Have you ever wanted to clone yourself? Oh, I have. It would be wonderful to have a clone that can pick up some of the responsibilities. *Small Spoiler Alert* My husband and I recently finished a show called “Living With Yourself”. It’s about a guy who was looking for happiness. A coworker suggested a place to go and little did he know, he would wake up with a clone. I won’t give any more spoilers but it did make me think. What would I do if I had a clone? While we don’t have a clone and probably never will, there are things we can do to help manage our time better.

I have been doing video lessons for many years now. It truly is a win-win solution for when students need to miss a lesson.

THE PLAN

This summer I had a BIG goal in mind and I was determined to see it through. I knew that if I spent a little time each day, that those hours would add up and in the  end, would be a HUGE time saver.

My goal was two-parts. First, I wanted to record as many video lessons as possible for at least one of the main methods I use with my students. I was able to knock out 7 levels. I put in a lot of hours and I am super proud of that accomplishment just on its own. Yay!

Second, I wanted to create assignments for at least one method book that had the video lessons inside, lesson notes for each practice and any supporting material (backing tracks, website links, etc). I was able to do that for the same 7 levels PLUS another method book series that don’t have videos (yet).

THE PROCESS

I thought it might be easier to show you my process instead of typing it all down. In this video you will see that I use Tonara, an app that allows me to clone myself in many ways. While I highly recommend Tonara, if you don’t use it, you will still gain valuable information from watching.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN VIDEO

Tonara- This has seriously been a game changer in my studio. Want to try it a month of Tonara for free? Use the code: MER20 which will also give you 20% off for a year should you decide to sign up later. (affiliate)

Camtasia– This is what I used for quick editing. I already had this, so if you have something else, just use what you have.

Handbrake– FREE download! This will compress your videos and also convert them to other platforms you might need. (i.e.: mp4)

Webcam (Amazon affiliate)- I bought this one because it had wide angle lens and a good mic with built in noise reduction. I am really happy with it.

Piano Pronto– I used a piece in this method (Movement 3) as an example so wanted to give it a shout out.

THE REWARD

After it’s all said and done (well almost… still have a little more to do), I have already seen the reward from it. When students need to miss a lesson, I most likely have a video lesson all ready to go. I record an introduction video that is personalized especially for them letting them know what I am having them work on that week and then I attach the video lessons with the detailed assignments.

If a student came to a live lesson and I felt they can really use some further review from me at home, I can easily send them the video I already recorded. No extra time on my part, but an extra benefit for them to get continued instruction from me. Win-Win!

Curious… If you had a clone, what would your clone do? What things can you do now to save you time later? Share below! And remember to join Music Educator Community on Facebook where you can share your thoughts, ask questions and get support!

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