Recording lessons for students?

[SincereCorgi]

I typically record my students' lessons and then email or Dropbox them out to them as mp3s. As I get more students, this is becoming an irksome and time consuming chore. Does anybody have a bright idea to streamline the process? I was thinking of just having everybody bring their own SD card for the recorder, but I know that not everybody has a device that can deal with those.

[OldSausage]

Cassette recorder?

[Astro]

In the beginner classes, since its likely you are teaching the same thing over and over, why not give them a canned recording of the lesson done (pick one of your best sessions for that material). I know it wont work with more advanced lessons but it could save a lot of work for those introductory ones.

[Steve L]

Most of these people probably have smartphones or tablets. Have them record it themselves.

[UsuallyPickin]

You can make the students responsible for their own recording. Maybe do a little research , more time I know, so you can recommend an inexpensive recording device for those without. You can up the price of their lesson to include the five minutes per lesson it takes to setup and email to each student. You can stop each lesson five minutes early and do the emailing then as part of the lesson. You can grin and bear it with the established students and not offer it as a service to all future students and wait out the turnover.

[Nashville]

I think Astro has the best suggestion. Make a canned recording of the lesson that can be given to any/each of your students. Make it a decent production. Over time you will accumulate a series of lessons that can be sold or distributed on a CD or DVD or by lesson, perhaps from your website.

My mother does this as a dance teacher and now has three DVD's to sell to her students which provides her with an additional income. She videotapes each new song that she teaches. Most all her new students buy at least one DVD.

[Beanzy]

It depends how IT savvy you are or want to become, if you're up for it then;;
Set up an ftp location on some webspace, then set that as a default save location. You will need to set some rules using your ftp client/server software
You can preset the student metadata (even assigning a user and password forimiting access)
Then when you record and your networked recorder starts it will save to the server.
Once you set the process up and allocate the right metadata fields then you're good to go.

The student then goes and picks-up their media from the ftp location you assign.
You can even set it to auto-delete or archive once picked up.

An initially simpler but more manual alternative is to just record the file then drag it from the recorder and drop it to the ftp client folder and transfer.

[bigskygirl]

Like Steve said most of these students may have a smartphone or tablet they can use to record. Amazon, Sam ash, guitar center has sales on the Zoom and Tascam basic recorders, I pcked up a Tascam DR07 mkII for less than $80, the DR05 would have been around $50. If that's still too much there are very basic digital recorders out there at Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, best-buy for around $20. The SD card sounds reasonable and they are also inexpensive if you get them from Wal-Mart.

With Black Friday coming up I'd just keep, or ask your students to, keep an eye out for them. I'd move away from doing it yourself if it's cauisng extra work. Just about every instructor I've ever had did not mind if I recorded the lesson, on my own device.

The other option is to have some canned lessons made up like Astro Suggested. Over time you'll have a nice library of files to offer.

[foldedpath]

If it were me, I'd require students to bring their own recorders. Not just to lighten your workload, but to keep the focus on what they're paying for, which is personal instruction and live feedback on their progress.

There are thousands of ways a student can get canned instruction, from YouTube videos, DVD lessons, live Skype instruction and the rest. Requiring the student to make the recording, if they really want one, emphasizes the value of the teacher. If you provide the recording, you're putting yourself one step closer to the type of canned instruction they can get elsewhere.

[OldSausage]

If you recorded using a computer, tablet or phone with an internet connection, you could record direct to DropBox using an app like this one:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drop...416288287?mt=8

[pit lenz]

There are thousands of ways a student can get canned instruction, from YouTube videos, DVD lessons, live Skype instruction and the rest. Requiring the student to make the recording, if they really want one, emphasizes the value of the teacher. If you provide the recording, you're putting yourself one step closer to the type of canned instruction they can get elsewhere.

Very important and good point, foldedpath!

[SincereCorgi]

If you provide the recording, you're putting yourself one step closer to the type of canned instruction they can get elsewhere.

I... kinda?... get what you're saying, but my philosophy is more that making a recording of one-on-one lessons is very good because often you'll only catch about %30 of the details in the moment, so if you listen to it again later you can really digest it properly. I feel like technology has almost but not quite reached the point where where it would be silly not do it. Of course, some people (the motivated ones who have enough time to spare) will listen, and some just delete the email.

(EDIT: it occurs to me that I was vague in my initial post. These are recordings of individuals' in-person one-on-one lessons, not the SincereCorgi Mandolin By Mail DVD Of The Month Club.)

Some great comments in this thread so far, though, and my thanks to all. I will try out that app that dumps directly into DropBox, or just set up a wax cylinder recorder.

[Tom Haywood]

Don't know what device you are recording with, but having everybody bring a thumb drive is quick, cheap and easy. If you are not interested in keeping a copy of the lesson for yourself, many folks can make a good recording with their phone. That takes all the work and cost out of it for you.

[pit lenz]

?.. because often you'll only catch about %30 of the details in the moment, so if you listen to it again later you can really digest it properly. I feel like technology has almost but not quite reached the point where where it would be silly not do it.

Absolutely true.

Of course, some people (the motivated ones who have enough time to spare) will listen, and some just delete the email.

That's the point: If your students take the effort to record the lesson themselves in the first place, chances are good that they WILL listen over it again and repeat that lesson.
It's a matter of motivation: If it's for free, it'll be of less value...

[foldedpath]

I... kinda?... get what you're saying, but my philosophy is more that making a recording of one-on-one lessons is very good because often you'll only catch about %30 of the details in the moment, so if you listen to it again later you can really digest it properly.

Yes, but that's a trap that can lead to devaluing the direct experience. It's like the tourists who visit the Grand Canyon, and don't really see it, because they're too busy holding up their phones and snapping photos.

For the student-teacher relationship, lesson recordings can easily lead to students who think they don't have to pay that much attention during the lesson, because they can always just review it later. That's not good, in my view. Students without recorders actually have to pay attention to get their money's worth from the lesson.

I'm not saying that recordings of the lesson aren't useful, but they should never be the primary focus. And a teacher shouldn't go out of their way to facilitate it, because it gets in the way of the face-to-face instruction and feedback that they're actually selling to the student.

[GDAE]

My teacher uses the last few minutes of the lesson to make a quick video with his webcam of what we covered today. Each student brings a USB drive to his or her lesson to take the video home. It's incredibly handy to review and play along with, and I have an archive of them for when I'm revisiting a song we worked on a long time ago. Works well and is very popular with the students.