COVID-19 Update for Students and Families

​I hope this message finds you safe and well. Sydney Guitar School continues to act with the official advice from government health authorities (NSW Health and the Australian Government Department of Health) in relation to COVID-19. The safety of our students, teachers and their families remain our top priority.

We will be moving to online learning, Sydney Guitar School Online (individual lessons and ensemble/music theory) as of tomorrow, Wednesday 25 March. The last face-to-face learning in all of our three studios (Five Dock – Kirribilli- Sydney CBD) conclude at the end of today, Tuesday 24 March at 8pm. If your lesson is tomorrow and you need more time to prepare for online, please let us know. I will be available to take your call and can help with set up before your scheduled lesson.

As communicated in an earlier email, classes and lessons will be transitioning to an online portal called Zoom. SGS ensemble and theory/musicianship students will also use the well-established online management system, Google Classroom. Your ensemble/class teacher will take you through this at your next class.

All of our SGS tutors having been training and refining our processes and procedures via the above platforms. Thank you for your patience and for all your feedback with those students who received their lessons online over the past few weeks whilst face-to-face lessons continued in all our three studios. Feedback has been positive from students and parents so far. Whilst the environment of learning in our studios still feels like it may be safe to deliver one-to-one lessons at a good distance, I feel strongly about the safety of the community.

Some of you who were enrolled in guitar exams will be given an opportunity to join some group learning opportunities and projects that will benefit your playing and musicianship – keep an eye out for these opportunities.

TIME OF LESSONS
Online lesson times will be kept to the same time as your normal studio-time but if a teacher has a block of a few hours of teaching, we will be working off a slightly altered time. This will enable some leighway in managing slight technical issues if they arise. Your teacher will communicate this to you if your time is any different.

Do note, initially, that there may be a buffer time of between 5-10 minutes between the scheduled start time and the online portal going 'live'. This will be closely monitored and tweaked. Thank you for your patience and understanding!


HOW TO CONNECT
Create a free account at https://zoom.us/ 
Your teacher will schedule your lessons individually and you will receive an email invite to join the meeting closer to the start time of your lesson via their email address.  We have specific email addresses set up for our teachers for online lessons. Please save your teacher’s email address in your contacts once you have been sent it.

In the email invitation, you will be able to click on the link and use the Zoom function on a laptop, phone, IPAD or other device. Zoom means you can see the teacher, and hear them, and you can have the lesson as usual. You teacher will always initiate the Zoom call, please be ready at your scheduled time. The invitation will ask you to download Zoom if you do not already have it. Please remember all official communication to the SGS is made through [email protected]

SOUND
For the best sound and consistency in transmission, it is recommended to use your home computer/laptop plugged into an ethernet cable. You can use headphones for an even greater experience and so that there is no delay in sound. With online, generally there will be a delay in sound and students won't be able to play guitar at the same time the teacher does like in a face to-face-lesson, you can ask the teacher to repeat anything if you do not hear it the first time. 

LESSONS 
No part of the lesson is to be recorded at any time. Lessons should take place in an appropriate location within your home. A small part of your home will be visible to the teacher. Lessons for students 9 years old and younger should be supervised by a parent or guardian and lessons for 10-12 years may need help for the first lesson, then be able to manage subsequent lessons. Parents can make that decision with their child.

Thank you for your patience and understanding – we are all very excited to continue providing guitar fun and much needed musical relief during these uncertain times!

GOOD LUCK!
Wishing you all the best as you Zoom away! Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions and/or send feedback after your first session. Do ask your teacher first in your lesson if there are any questions or contact me directly. There will be more information over the coming days with further Zoom 'tips'. Enjoy your virtual guitar lesson!

Kind regards,
Giuseppe Zangari