With the onset of Covid 19, many local businesses were forced to move online or shut down completely. Quartertonez Music was no exception and had to quickly move the mostly in person lessons to online. What began as an unpredictable venture with a lot of unknown became an interesting opportunity to explore the potential of the online music space. In this post pandemic time, now more than ever before, entrepreneurs must adapt their business model to the online environment. Technology is reshaping how music is taught online with a variety of exciting and transformative trends emerging, redefining the space. It can be difficult to learn to navigate this new online learning environment so here is a general guide for the latest trends in music education in 2024.
Technology and Music Production
Quartertonez Music, like many small businesses, took a hit during the pandemic and had to adapt quickly to the changing times in order to stay afloat and continue to serve their students. Zoom was the online teaching platform of choice where teachers and students were trained on how to use this program in order to avoid it becoming a barrier to student success. For online music lessons, it is important to set up Zoom to specific settings in order to render the most effective results. Remember teaching music over video call has its host of problems given that there can be a delay as well as connection issues that affect the teacher and student hearing the correct notes and rhythm. In order to avoid this problem, make sure to reduce latency in the settings, adjust the microphone input, and enhance audio and video quality whenever possible.
Latency issues in online music teaching causes an increased delay when the sound reaches over to the other caller. Ideally for music online lessons the latency should be kept below 30 milliseconds. In order to get to this ideal latency speed it is best to use wired connections and low latency audio interfaces through selecting the appropriate Zoom settings. Along with this technology that has developed to allow music to be taught remotely which before was not possible, there are a variety of applications that can also assist student learning and musical exploration.
A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is an application that allows one to record, edit, and produce music. DAWs are an important tool to incorporate into online lessons in order to make the experience more interactive for students as they are able to practice recording, editing and mixing remotely. DAWs help students to understand that learning music is not limited solely to the mastery of songs and playing along with one’s instructor, but also musical composition and exploring one’s own creativity and ability to create. Some preferred DAWs that have been suggested by music educators include Soundtrap, Bandlab, Apple GarageBandRuns, Midnight Music, among others. Each has their advantages and disadvantages, and one must assess which program is best for their institution or business depending on the specific needs of the students.
Diversity and Inclusion in Online Music Education
Diversity and inclusion cannot be used solely as a title that makes an organization look good, but must be a central tenet that is embedded in the curriculum and everyday practices of teachers and students. Quartertonez Music includes in their online curriculum diverse musical traditions because it makes use of global connectivity so students can explore various genres of music from around the world, and situate themselves within this global community. When learning remotely, there can be a tendency to feel disconnected from others given that it lacks the in person dynamic of sharing space with others so it is even more important to prioritize creating safe spaces for a diverse body of musicians, students and teachers included.
There are a variety of inclusive teaching techniques that are utilized at Quartertonez Music including using teaching materials developed by various anti bias BIPOC, and indigenous communities so that students can learn from members of these communities that are often marginalized, specifically in the music industry. By fostering community collaborations where students can perform and learn from members of the community, it helps students to understand the world around them and become a part of a continued, historical movement for social justice. Students use the process of learning music and collaborating with others as a starting point to community organizing and using music as a means of resistance.
Interdisciplinary Syllabus for Online Learning
Developing an interdisciplinary syllabus for online learning should be a top priority for music education programs. Music can be integrated with other fields including history, environmental studies, mental health, technology, and the list goes on. Students should understand the crossover between these fields as it creates a wealth of opportunities for them as they begin to explore their interests, and realize the many overlaps in their potential passions. Quartertonez Music highlights the interdisciplinary philosophy by merging music and history and allowing students to realize the story behind the music and the way in which it was used as a way to bring awareness about a given issue at the time it was composed. This can then be a catalyst for students to develop their own voices and become leaders in their own communities. This is an essential part of becoming a mentally strong individual who is committed to working towards a more just world alongside their community members and peers.
