Time Usage During Face-to-Face and Synchronous Distance Music Lessons

Abstract

This study compared face-to-face and videoconference private music lessons of one saxophone and two tuba students. One value of this study is the magnitude of the data analysis. More than 28,800 frames of digital video and verbatim scripts of all lessons were analyzed for time spent engaged in sequential patterns of instruction, performance, focus of attention, eye contact, and other nonverbal behaviors. Findings revealed teacher modeling occurred 28% more often (p < .05) and off-task behaviors comprised 36% more time (p < .01) during face-to-face lessons. Student performance increased more than 22% (p < .05) and all eye contact increased during distance lessons. Overall, only a few differences were found for focus of attention and venue confining behaviors. Activities such as touching, instructors marking students' music, and pointing to specific places in the music occurred less than 1% of the time during face-to-face lessons.