Requirements: Online Voice Lessons

Nothing to fear—you’ve got this! Teens and adults get used to online lessons quickly. And children do too, once an adult helps with the initial setup. All lessons take place on Zoom. I will email you the Zoom link the night before each lesson. Here’s what you’ll eventually need:

A computer showing Paul and student Julie Muccillo get ready for their Zoom voice lesson.

Primary Device: Your primary communication device can be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone that has email access as well as the ability to send and receive audio and video. If the device can have an ethernet connection to the internet, that’s preferable to wifi—but not required. You also do not need an external screen, camera, microphone, speaker or headphones. Better to sing out into the air, so you can move freely. But if you do have them, it’s actually more preferable to for them to be hard-wired than wireless. Cords are your friend, as long as they are long. The main thing is that I need to see and hear you clearly, and you need to hear and see me!

Audio Settings: Be sure to optimize the audio settings that are native to your primary device, as well as the separate ones in the Zoom platform. Remember: turn on original sound, and no noise suppression. The specifics can change with software upgrades, and I can help you.

Printed Music: In the best scenario, we will work together to electronically get each of us the same written copy of the songs you sing in your lessons. Typically you will purchase, download and email the music, and then print yourself a hard copy. If you own a paper copy already, you can scan it and email the PDF to me. As an alternative, you could sing music from a tablet device, using software like forScore that makes page turns easy.

Second Device for Accompaniment Track: You will need a second device (typically a smartphone) so you can control the playback of your accompaniment (piano or orchestra) while you sing. There are various ways to get audio tracks, but of course they need to be in the right key, be the right speed, and coincide with your printed copy. If needed, I will record the song for you, and email you the audio file.

Space: Find a room for singing that’s spacious, resonant, and free from distractions and intrusive noise. You should be able to stand for most of your lesson. And your primary device should be high enough that you can look at the camera and your printed music without looking down.

Questions? Email me and we’ll figure it out!