Distance Education In Music

Enver Mete Aslan

When the pandemic burst out during the first months of 2020 and forced people to go on lockdown, technology was the saviour. Evaluating the issue on the basis of world of music, we had the chance to watch a concert over and over that we had not watched before. We enjoyed the books that had been waiting for to be read for a long time and then we used the internet to order new books. Many music people organised online broadcasts or mini concerts during evenings and we had been ready to watch them. Thanks to the technology, we were given the chance to analyse these broadcasts or to read the comments below. Almost every musician made recordings via a laptop, microphone or sound card. Moreover, some musicians cooperated to make concurrent concerts by dividing the screen to small squares and singing the same song. Using of technology positively contributed to music production. We could name this situation as “remote music”.  

Big convenience to explain theoretical issues

The most thought-provoking element of the pandemic process was the durableness of education. This issue has still been an agenda topic across the country. Many disciplines excelled at carrying out education methods in the digital world. Social sciences could have been able to transfer the expression of theoretical issues to its receiver through different means. It was video systems that by means of which previously-made recordings and live commentaries were put into service. Nonetheless, music education must have had theory and practices separately. Showing sensitivity for their simultaneity was also vital. 

During explanation of a theory, students must reach to every detail which covers that specific musical code. In addition, the ability to play these codes with one’s own instrument must be given and being canalised by a master should be available. This becoming functional runs not only for Turkish music but also for every sort of music. We are not talking about Turkish music but transmission of music. So it is truly a universal matter. Unfortunately, following closely playing music of teacher, paying attention to every nuance, observing technical matters and analysing structure of finger, bow and plectrum were unable to be done owing to the pandemic. Although many institutions announced that they had brought into being distance education, the reality was totally different. Getting back to the previous issue, feeling camera during distance education remained absent from reality. The sound quality of a master’s playing music was equal to students’ headphone quality or frequency range of software determined this quality. Observing and analysing technical matters were limited depending on computers’ display resolution. One would ask this question: Using distance education in music should not have been tried? No, definitely should have been! That limited sounds coming out from computer headphones and spending time on camera in order to learn playing music gave hope to those who were eager to obtain this ability.

The argument I want to point out is the inability of current software and hardware systems for distance music education in terms of exactness. 

If only we could have learnt guitar tuning

In conservatory only 6 months had passed from students’ taking their instruments in hand that they had never met before. Not only tuning a guitar but also holding their instruments properly was a problem for them and all of a sudden, they had to stay away from their masters due to the pandemic. To give an example, if something possible happened and tuning is messed (which is highly likely to be), there will be nothing to do. Distance education systems which base on frequency and software restriction might have to cease just because the master needs to alter tuning configurations.

We had to rely on conservatory pianos

Another issue is pianos. In conservatory curriculum there are obligatory piano lessons that every student must attend. Irrespective of the situation that whether one wants to progress exclusively on piano or not, these lessons must be taken. Pianos in conservatories are at students’ service for practicing. It is unlikely to anticipate that every conservatory student affords to buy a piano for personal use. Hence conservatory and workrooms are indispensable for students. A student who owns a piano may be able to continue piano lessons in distance but the one who cannot afford this instrument for individual use, continuation of learning process is impossible. The same goes for solmisation, choir, orchestra and applied courses.

During the pandemic, the entire world has testified there is no situation that one could say “This cannot come true.” Our desire is immediate farewell to these restrictions by remaining as a healthy world at the same time. Finally, in music education my last wish is to take into service of humanity a music software that cancels out every delay between masters and students from the standpoint of frequency, video and audio transmission.