett is an exceptional vocal coach who taught my son for several years. She is the consummate professional with a wealth of experience in vocal performance and coaching. She helped my son to refine and strengthen his vocal technique and to enhance his performance style. Also, she provided him with very valuable, targeted guidance when he prepared for musical theatre auditions. David always looked forward to his lessons with Kathy, because she is a sweet, patient individual who has a marvelous sense of humor. We enjoyed the convenience of David having the option to participate in his lessons online. I highly recommend Kathy Cammett to anyone who is interested in improving their singing. She is amazing!

Cathy P.

State Singing Competition Winners:  Bottom L-R: Joseph Kayne, 2nd Place; Jonah Sorscher, 1st Place; Middle L-R: Evelyn Spaeth, Honorable Mention; Eva Milligan, Honorable Mention; Luke Randazzo, 2nd Place

You might be wondering things like:  

​Do I need special equipment?  Will you hear me well enough?
Are online lessons as good as in-person lessons? 

These are great questions!  
​
Keep reading for answers...​​

Katie Hill in her online voice lesson.  Katie placed first in the State, top 5 regionals for NATS

Luke Randazzo loves online voice lessons and placed third in the national Classical Singer High School Competition, Second in the State of Ohio NATS, and became a Finalist in Overture Awards and the Schmidt Vocal Competition!

Do I need special equipment for online lessons?  Will you hear me well enough?

To get started all you need is a device.  A smartphone, tablet, or computer, plus an internet connection will have you up and running. 
​I will be able to hear everything I need to hear.

Are online lessons as good as in-person lessons?

Online lessons allow me to really see you and hear you when you sing​

So often when in-person, I cannot look at you all the time because I have to play the piano.  As well, I may not hear you well over the piano.  Because of these factors, I may miss important things since I am unable to fully observe everything in-person. ​

​students are more engaged online than in-person

Students develop a real sense of independence and responsibility because they are the ones who have to make the marks in their music, line up their karaoke, etc.  And even better is that a student has to look at me and can also see themselves readily on the webcam.  This type of self-observation is an important part of learning that does not happen all the time in-person.  Students end up more focused on their sound, their physical comportment and feelings, and their preparation which then makes them progress faster.

Singing virtually keeps you safe from communicable illness

No need to worry about social distancing, masks, ventilation, or how many singers exhaled before you.

​Much of the research coming out about Covid-19 and singing has been done by my colleagues and indicates that even with masks and other strategies, risk is not eliminated for in-person singing.  As a singer, getting the coronavirus can affect your lungs and vocal folds which then may affect your ability to have a career - a risk for you and myself that I am unwilling to take even for the sake of Zoom fatigue. You can read the research for yourself in the coronavirus section in my blog.

You can find a good teacher beyond a local market

The best teacher for your needs and level of development may not live in your area.

You can have a lesson wherever you go

Most phones have hotspot capabilities or you can purchase a separate mobile hotspot.

Online lessons save you time, gas money, fighting traffic, and driving during bad weather

You might even have more time and energy left to practice!

Online lessons foster good ear-training and build these pitch-matching and tonal memory abilities

Most importantly, an essential skill for a singer is the ability to audiate - to hear pitches in their head without assistance, remember them, and reproduce them accurately.  When the piano is being played during an in-person lesson, it becomes a crutch and hindrance to the singer who relies on it to get their pitch.  ​Often when someone complains about online lessons, it is because they are having trouble in matching pitches that may not have been evident before.

Research findings about online lessons also support my experience with virtual lessons

Here are some notable results of research comparing online lessons with traditional in-person lessons:

1. 28% increase in student playing
2. 36% decrease in off-task comments by the instructor
3. 28% decrease in teacher playing (modeling) 
4. Overall increase in student eye contact - Young students, especially those with attention challenges, are taught more effectively online than in person.  Children have the ability to focus intently on a computer screen, and, with only the teacher's hands, face, and instrument in sight, the distractions tend to vanish
5. ​Less than 3% of the time was spent on technology issues. 

 

• Oman, E.K. and Whitaker, J.A. (2010).  Time usage during face-to-face and synchronous distance music lessons.  American Journal of Distance Education, 24(2), 92-103.

I have been teaching online since 2004. When using the right methods and tools, virtual lessons have produced better results for my clients than in-person lessons!   Both my professional and most successful students have worked with me online -- you can see some of their pictures throughout this site.  Check out their achievements! ​​  

If you have not been having this kind of experience, it is because the right skills have not been used in your online lessons - there is definitely an art to delivering online lessons.  I have been teaching online for 15+ years and know many tactics, apps, websites, and more that lead young and old to great achievement. 
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​So, if you have been telling yourself that online lessons just do not work, please trust me.  With the right methods and tools, online lessons are incredible.