Sunday, March 15, 2020 by Jessica Valiente | Uncategorized

Today is March 15th, 2020, and six days ago, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy declared a State of Emergency in the face of the spread of "the corona virus," officially knows as "COVID-19."  Future generations can look into the history of this, but in the meantime, what does it mean for us today?

It means that schools and most businesses are closed, and we have all been asked to practice "social distancing," which means avoid gathering in groups or getting together with people outside of your household unnecessarily.  The hope is that, if we stay away from each other, we will curb the spread of the virus (which seems to be deadly for the elderly, very young children, and people with compromised immune systems or underlying respiratory conditions).  Hopefully, if everyone cooperates, this crisis will only last a few weeks rather than several months or a year.  Time will tell.

Although I am often a luddite when it comes to the notion of modern technology in the case of real social interaction, today I say, thank goodness for the internet!  If this had happened 15 years ago, a lot of routine life would have come to a halt.  But because we have sophisticated technological systems of connectivity, a lot of things can continue on line -- school, office work, and music lessons!

As of today, I have officially moved all of my Global Flute Studio students online.  A few online lessons have already taken place, and, thanks to helpful advice from colleagues who have been teaching online for a long time, everything is going smoothly.  If you are taking or interested in taking online lessons with me, here is a checklist of what you will need to make it work:

1. A high-speed internet connection (DSL, cable, Verizon, or a Wi-Fi hotspot) at home.
2. A quiet place with good light and a music stand.
3. A device (phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer) over which you can have a video call.
4. A platform for video calling.  I can accommodate Skype (best choice; high quality audio and video transmission), Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, or WhatsApp.  Sorry, Apple people, I don't have any Apple products, so I can't do FaceTime.  Download one of those other apps.  They're all free.
5. A WIRED pair of headphones or earbuds (no Air Pods or Bluetooth; they create delay and a weird clicking sound).
6. Your own metronome.  It should not be on the same device you are using for the call.  Generally, you can't use the metronome while you have a video call open, and vice versa.

When you have everything you need for an online lesson, please email me at theglobalflutestudio@gmail.com, and I'll get you all set up!

Stay safe, and here's hoping for a very short-lived crisis!

Dr. Valiente