What does it take to reach all of your teaching objectives in a virtual space?
Sample Zoom Setup Instructions
Setting up Zoom and Getting the Most out of your Virtual Experience
#1 - Zoom set-up tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMUxzrgZvZQ&feature=youtu.be
Note: All you need is the free version!
#2 – Making the most of rehearsals:
General housekeeping for singers:
· Please print physical copies of all of the sheet music before Day 1. That way, you won’t have to toggle between screens during rehearsal! (All materials should be sent to you via email and be placed in a shared Google Drive.)
· Realize that singers will be “muted” during parts of the rehearsal! Zoom works best for online rehearsals by muting everyone except the director. So when everyone sings, they are singing to themselves. This obviously has musical limitations, but, at the moment, it is the best approach in the virtual world. Additionally, it allows singers to hear their voice on its own, which can be a great learning and development opportunity.
· Make sure you “pin” the conductor video during rehearsals! You can accomplish this by double-clicking the conductor video.
· Make sure you know how to use the “thumbs up” and “clap” feature in Zoom.
· Make sure the username in Zoom is in your name, not someone else's.
Equipment for conductors and singers:
· If you have a decent quality external microphone to plug into your device, use it! (USB mics can be purchased for under $100. The one I use is only $49.99 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic-Portable-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42)
· It’s helpful (but not necessary) to have headphones or an external speaker.
· If you have a second device (like an iPad or smartphone), this will allow you to participate in some of the learning activities we’ve planned (on platforms like Kahoot!).
Zoom Audio Settings:
Make sure to adjust your audio settings:
1. Click on the Settings wheel in the top right hand corner
2. Click Audio
3. Click "Advanced," bottom right
4. Check the box that says, "Show in-meeting option to 'Enable Original Sound' from microphone."
5. Set "Suppress Persistent Background Noise" to "Disable"
6. Set "Suppress Intermittent Background Noise" to "Disable
If this is confusing, you can visit this YouTube video tutorial for additional help.