Mindfulness practices in the online space are also of great importance. The pandemic saw a great deal of loss, grief, and isolation where music served as an important tool of expression and outlet that could hopefully stimulate connection, unity, and love. Music itself can become a mindfulness practice as it is soothing and therapeutic to both students and teachers. Allowing space to talk about a student’s mental health during the lesson helps to alleviate any feelings of shame or discomfort, and normalizes discussions related to depression, anxiety, among others mental health issues, both inside and outside of the classroom. Giving students the tools by which to use music outside of their lessons as a means of coping and learning positive mental health practices is a priority at Quartertonez Music.
Personalized Online Learning Experiences

Within online music teaching there are many options for customized curriculums. It has been proven that when students are given access to personalized learning systems through recommended algorithms, it can significantly improve the online learning experience and lead to better learning outcomes. These outcomes include likelihood to be more independent in learning and an overall better understanding of material. Along with this customized learning environment comes one-on-one mentorship where instructors can provide focused attention and give feedback to students. This mentorship can help teach students how to navigate and utilize the resources of their mentors and greater community to seek out opportunities for performances and further musical growth more generally.
The online space offers a wealth of tracking tools that can help measure student success. Algorithms as well as apps can help to track the mastery of certain technical skills as well as assess suggested areas of improvement, further enhancing online musical instruction. This is useful as well for parents who may be concerned about whether their child has mastered certain skills to assess whether the program and more specifically the teacher is a right fit for their child. It is important that data is used as a tool to enhance the musical experience, not limit it. At times, educators can get too obsessed with numbers and remove the enjoyment out of the creative process, creating a negative association with music for the rest of their student’s lives. It is important with something like music that requires a state of flow and a deep creative, intuitive process to balance the mastery of skills with an enjoyment and continued curiosity of the craft.
Music Theory Education in the Digital Age
Music Theory has also transcended into the digital age, despite it often being a topic that is not particularly enjoyed by young children. There are a great deal of interactive learning platforms that teach music theory, offering real-time feedback and helping to make music theory more interactive and accessible. Some of these apps include Lightnote, Learning Music from Ableton, ABRSM Theory Trainer, and Music Theory Pro to name a few. These apps are adaptable to various devices including ipads making it easier for students to touch the screen and interact with the various elements of the program.
In this new digital age it is important to not limit music education to teaching theory but to also emphasize the origins and history of the music so students gain an appreciation for the cultural significance of the music they study. This historical and cultural context can be lost in online teaching environments as educators oftentimes feel like remote learning is far more limited than in person, yet there are a lot of creative ways by which teachers can incorporate this in the online space. Something as simple as giving a short blurb in the beginning of the lesson that outlines the background of the piece or showing a short video clip and having a five minute discussion about the student’s reaction to it, can make a lasting impact on the child connecting the music to its history.
Best Practices for Teaching Online at Quartertonez
One of the biggest barriers to an effective online music lesson is poor audio and video quality. When setting up the online music classroom, make sure to use an external microphone that does not pick up background noise and has a high sample rate of at least 44.1 kHz. For the best music learning experience, utilize the feature in Zoom called “Original Sound for Musicians” as this tool turns off audio enhancements allowing for a more natural, unfiltered sound, important for the student to be able to engage in musical call and response with their teacher. It is also helpful to have multiple cameras so the students can see the teacher from different angles in order to mimic movements and certain expressions. Most importantly, make sure what your student is seeing over the camera is inviting. Consider putting up some posters with music related content so the student feels that there is some consistency with the in person classes and the remote environment. The classroom should appear inviting for the student as it can be harder to maintain students attention in a remote environment so utilizing visual tools can be extremely effective. Additional engagement strategies can include interactive quizzes, utilizing breakout rooms for group work as well as conducting virtual performances so students still have an opportunity to showcase their progress at the end of each semester.
As both an in person and remote music school, Quartertonez Music prioritizes staying up to date with the latest trends in online music education. The pandemic revealed a complete transformation in how we see not only education but work more generally. More and more people are working from home with the increased remote capabilities. With this influx of people resorting to the online space not solely on social media, one must be prepared for this transition that will transform how the world sees learning and education. It is encouraged that educators and students embrace these new technologies along with their teaching methods in order to enhance their musical experience at Quartertonez Music School.