Technology has become an integral part of our lives, one that has made many things easier and is here to stay. While we should still engage in some outdoor activity from time to time, there are many things that can be done from the comfort of our own home, cutting down on commuting, making scheduling easier, and allowing us to gain access to classes that are not normally available. One such online class is music. You can become a Conga Player, sitting in the comfort of your home.

Here’s how to prepare for taking an online music class.

1. Set Up Your Internet Connection

As obvious as it is, making sure your internet connection is solid is the first step in preparing to take an online course. This is especially important when it comes to learning music online, as you and your tutor need good quality live streams so that you can hear each other clearly and be able to make adjustments to the instruments and your play. The best way to achieve this is to make sure you have enough internet speed to attend live classes, or to make sure no one else in the same house as you is undertaking similar activities online that can affect your connectivity.

2. Find the Right Tutor

There are many sources online, where you can find top-notch music tutors. As the music experts at HelloMusicTheory.com demonstrate, there are plenty of digital resources and online classes that you can either take online right away or download for future use. If you do enough research, you are sure to find the right teacher or class, but make sure you get in touch with other music students to get their recommendations on where to find the best courses first.

3. Assemble Your Equipment

Although you should not let poor equipment stop you from taking part in an online course, you need to try your best to at least find the right tools or instruments. Investing in high-quality speakers will give you the best audio when you are listening or playing. Computer microphones are designed for speech quality rather than music. So, you can either purchase a specialized microphone that qualifies for music or you can simply play at a distance from your computer to make sure you deliver the best quality sound.

Another way to help with this is to adjust your audio setting or software to turn off “automatic gain control” and achieve a more realistic sound quality.

4. Adjust Your Posture

When it comes to learning music, your teacher needs to see your full posture and maybe your arms depending on the instrument you are playing. Set your camera to capture the best angle of you playing your instrument. If you are taking up singing classes, there is a chance your teacher will need to see your posture while standing and singing. Lighting is another major factor in this process, and you want your image to look neither too bright for the other person to see you nor too dark.

Find a spot with balanced lighting, maybe next to a window to obtain the clearest image.

5. Organize Your Responsibilities

Being organized will help you get the most out of your online music experience. Schedule your classes for times where you are sure you can attend, notify your tutor if you need to cancel any class, and hope that the same happens on the other end. Track your progress and commit accordingly after a few classes, this should help you decide if you need more lessons within your plan or if you should just stick to your previously planned schedule. The point is to stay aware of your learning curve and not just go with the flow in terms of attending your classes without knowing what you gain from these classes.

6. Set Goals to Stay Motivated

A person cannot achieve consistency if they do not know why or what they are chasing. In order to put in enough effort and keep learning without becoming discouraged, you need to set a goal and chase it; this is the key to staying motivated. Determine why you decided to take an online music class and constantly remind yourself about your progress, keeping yourself accountable. Set goals that you can achieve along the way through your learning journey, as reaching these goals will keep you motivated and help to get you back on track whenever you feel like quitting.

It’s ok if this all sounds overwhelming at first. After all, online classes are a relatively new concept for most of us who are used to attending classes in person. Following our outlined steps will allow you to prepare for such a new experience. Make sure you keep reminding yourself of your goals, why you chose to learn music in the first place. That way, you can stay motivated and master the instrument you’re learning in no time.