Surviving the wave: Music instructor 'Chadzilla' adapts to virtual lessons and a year without shows
/by Jeffrey Dallet • Published on December 27, 2020 Rocky Mountain PBS
DENVER — A year and a half ago, Rocky Mountain PBS visited Swallow Hill Music teacher and performer Chad “Chadzilla” Johnson. We learned of his unique teaching style and connections with his students.
As COVID-19 creeped in and gripped the world, Swallow Hill Music had to close its in-person school program and concerts, forcing the teachers to adapt and begin teaching remotely.
Chadzilla moved his teaching location to his recording studio, 25 BPM Studios, but teaching music virtually—especially drums—is not easy.
“It's pretty hard,” Chadzilla says, “It's been a strange transition playing drums with students over the internet, and really being able to convey ideas and share practice techniques.”
But the timing is just a little off.
“If we're around 90 to 96 [beats per minute] I’m almost exactly one beat ahead of them and so it's really trained my ears to be able to hear whether we're actually playing together. I've had to learn how to live with latency,” he laughs.
Initially, the technical setup was the biggest issue.
“I think the toughest thing initially was just getting Zoom going, and for me to be able to hear,” Chadzilla says.
As a teacher, Chadzilla knows the students come first, and the struggles are worth it.
READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE at ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
Chadzilla Johnson will be playing a Live Stream at Stone Cottage Studios on FEB 13th with Brad Huffman and Dave Tamkin. Find more info on that show at the button below.
