What the TPSMTS Team Has Learned Through Telehealth (Online) Lessons/Sessions

Tamara’s Piano Studio and Music Therapy Services (TPSMTS) has now been conducting Telehealth/Online lessons and sessions amidst these extraordinary times for 8 weeks now.

Our teachers and therapists have learned many new skills and dedicated time to furthering our techniques through this process!

 

1. Our students and clients continue to focus.

There have been many students/clients that we initially thought moving to Telehealth lessons/sessions would be difficult for. Despite our initial reservations, we have found that students/clients we thought may struggle have been doing quite well! We have found that some of our students/clients are actually focusing better with Telehealth lessons/sessions!

2. We are all constantly adapting and accommodating.

Most of the interventions and techniques that TPSMTS teachers and therapists use during our lessons/sessions were catered and curated over years of experience to be used in face-to-face interactions.

 

With the transfer to Telehealth lessons/sessions, we have had to quickly adapt our experiences to accommodate this change. Yu Kwei has found it very important to find a variety of ways to engage her students/clients. Without having the in-person interactions, she has had to generalize the concepts and topics of what she is teaching to fit into those engaging techniques.

 

3. More practice time…for our teachers/therapists!

Seeing students/clients every day does not always give us the time to work on our own musical abilities. Our teachers and therapists have been brushing up on their musical skills with the extra time that they have at home. Some of our associates have been taking this time to work on guitar skills and learning new songs to bring to students/clients.

 

4. we are putting our listening skills to the test.

As music teachers and music therapists, we need to have certain musical abilities. In person, we are able to look at the instruments our students/clients are playing to figure out if they are playing the correct notes. Without always being able to see the instruments now, Gabriella has found that her relative pitch has improved to assist her students through the screen.

 

5. We think outside-the-box!

One of the challenges for our music therapists is the lack of available instruments for client use at home. Without any instruments, some activities and interventions may not be possible. Jane has tapped into her creative side and is drawing inspiration from objects that can be easily found at home.

 

6. We had to work together quickly to implement telehealth lessons/sessions.

The entire TPSMTS team had to work quickly to set up Telehealth lessons/sessions, and learn how to use and implement them within a week to ensure our students/clients could still have their lessons/sessions and have a sense of normalcy, routine, and motivation during this unpredictable time. Our students/clients also had to adapt quickly to a brand new way of interacting with their teachers and therapists, as well as adjust to learning music and working toward therapeutic goals online.

 

Tamara has learned throughout this process to never underestimate the resilience of the human spirit.

Everyone’s willingness to be adaptive, flexible, patient, and understanding during this transition has been nothing short of impressive, as well as very much appreciated.

Though Telehealth lessons/sessions are certainly not our preferred method of providing lessons/sessions, the TPSMTS team has been working hard to make the best of our current situation.

 

We look forward to seeing you all again soon!