How AI snuck into our online teaching
We have been teaching singing online for more than a decade. And things have changed a lot since we started.
Most of the online conference programmes now have AI built in, and I want to highlight the advantages, using our experience of Zoom.
We always record our sessions and send the link to the client to download. But I hadn’t realised what a powerhouse Zoom is and how helpful it can be until recently.
When the client clicks the link I send, they can immediately see the video and download it, but there’s a collection of extras that can make the difference between an OK session and a Wow session – it’s all in the follow-up.
Read that back to me
Firstly, there’s a transcription linked to the video progress, excellent for anyone who learns by reading. After all, I read faster than I listen, and there’s only so fast I can speed up the video without feeling anxiety! The ability of AI to write transcriptions has rocketed in the last year. I’ve been using Otter.ai for many years and the Zoom ai is possible even more accurate.
To sum up…
Today Gillyanne and I gave a joint coaching session to a singing teacher, and the four-line summary nailed the important parts of the session:
“This meeting focused on vocal anatomy, function, and techniques, covering topics such as vocal fold structure, pitch control, and resonance strategies. The discussion explored the differences between vocal modes like head voice and falsetto, as well as the roles of various muscles and structures in vocal production. The conversation also touched on practical applications of vocal theory in coaching and performance, including the use of back pressure and easy onset techniques.”
I’m impressed that it collected that from our video without any input from us.
That’s so Smart
Thirdly, the Smart Chapters. While the full video format is still available, Zoom has identified chapters that focus on one topic (or a couple of related topics). It has provided a mini-video of each chapter, and more importantly, a full description of the chapter content. For people who make notes or collect their knowledge in notebooks (real or virtual), this is a goldmine. Copy and paste (or print and paste) each chapter into your notebook and you have a permanent record of the knowledge you have gained in the session. Here’s an example from one of today’s video chapters: “Jeremy, Gillyanne and xxx discussed various aspects of vocal technique, including the concept of easy onset, the role of the glottis in consonant production, and the balance between forward and backward vowel resonances. They also touched on the idea of beatboxing as a tool for understanding vocal pressure. The conversation was technical but aimed at providing xxx with a clear understanding of these concepts for their work.”
Next!
And finally, Next Steps. If you’re not used to the power of AI, this is mindblowing. In today’s video recording, Zoom’s AI provided five Next Steps for our client to take. The AI had combed the 45-minute session for action points and listed five actions we had recommended at various points through the session. I’m weirdly impressed to that it got the names of the organisations and researchers we recommended correct too.
I’m taking time at the moment to explore how Large Language Models work and checking out the behind-the-scenes stuff, and it’s fascinating.
PS Zoom has one final trick up its sleeve – it tells you how fast you speak. It will come as no surprise to my clients that I average 160 words a minute (which is at the top of the good intelligibility range)
PPS I always think it’s useful to do the things you advise other people to do, so I followed my own advice in the AI course (see below) and created a number of blog posts about the different types of coaching sessions I give. They are all written using the Zoom transcript of each lesson as a guide, so they describe exactly what happens in that lesson.
PPPS You can still access my online Market Yourself With AI course here “Truthful, practical, collaborative – a wonderful & informative dip into AI”
