Keith Dye

Applied Music Lessons in an Online Environment Using Desktop Videoconferencing: Lessons with Almost Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime: It''s Possible Keith Dye

This study investigated the use of desktop videoconferencing to conduct applied music lessons between three experienced pre-service music education majors and six middle school band students. Primary questions of research centered on similarities and differences in participant behaviors as they compare to behaviors found in prior investigation of key elements of both traditional applied music lessons and distance learning. Results indicated the frequency of most behavioral occurrences observed in this study remained consistent with those present in traditional applied lessons. Instructors diagnosed and controlled activity while maintaining positive rapport and adequate communication of their perceived musical expertise, there was a trend for instructors to model music less frequently, and for all participants to engage in music specific questioning at a higher frequency, than in prior investigations of live lessons. This study suggests that when key factors are considered, desktop videoconferencing, with its ability to provide instantaneous feedback, offers promise as an accessible and fluid tool in substitution of live applied musical instruction.