Name: At Your Door Music
Price range: $$

General Guidelines For All Students:

Choose a large, open space for your lesson; allow at least 6 ft (9-10 ft for voice lessons) distance between teacher & student.

Space and Ventilation Tips:
- Open windows whenever possible to create maximum ventilation.
  - If you have a box fan or window fan, this can help as well. Make sure the fan is blowing out.
- An outdoor lesson can also be a great option for some instruments, particularly during warmer weather. If you think this might work for you, ask your teacher!
- During colder weather or in spaces with less natural ventilation, an air purifier can also be very helpful in creating a safe lesson environment.
  - See this article for more information about ventilation best practices to minimize COVID-19 risk.

Teacher and student must wash hands immediately before and after the lesson.
- If there is no sink or restroom accessible near the lesson space, you may also use hand sanitizer.

Masks required for teachers and students from beginning to end of all instrumental lessons; Masks are strongly encouraged for voice lessons.
- (Additional safety tips for voice lessons can be found below…)

Student and teacher must take their temperature prior to each lesson and make sure they do not have a fever.
- Your teacher can opt to bring a no-touch forehead thermometer to the lesson that you may use to take your temperature if you do not have your own available.

Instrument-Specific Resources & Cleaning Tips:
- See additional instrument specific resources below for tips on how to clean your instrument.
- Any instruments that will be shared during a lesson (piano, keyboard, or drum-set) must be disinfected before and after your lesson.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about these policies.

We are always happy to help, and want to make sure that our teachers and students feel as safe and comfortable as possible during their in-person lessons this fall!

If you have any issues during your in-person lesson, do not hesitate to contact our office staff at contact@aydm.com or via phone at (781) 534-3259 ext 4.

Voice Lesson Resources:

Accommodating in-person voice lessons during COVID-19 presents more of a challenge than that of instrumental lessons, but it is definitely still possible to create a safe environment for a voice lesson with a few additional guidelines:

For voice lessons, we recommend 9-10 ft of distance between teacher & student.

Wearing a mask may be possible for all or part of the lesson, but traditional masks can impede certain aspects of vocal pedagogy and can make it difficult for the teacher to see and hear the student. A variety of accommodations are possible, depending on the comfort level of both student and teacher.

Singing Mask or Clear Mask: Teachers will come to the lesson with a clear mask (one from the list of options below) that allows the student to see their mouth. Students can also purchase a similar mask (check with your teacher to see which they recommend).

Depending on the comfort level of both teacher & student, you may choose for one or both of you to sing without a mask for short periods during the lesson.

Making sure you maintain at least 9 ft of distance is especially important if the student chooses not to wear a mask
Even if you choose to take your mask off briefly, (to demonstrate something, for your teacher to check your technique, etc.), student and teacher should wear the mask whenever possible during the lesson (i.e. while listening, playing the piano, working on music theory, etc.)

Ventilation tips are also especially important if the teacher or student is singing without a mask. Make sure you have as much ventilation as possible in the space, have a recommended air purifier, or hold the lesson outdoors.

Mask Suggestions For Voice Students:

Finding a mask that works perfectly for vocal lessons is quite a challenge, and while we have found several that may work better than the standard surgical mask, these are just suggestions as some specialty masks tend to be quite expensive. Please check with your teacher to see what they recommend before purchasing a mask.

The Singers Mask: https://www.broadwayreliefproject.com/singersmask

The Singer’s Mask was developed by singers for singers by Broadway professionals to help contain droplets while allowing space around the mouth to sing comfortably.

Allows the teacher/student to see all of your face and vice versa.

More like the typical surgical mask but with a small clear spot over your mouth for better communication.

** For information regarding disinfecting your piano or keyboard for your voice lesson, please refer to “Piano Lesson Resources” below.

Piano Lesson Resources:

Follow all above guidelines for instrumental lessons, and make sure you disinfect your piano before and after your lesson each week.

Please Note: Wearing protective gloves during the lesson is not recommended as this can actually spread germs. Washing your hands before and after the lesson is much more effective!

Piano & Keyboard Cleaning Recommendations:

General Recommendations Based on Piano Technicians Guild article

Use alcohol-based disinfectants, do not use bleach-based disinfectants or any product containing citrus.
If using a spray or liquid bottle, use a disposable towel like WYPALL L30. Put the disinfectant on the towel and not the piano.
After use, immediately put the towel or disinfectant hand wipe in the trash and wash your hands as the CDC recommends. Do not use reusable towels or cloths which could spread germs to your kit or to the next student’s home.
Always follow up with a dry towel and never leave any liquids on the piano or keys.
In terms of COIVD-19 safety, cleaning the keys is the most important part. Generally speaking, most disinfecting wipes or sprays should be safe to use on the keys.

Drum Lesson Resources:

Follow all above guidelines for instrumental lessons, and make sure you disinfect your drum-set before and after your lesson each week.

Please Note: Wearing protective gloves during the lesson is not recommended as this can actually spread germs. Washing your hands before and after the lesson is much more effective!

Drum Cleaning Recommendations :

Products such as Clorox and Lysol disinfectant wipes can safely be used to clean synthetic, hard rubber, or metal. (This can include commonly touched items like hardware, metal rims, and keyboard frames.)
Chemical products should be avoided on natural surfaces such as rosewood and calfskin heads.
Isopropyl alcohol wipes are safe for most materials.
A solution made with 50% water and 50% white vinegar or 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide can be safely used on plastics, hard rubbers, and metals.
Always make sure to apply any cleaners using a disposable cloth or paper towel. Avoid spraying any cleaning product directly onto your instrument.

Guitar, Bass, Violin & Lesson Resources:

Follow all above guidelines for instrumental lessons

Disinfecting your string instrument before and after each lesson is less critical than disinfecting a shared instrument such as a piano or drum-set, but it can still be helpful!

Make sure you do not let anyone else handle your instrument, or if you do, disinfect if afterwards.

You may still want to periodically clean your instrument ** See tips below **

Please Note: Wearing protective gloves during the lesson is not recommended as this can actually spread germs. Washing your hands before and after the lesson is much more effective!

String Specific Guidelines :

Avoid sharing instruments. Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling your instrument. Using hand sanitizer is not recommended.

You can safely use a dab of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab or tiny piece of cloth to wipe ONLY the strings and fingerboard of your instrument.
Do not touch any other parts with alcohol.
Never use alcohol-based products on varnished wood. Alcohol, solvent, and hand sanitizer will damage the varnish on your instrument.
The inside of cases can be sprayed with an aerosol disinfectant such as Lysol. Remove the instrument, lightly spray the inside surface of the case, and let the case sit open until the surface is dry before placing the instrument back into it.