Online Mountain Dulcimer Lessons

Occasionally, I have openings because of lesson cancellations. If you'd like to have a starter session without committing to a regular time, these times can be a great option!
The mountain dulcimer is one of my greatest friends and one of the most rewarding parts of my life, an invigorating creative outlet and a powerful force for musical healing. It is one of the friendliest instruments in the world in that it can produce beautiful and rewarding music even after only a few lessons.

If you are looking for a new creative outlet, a healing pastime, or a way to continue your mountain dulcimer journey outside of on-site lessons, online coaching sessions for mountain dulcimer may be just what you need.

I offer live lessons online through Zoom, so please feel free to contact me if you would like a place on my teaching schedule. I also am open to offering consultations if you are interested in lessons but unsure about the process. Please contact me about this, and we can discuss rates!

To begin, briefly describe what your goals are for dulcimer lessons, how you discovered my music, and what your current involvement is with the dulcimer community or with music-making in general. Note that my availability may sometimes be affected by festival and performance bookings.
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For more information about how to begin online lessons, please see the details listed below.

​Prerequisites

  • ​First, take a look at my “How to Play the Mountain Dulcimer” videos and become familiar with the concepts contained in them.
  • Explore my other free resources at the Lessons and Tablature page. 
  • I also recommend that you obtain a copy of Mountain Dulcimer Wildflowers (digital or print) for building your repertoire.
  • Our lessons will be conducted in the program Zoom; you might have Zoom downloaded to your computer already, or you can easily obtain the program from www.zoom.us or the Apple App Store.
  • It would be good to have a working knowledge of the Zoom application prior to beginning our lessons.
  • Also, please test out in advance the devices, setup, and camera angles you intend to use during lesson time with your mountain dulcimer visual and audio. (NOTE: Laptop and desktop computers are recommended since they tend to have more consistent audio than tablets or phone, in my experience!) If possible, have your audio set to "Original Sound for Musicians"; otherwise, filters tend to cancel out the sound of the dulcimer.
  • We will meet for our lessons in my Zoom meeting room (a permanent, recurring meeting link, so you will use the same link every time).
  • I will ask you for your phone number as well in case of emergency or technical difficulties.
  • From time to time, you may receive Google Calendar invitations for your lessons. Please confirm these invitations to make sure that your lessons appear on your Google Calendar if you have one (you will still need to program in your own reminders).

First Lesson

  • ​When you log in for our first session, I will ask you to provide a live demonstration of your best work, a song you're comfortable with that showcases your current skills. Perhaps you can play “The Water is Wide” or one of the basic songs from Mountain Dulcimer Wildflowers.
  • After your demonstration, we will identify skills for you to work on until next time and possibly select a new song for you to practice.
  • We will also discuss what musical styles and skills you would like to explore in future lessons.
  • My teaching approach is rather organic, better termed "coaching" than "lessons," which might be seen as more structured. First, we see what is needed; then we grow from there!

Terms and Conditions

  • Our lessons will last for about 45 minutes. Each lesson will have a fee of $25 (or more, if desired) to be submitted through PayPal: www.paypal.me/JessicaComeau.
  • Appointment times will be provided for the U.S. central time zone. Please make sure to translate this time into your own time zone (perhaps through a tool such as Google search).
  • If you need to cancel a scheduled lesson, please do so more than 24 hours in advance.
  • In the interest of respect for both teacher's and student's time and scheduling needs, if a student cancels a lesson within 24 hours of the appointment or has to interrupt a lesson for any reason, the student's deposit for the lesson will be retained/required if I am unable to find someone to substitute for that time.
  • I am overwhelmed by the kindness and good-spiritedness of the mountain dulcimer community as a whole; therefore, I am optimistic that our shared lessons will be positive experiences.
  • Lessons may continue to be scheduled at our mutual discretion (i.e. as long as we both feel that our experiences continue to be positive and productive, which they undoubtedly will!). You do not have to be perfect! All I ask is that you remain committed to practicing your songs purposefully and striving for continual growth.
  • If a student cancels or is absent for three or more consecutive lessons (or more than three lessons within a semester), the student's spot may be reassigned. If you anticipate three or more consecutive absences or more than three asbences total within a semester, please discuss them with me in advance, and we can discuss finding you an alternate spot or resuming lessons at a later date.
  • I recommended that students wear pants or skirts that come past the knees or have a non-slip cloth ready to put on the lap. During lessons, the camera is focused on a student’s instrument, which is usually placed on the lap.
  • I also recommend that my students invest in one primary instructor at a time; while it is still helpful to take occasional workshops from other instructors while taking lessons from me, it could be confusing or frustrating to try to adapt to more than one teacher's methods at a time.