Well, it had to happen eventually, didn't it? The coronavirus pandemic has forced us music teachers to move our teaching practices online, as 'non-essential' travel and meetings have been disallowed for the duration.
'Working from home' has become the new norm in most walks of life, and, although most of us have always taught in our own or in our pupils' homes, personal visits are no longer possible during lockdown. And as all churches are currently closed, it is not possible to access organs for teaching purposes until conditions are relaxed.
However, piano teaching is perfectly possible online, as both teacher and pupil have a piano at home. It is only necessary to have a computer with webcam and microphone at each end and an internet connection between the two to make it work.
It's early days yet, and it remains to be seen whether it works well enough.
Of course, it's not the same as teaching face-to-face, but it does have one enormous advantage. The pupil no longer has to live within easy travelling distance of the teacher's house. In fact, teacher and pupil can live on opposite sides of the globe, reminding us of John Wesley's famous saying: 'The world is my parish'!
I've now updated my 'Online Piano Tuition' page. We'll all have some good laughs as the technology plays with our patience, but it'll (hopefully) be alright on the night!