Business Courier: Music teachers navigate new universe of learning
Arts reporter Janelle Gelfand interviews CCM piano instructors about teaching during the pandemic
The Cincinnati Business Courier spotlights how local members of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) are holding music lessons for students during the pandemic. The story features interviews with UC College-Conservatory of Music DMA student Kara Huber and Professor of Piano Michelle Conda.
Huber, a Grammy-nominated pianist who studies at CCM with Awadagin Pratt, is teaching students remotely during the pandemic. Her at-home studio has a computer, three cameras aimed at her piano's keyboard and pedals, and a Blue Yeti microphone. She also has a MIDI keyboard, which is hooked up to a software program called "Classroom Maestro" to assist with online teaching, according to the Business Courier story written by Janelle Gelfand.
“A lot of people are thriving with online teaching. I have students now from all over the place, because you don’t have to be physically present,” Huber told Gelfand. “I have a student in Hungary, and we just meet on Zoom. I think the future of piano education, it’s thriving, and I can see it continuing to grow.”
Over the summer, Huber modified her "Group Piano for Non-Music Majors" class so that it was offered entirely online. She plans to offer the class again this fall as part of CCM's arts elective offerings that are open to all UC students.
Conda adds that online teaching and learning is bringing educators into a new realm of possibilities. Students who don't like to play in-person recitals are thriving in virtual recitals, she told Gelfand. "We had one student who played for her stuffed animals, and it was the best she's ever played."
CCM and UC will welcome students back for the start of the fall semester on August 24 with a thoughtful blend of in-person and virtual offerings, in addition to enhanced health and safety measures. Learn more by reading UC's Return to Campus Guide or by referring to CCM's COVID-19 resources website.
Related Stories
Cognitive decline reduced by MIND diet, study finds
September 19, 2024
National outlets including CNN, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report highlighted research led by the University of Cincinnati's Russell Sawyer that found following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems.
Nationwide map shows area's risks of landslides
September 19, 2024
UC Associate Professor Daniel Sturmer talks to WVXU about a new national map identifying areas at greatest risk for landslides.
CDC issues new guidelines to help manage potential IUD pain
September 18, 2024
Some women have taken to social media with their experiences of pain when having an intrauterine device, or IUD, inserted. Now the Centers for Disease Control issued guidelines to urge health care providers to address the problem. Priya Gursahaney, MD, associate professor in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, recently appeared on Cincinnati Edition on WVXU to discuss the role that IUDs play in reproductive health care.