Sharing Ideas at OOTB: My Experience Talking About Online Teaching Tools
- Ajey Deshpande
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
25th April 2025
I was invited to be a guest speaker at an online session hosted by Out of the Box (OOTB), an amazing online community of over 350 music educators across India. You can read more about OOTB here.
In short, OOTB is a growing network dedicated to reimagining how music is taught and experienced. It emerged from the work of OffSet Education, creating space for dialogue, collaboration, and meaningful professional growth. It was founded by Nush Lewis and Shanelle Rodrigues.
Shanelle and I go back to our time at Furtados School of Music. So when she reached out, I was more than happy to be part of the session. OOTB regularly organizes events and discussions for music educators, and they’re doing a fantastic job of keeping the community active and connected.
The topic of the session was “Online Teaching Resources”. I gave a short 15-minute presentation followed by a Q&A with the other teachers. In this blog post, I’d like to share a summary of what I presented.
YouTube Videos
One of the easiest ways to improve online teaching is to make short, focused videos on things you find yourself teaching repeatedly — like scales, arpeggios, Jana Gana Mana, Vande Mataram, Happy Birthday, etc.
These videos help students revise concepts at their own pace and save time during lessons. I’ve made over 200 videos (most of them private) for my practice or to share with specific students.
OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software)
OBS is a free and powerful tool.
Instead of showing only your face during the lesson, you can:
Share a full screen or just part of it
Show your piano using a virtual keyboard
Use multiple camera angles
Switch between different “scenes” during a lesson
Record lessons
It takes some time to learn and can be heavy on your computer, but it’s worth it. I also shared some photos of how I use it in lessons.
Free Audio Editing Software
I often use DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) like Audacity/Ableton Live to:
Compile assignments
Record or edit audio
Add voice comments to student recordings
These are very helpful for students who are learning online.
The second half of this blog post (click on the link to read) explains this technique in detail and how I use it in my teaching and learning.
Music Notation Software
I use MuseScore. It is a great free tool for:
Creating custom exercises
Writing down compositions made by students
Making lead sheets for learning new pieces
I showed some examples of student compositions and explained how I make exercises based on their needs.
Using AI for Teaching
AI tools can help with:
Brainstorming lesson plans
Drafting emails or messages
Learning new skills like coding
I even showed a little app I made that creates WhatsApp homework messages for students — adds date, time, everything. It’s simple but saves me time. Just for fun, I even gave some “homework” to Shanelle and Aditi (who were facilitating the session)
Music Theory Websites
Some free and useful theory tools I shared:
musictheory.net : Free lessons and quizzes
ABRSM Theory App: Great for practicing on the go
MTB Theory Courses: Interactive and visual
Students love theory games and quizzes during lessons!
Websites and Blogs
A blog or website can help you:
Share your work
Offer downloadable materials
Show your teaching style
Improve your online presence (with the right SEO)
That’s what I’m doing right now, writing this post!
Things I’d Like to Try
There are some tools I haven’t explored much yet, like:
teoria.com for music theory
Google Classroom
Note Rush app
Mooz (Zoom for musicians)
These are on my to-do list!
Q&A and More Discussions:
After the presentation, there was a Q&A session where we talked about MuseScore, favorite apps, personal experiences, and tips. Later, the discussion moved to topics like using extra visual aids in lessons and how teachers can create and sell their teaching resources.
It was a warm and helpful session, and I’m grateful I got to be a part of it.
Thanks again, OOTB!
Ajey, your approach to creating short, focused YouTube videos for recurring teaching points like scales and arpeggios is incredibly insightful. This not only frees up valuable lesson time but also provides students with accessible, repeatable resources for self-paced revision, which is crucial for musical development. However, sometimes students need just the audio for practice, perhaps for listening on the go or playing along without visual distractions. For educators looking to provide these audio-only resources, having a reliable online video to MP3 converter can be a real time-saver.
It's fantastic to hear about your session at OOTB, and I completely resonate with your approach of creating short, focused videos for repetitive concepts like scales and arpeggios. This strategy is incredibly effective, not only saving valuable lesson time but also empowering students to review at their own pace, fostering greater independence in their practice. Building on that, for instrument-specific teaching, ensuring students have access to reliable resources for fundamental tasks, such as precise tuning, is equally crucial, especially when they're practicing remotely. Having readily available tools for accurate violin tuning can make a significant difference in a student's progress and confidence.
If you're looking to stay on schedule with a clear, accurate time display, a simple online digital clock can be a surprisingly effective tool. Unlike system clocks that might be small or cluttered, a dedicated browser-based clock can offer a large, unambiguous view of the current time. This is helpful for students managing study time, professionals tracking billable hours, or anyone who benefits from having the time prominently displayed. It's a basic utility that can significantly aid in time management by being constantly visible.
Developing a solid sense of rhythm and timing is crucial for any musician. An OnlineMetronome is a free, accurate tool that lets you set precise tempos (BPM) and customize time signatures. It’s great for practice, and many even have a tap tempo feature.
Nice! Combo of music fundamentals with state-of-the-art technology... That is innovation at work! Keep it up!! This can have a global reach!!