Author Archives: admin

11 May

Sharing Video Recordings

Over the last year we have made a lot of video recordings or ourselves playing.

Smartphones and Tablets have truly incredible cameras. For example, my iPhone 11 can record HD video at 4k and 60 frames per second! This is great if you want to preserve memories or make a summer blockbuster. Unfortunately it often makes files that are too large to send  by eMail.

There are a few workarounds:

  • Record at a lower resolution (iphone only)
    • Go to ‘SETTINGS’
    • Scroll down to ‘CAMERA’
    • Choose ‘RECORD VIDEO’
      • select a lower quality. 720p is often plenty. If you want to make a high-quality video, choose 1080p.
    • You can return to your original settings as soon as you’re done
  • Compress the video after the fact
    • There are a number of Video Compressor apps for both iPhone and android and you should be able to find them fairly easily. These will lower the resolution of the video after the fact so be sure to duplicate your video before trying this for the first time.
  • Use the cloud to share your original video
    • Cloud storage systems such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, etc. allow you to share very large files. The main limitation is going to be your budget (how much space you need) and how much data you already have stored on the cloud.

 

 

 

03 Nov

Lesson Policy

LESSONS

  • All students must have their own instrument in proper working order, a pencil, notebook and folder.
  • To facilitate remote-lessons, you must have a computer, tablet or smartphone and a reliable internet connection. I strongly recommend against using a smartphone.
  • Parents are welcome to watch all lessons, remote or in-person. Students are welcome to record their lessons.’
  • For In-Home Lessons: a parent or other responsible adult must be present for the entirety of the lesson.

 

ATTENDANCE:

  • Lessons should begin within 5 minutes of their scheduled time. If you are going to be any more than 5 minutes late for your lesson, please let me know by phone/text (516-234-5299). In the case that a student is more than 10 minutes late without any contact, the lesson may be cancelled and will be treated as a student absence.
  • 24-hour notice is required for all cancellations. Students are responsible to pay for any lessons cancelled within 24-hours (with the exception of medical emergencies). In the case of technical difficulties, we will do our best to reschedule the lesson.
  • In the occurrence of a teacher cancellation we will try to reschedule the lesson. The student will not be expected to pay for any teacher cancellations.
  • In-Home & Studio Lessons may be rescheduled as Remote (Zoom) lessons in cases of  illness, travel, inclement weather or scheduling difficulties

 

ADDITIONAL COVID HEALTH PROTOCOLS FOR IN-HOME LESSONS

  • In-Home lessons should be taught in a relatively well ventilated area that is not overly trafficked. Additionally high-traffic areas of the home often lead to frequent interruptions.
  • Common use items in the lesson area (music stands, tables, pianos) should be cleaned shortly before the lesson.

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

  • Assignments for remote-lessons will be posted to a Google Doc and files shared through Google Drive. While a Google account not needed to access these files, it can be quite helpful.
  • Assignments for in-person-lessons will be written in the student’s notebook. While I will provide hard copies of most sheet music and exercise sheets, access to Google Drive is also advisable for the sharing additional files.
  • It is advisable to print out weekly handouts, songs and lesson sheets. If you do not have access to a printer (or want to save paper) make sure that:
    • All handouts, songs and lesson sheets are loaded onto a computer or tablet. Reading off of a smartphone screen is almost impossible.
    • All files should be downloaded and easily accessible. Searching for an eMail link to a google drive link every day is time consuming and makes practice difficult.

BILLING:

  • Lessons will be invoiced at the beginning of each month. If you anticipate any cancellations due to holidays, vacations, etc. please try to let me know by the end of the previous month. If I find out about a cancellation after the invoice has been sent, a credit will be applied to the following month.
  • If you wish to pay week-to-week, payment is due on the day of the lesson.
  • Acceptable payment options include:
    • QuickPay / Zelle: scott@scottkulick.com
    • PayPal: scott@scottkulick.com
    • Check payable to:
      • Scott Kulick
        48-56 44th St. #6G
        Woodside, NY 11377

 

16 Mar

Collaborative Music Project!

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A Few Rules of the Road (so to speak):

  1. Listen to what those before you have created. Feel free to offer constructive comments!
  2. Do not erase somebody else’s contribution. Add a new track. If you think something needs to be changed, please let me know and I’ll get to work on it!
  3. Be sure to sign your work. Name your new track with initials (my work will always be SK) followed by a description.