Technology Column: Welcome to the new normal

Obviously, this new academic year is very different and it's possible that you'll be returning to your teaching space having not stepped in it for months. There are all sorts of complications, including the fact that the government is (at the time of writing) not recommending the use of singing, woodwind or brass instruments in teaching.

Instrumental teaching is always going to be complicated in a world of social distancing, face masks and small practice rooms. Few practice rooms are big enough to maintain a two-metre distance, and, if you are teaching singing or a wind instrument, presumably the government would you like you to have significantly more distance than that. Something that we have been trialling over the summer term is a form of hybrid remote-online teaching.

One model involves the pupils continuing to receive their lessons in the college practice rooms as before, but with the teacher being present virtually. You might ask what advantage this has over entirely remote teaching? It means it can continue to be part of the timetabled week and doesn't involve separate negotiations with other staff. Additionally, it allows the students to have a private space in which to practice and perform, without the noise of the family in the background (obviously, we will be asking students to sanitise music stands and piano keys and so on as they leave).

Some teachers were happier with this model than others. (Obviously, I appreciate that the intricacies of the finer points of instrumental teaching can't always be carried out perfectly via an iPad.) This form of teaching can be paired with occasional, socially distanced lessons in a larger space. With only occasional physical lessons to timetable every so often, the pressure on safer, larger spaces that are suitable for instrumental performance is reduced.

Classroom music is, as ever, going to be an interesting experience – I can't think of many music lessons I've taught that didn't have some singing in there somewhere. I no longer teach music to KS₃ or KS₄ students so it's less of an issue for me personally, but for thousands of colleagues it will be complicated and potentially involve a lot of lesson rewrites.

Flipped learning can come in handy here. Most students will have some form of device on which they can record themselves – by getting the students to record their performances at home, lessons can be taught in a slightly different way. This can be as involved as you want it to be and differentiation can be embedded based on the technology used. For those who want something straightforward, simple video recording will suffice. But for those who need more of a challenge – apps such as A Capella (see MT July/August, Vol. 99 No. 7), can be used to layer up multiple parts and share projects between different people so that group work can continue remotely. Obviously, this doesn't just have to be vocals – anything can be recorded, including the output of a beat created on a tablet. What the students use to create their music doesn't matter – it's about preparing the work outside the classroom rather than in it. Once students have completed their recordings, the actual classroom lessons can be used to reflect on these performances, develop improvement plans and have the chance to listen to other relevant music.

In preparing for the return of students I've had to consider all sorts of things that I never considered before. Because I spend a lot of time teaching students how to record vocals – do I now need to get every student their own individual pop shield? Also, practice rooms and recording studios are specifically designed to not let sound in or out and therefore ventilation is often poor – I haven't come up with solutions to these problems but it's something I'm having to work on. I'd be interested to know what issues you are encountering.

I'd also love to hear about how you are using technology to help teach music in the ‘new normal’ from September. So do get in touch (details on p6). Have a great term!