Frequently Asked Questions
-
The instrument - contact us if you need help acquiring one.
A computer, tablet, or smartphone to live stream a video call.
A PayPal account or some other means of payment. We only accept payments made in advance of class; no post-payment (see Terms and Policy below).
-
It mostly depends on the following factors:
Focus of the student
Practice habits
How often they take classes
If a student optimizes the above, they will certainly learn quickly. It also depends on what level of skill the student is hoping to get to. For example, to play Mridanga basically for a Kirtan can take a few months if not a few weeks.
-
Both have their advantages. In-person classes allow the teacher to play in unison with you. While online classes, give you the convenience of your home and allow the teacher to send you videos, documents, and other content with greater ease.
Overall, there is no difference in learning outcomes, and any disadvantages can be easily overcome.
-
We recommend practicing 5 mins every day and increasing by 1 min/week until you reach 30 mins/day. This method of practice is based on the Kaizen method of incremental learning which we have found effective and sufficient to master any instrument. The important element here is consistency. Try to practice every day and not miss as much as possible. In Sanskrit there is a term known as “sadhana” which means “daily, consistent practice”; it is the process recommended by the Vedas (ancient texts) for the attainment of mastery in any skill area.
-
We recommend learning one at a time. We have found that once you master one, the others become easier to learn, so it’s probably more efficient that way. But we have seen good results from either approach, and it also depends on the student.
Terms and Policy
A 30-minute class is 25-30 minutes; likewise, an hour class is 55-60 minutes. The 5-minute buffer (though not always sufficient) is to account for occasional technical difficulties and other delays that inevitably arise.
Classes are pre-paid 4 weeks in advance. Payments are generally made through PayPal, but we accept other forms of payment such as transfers made through Wise.com and Zelle. If you ever wish to cancel your prepaid classes, as long as you give us a 24-hour notice before your next class, we can fully refund the remaining classes.
We keep a 24-hour cancellation policy. If the lesson is missed without prior notice we charge for the lesson. We make exceptions for emergencies.
We provide instruction and materials. If the student would like to learn something specific, we can transcribe tunes or rhythms either during class time or out of class time if we deem it relevant to the rest of our students.
General instructions: come to class on time with your book, instrument, phone and/or webcam ready for the lesson. Homework will be posted in the Skype chat at the end of class, so check back if you are uncertain. For online classes, you will need to install and create accounts in Skype, WhatsApp, and PayPal.