With the prospect of music over the internet continuing for the foreseeable future, I have compiled a list of gear that families can use that will hopefully not break the budget. I will be happy to advise you on what gear to get in case you have questions.
Basic Music Gear:
- Music Stand: If you don’t have a Manhasset $54 music stand, you should get one. They come in cool colors too. Ask Johnson for other colors. With proper care, will last a lifetime.
- Metronome:
- Violin Hook $13 very handy. I use one every day for teaching.
- Accessory Shelf $8 for clutter control
- Shaft Lock $13 to prevent your desk from sagging
Internet:
Now is a good to upgrade your internet service. I was able to increase my connection speed and reduce my bill at the same time. The faster your connection, the less latency (delay) will interfere with our lessons. Turn off your wi-fi on the computer and connect to your router via ethernet to greatly improve the overall experience. For real-time music making (group class students), ethernet is a must. Your ISP technician may be able to do this for you if he/she is providing service at your house.
Video:
The built-in camera will work well as long as its at the right height and distance. The camera should be at eye level to the the player so that the top of the player’s head just touches the top of the frame. Having your computer ideally placed for its camera and screen can make it too far away from you to hear it. (See hearing below about headphones and speakers.)
Lighting:
Ordinary room light is usually sufficient as long as the brightest light source in the room is behind the camera. Usual culprits for bad lighting that place the player in silhouette include: 1. A window anywhere in the frame behind the player or 2. A ceiling light or downlight in the frame behind the head of the player. Both of these can be avoided with proper camera placement. (See video above.)
Sound:
An external microphone will provide much better sound and greatly impact my ability to hear your child and provide good teaching. Like with your camera, the placement of the microphone is equally important to its quality. Therefore, you will need some sort of stand to go with it. While the world of microphones seems overwhelming at first for many, if you can learn to play the violin, using a microphone is easy almost immediately. Finally, none of your sound options, whether microphone, headphone, or speakers, should be wireless – get wired gear.
- USB microphones:
- – Blue snowball $50
- USB mics with headphone output (necessary for real-time music:)
- 1. Audio-Technica AT2005 USB Cardioid $79 (AT2500USBPK Streaming Pack $129 includes headphones and scissor arm)
- 2. Audio-Technica ATR2500x-USB Cardioid Condenser $119
- 3. Samson G-Track Pro $130 I’ve never used this one, but by far the most feature-rich.
- 4. Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ $149 – I own an older model of this which I use for my own children’s violin lessons. A great mic.
- Stands:
- Clamp-on mic stand MSA8020 $15 will attach to your music stand (not a folding stand.) I use two of these teaching every day and they work.
- A Scissor arm $14 can attach to the computer stand to keep all your cables on the same stand. I use one of these for my kids’ music station
- Basic floor Mic boom stand $30. It will hold the mic in virtually any position.
- Laptop stand: On-Stage Stands MSA5000 $15 + MS7201B $25 This will get your computer to the right height. A second Manhasset stand might also do the trick if your laptop isn’t too heavy (see shaft lock above.)
- An electrical extension cord and some zip/twist ties greatly cut down on cable clutter distractions.
Hearing:
Being able to hear me properly will greatly help your child get the most out of my playing examples. I recommend reasonably good headphones (for recording) and/or external speakers (You can hear your own playing much better.) Most any external speakers will sound better than built-in speakers. For real-time music, make sure speakers and headphones are not USB-powered.
- Most helpful thing ever: Headphone extension cable $16 if cable isn’t long enough.
- Speaker options:
- Amazon Basic $21
- Logitech Z200 $30
- Bose Companion 2 Series III $99
- Headphone options:
