Your teachers are a vital part of the LessonMate machine.
Your studio’s success with LessonMate is all but guaranteed if your teachers:
Understand how to use LessonMate
Understand your new makeup policy
Know what’s expected of them
Let your teachers know about LessonMate
What to tell them
We have a PDF for your teachers that explains what LessonMate is and what to expect with the new makeup policy.
What to show them
Before you ask your teachers to start using LessonMate in lessons, let them take it for a spin. Give them the opportunity to ask questions, get answers and feel confident right out of the gate!
Here are links to the demo lesson page, to test the software, and to our Help Center so they can discover all the features:
Frequently Asked Questions from Teachers
Q: When do I create an online makeup?
Any time a student is absent. Doesn’t matter if they give a week's notice, day notice or no notice. They are paying for the time, it’s good education and that’s what they're promised with the schools new policy.
Q: Do I record a 30-min video?
No. Please no. Create short, impactful videos (no more than 3 minutes) dealing with a single topic, skill, piece or exercise. If you have multiple ideas, create multiple videos. It’s better education and students are more likely to watch.
Q: If my student doesn’t watch my lesson, isn’t it a waste of my time?
The main idea is to get them to watch! How? Make the lesson engaging, fun and brief. Don’t record long videos and don’t ask them to do too much before the next lesson. Embed fun YouTube clips of alternative performances of the songs.
If the teacher emphasizes LessonMate during the normal lesson, their students are more likely to watch. In addition, make sure teachers are making weekly lesson/practice notes within LessonMate. Put the student on camera playing something. It will mark their progress and it will encourage them to open lessons because they'll want to see themselves on video. 😎
Remember that not every student will watch every lesson, just like they don't practice every week. The teacher is simply doing their best and fulfilling the promise your studio policy makes to your families.
Q: When should I create the lesson? Can I do it at home or the day after they miss?
We need to be super consistent with what we deliver to our families. The fundamental idea of LessonMate is that lessons are created during the student's missed lesson time. If Josh is missing his Tuesday, 3:30 lesson, the makeup should be created at 3:30 on Tuesday. The teacher is there, ready, and they're being paid. If we consistently deliver what we promise, in full and on time, families are much more likely to accept it.