Preparing for Online Piano Lessons at Mattix Music Studio

Thank you for reading over our guidelines before your online piano lesson. 

Camera Placement & Positioning:

• Students should be sitting on very tall bench. Parents are often shocked at how high kids need to sit at the piano bench. The bottom of the student’s forearm should be level with the top of the piano keys. Here’s the piano bench we use at Mattix Music Studio in case you’d like to make a bigger investment.

• If your bench isn’t tall enough, find books, cushions or foam floor mats that can sit on top of your piano bench to ensure they’re sitting tall enough.

• Once you have the student sitting high enough, their feet should also be flat on a surface. You’ll need additional stools or a pedal extender under their feet to make sure the balance of their lower half is through their legs and down into their feet.

• Please keep in mind that you do not need to purchase professional materials if you don’t want to, and virtual or not, you should have this tall set-up at your house for practicing anyway.

• Put the phone/tablet on the side of the piano keys or above the fall board so the teacher can see the student’s fingers on the individual keys. We need to know if they’re on the right note and if their fingering is correct. 

• If your student is working on the right hand, the camera should be on the right side of the piano. If your student is working on the left hand, the camera should be on the left side of the piano. Be prepared to move back and forth as your teacher requests.

• Flexible tripods are very helpful to have if you already own one and are inexpensive if you’d like to get one.

• Sometimes it is hard to balance iPads on the sides of the piano keys because they’re too heavy to stay standing up. If you don’t have a tripod, try this handy hack to keep the iPad from falling over!

• Students may need help finding measure numbers or specific notes in their music that the teacher would normally point out. The parent will be the assistant to guide the student and help them understand what their teacher is asking.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon for our next online piano lesson!

Don’t forget – your teacher is your greatest resource and biggest fan. Talk with him or her about any questions, recommendation, concerns or problems you’re experiencing.

Thank you for all you do to support your child making music!