It’s hard to imagine how someone could remotely teach an interactive music class like an orchestra or band, but given the current situation, with Seattle being the epicenter of the Coronavirus, this is now my new reality as an instrumental music instructor. This week starts our three-week (or until further notice) experience teaching and learning in a digital space. The concept of remote teaching isn’t new; in fact, in music, students and instructors have been connecting digitally for decades and in real time. However, with less than a week’s notice, I had to think about, and then quickly become, a virtual orchestra and band instructor.
Fortunately, today marks the start of a new term and all that comes with starting over. Somethings are familiar, like the online portals for assignments and grades. Attendance is taken and I still have to manage the class the same way I would as if I were physically in the same room with students. I’m finding out that by already having set the expectations at the beginning of the year in my physical classroom, students are naturally carrying these over into the d
igital learning space.
Although there was a lot of prep to get this virtual teaching endeavor going, I think picking out the right tools and setting up both my physical space and digital environment will pay off. In the weeks to come I’ll try my best to document what tools worked for me and what tweaks I end up making along the way.
Day 1 down…more to come.
Ed Castro's Blog 
One response to “Teaching Orchestra and Band in a Digital Space: Day 1”
[…] Teaching Orchestra and Band in a Digital Space: Day 1 Teaching Orchestra and Band in a Digital Space: Day 2 Teaching Orchestra and Band in a Digital Space: Day 3 Teaching Orchestra and Band in a Digital Space: Day 4 Teaching Orchestra and Band in a Digital Space: Day 5 […]