Thomas J. West Music

It's very simple to get started. All you need is the following:

1. A computer (PC or Mac)
2. A high-speed internet connection (DSL, Fios, or faster)
3. A webcam (you must be able to transmit video and audio without a headset)
4. Your own musical instrument

Webcam lessons function similarly to traditional private lessons. The student interacts with the teacher live in real time over the computer, regardless of distance! Students are able to play their instrument and receive direct feedback from Mr. West. Your teacher is also able to play and demonstrate techniques live, or can create demonstration videos which the student will view online. The webcam studio also has instant messaging, a whiteboard, can display online videos, and has an interactive document interface where teacher and student can edit text in real time onscreen.

Webcam lessons are extremely cost-effective. There is very little overhead for either the student or the teacher, so the price you pay for lessons is going straight to instruction, not for a music studio or retail store to skim off the top.

Everything that can be done in a traditional face-to-face lesson can be done online with two exceptions:

1. The teacher can not physically assist the student with posture, fingerings, and instrument maintenance and repair issues.
2. The student and teacher can not play duets together due to connection latency, or "lag" between computers.

Other than that, anything the students' webcam can see, the teacher can see. Anything picked up by the student's microphone can be heard by the teacher, and the sound quality across my webcam studio is excellent.

Orman, 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. This experimental study closely compares multiple aspects of applied instrumental music lessons in face-to-face and online lesson settings. Three middle school students (one saxophonist, two tubists) had lessons with a saxophone and tuba instructor respectively. Each student had a mix of face-to-face and online video lessons which were videotaped and coded for a variety of factors. When on-line lessons were compared to face to face lessons, there was a 28% increase in student playing, a 36% decrease in off-task comments by the instructor, a 28% decrease in teacher playing (modeling), and an increase in student eye contact. In the online lessons, less than 3% of the time was spent on technology issues, although audio and video quality concerns were mentioned.

Instruments and Skill Levels

I have years of experience teaching all of the following instruments, from beginners to advanced skill levels. These instruments can all be successfully taught live via webcam:

flute	clarinet (any)	oboe
bassoon	saxophone (any)	trumpet
french horn	trombone	baritone or euphonium
tuba	snare drum	violin
viola	cello	string bass

Praise from Lesson Clients

About the Instructor

Thomas J. West is a professional music educator with over ten years' experience. Mr. West has taught band, orchestra, chorus, and general music classes for grades 3-12 in public school districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has served as an adjudicator for the United States Scholastic Band Association and Cavalcade of Bands and earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Penn State University. He is currently the instrumental music teacher (both winds and strings) at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts, an offering of the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. He has been working with online lessons students since 2008.