The recording
A link to the session, so the learner can watch their own performance the way an adjudicator saw it. This is the fastest single improvement tool there is, and it is why online has a real edge.
How It Works
What actually happens in an online session.
No mystery and no overselling. Here is the setup, the hour itself, and an honest account of where online coaching is strong and where it is not.
Taught by a national eisteddfod adjudicator
Competing since age eight
Live online, anywhere in South Africa
In English & Afrikaans
The honest bit first
What online does well, and what it does not.
Online is strong for the things eisteddfods actually mark: interpretation, timing, vocal technique, articulation, facial expression, stillness, and the discipline of a framed performance. An adjudicator sits at a fixed distance and watches without moving. A camera is not far off that.
Online is weaker for large-scale physical work — blocking across a wide stage, ensemble movement, and anything where I would need to see the whole body in a big space. If a piece genuinely needs that, I will tell you on the free assessment call, before you have paid anything.
Before the first session
What the learner needs.
- A device with a cameraA laptop is best. A tablet works well. A phone works, but propped up on a stand rather than held — nobody can perform while holding a camera.
- Room to stand upNot a stage. About two metres of clear floor, so the camera can see the learner from the knees up when they stand. Performing seated teaches the wrong habits.
- Light on the face, not behind itFace a window or a lamp. A bright window behind the learner turns them into a silhouette and I lose every facial expression, which is where a lot of the marks live.
- Headphones or earphonesAny pair. They stop the echo that makes vocal work impossible to assess accurately.
- Microsoft TeamsFree, no account needed — I send a link and it opens in a browser or the app. If your family already uses Zoom or Google Meet, say so and I will use that instead.
- The piece, printedOn paper, not on the screen they are looking at. Marking up a printed page is part of the method.
The hour
How a private session runs.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0–5 min | Warm-up. Breath, articulation, and shaking off the school day. Short, but it is not optional. |
| 5–15 min | The learner performs the piece straight through. I do not interrupt. I make notes exactly as I would adjudicating. |
| 15–20 min | I give the notes back in adjudication format — what worked, what cost marks, and why. |
| 20–50 min | The working section. We take the piece apart and rebuild it: thought changes, pace, projection, stillness, the entrance and the exit. |
| 50–58 min | Run it again with the changes. This is where the learner hears the difference for themselves. |
| 58–60 min | Three specific things to practise before next time. Never more than three. |
Afterwards
What you get after every session.
Written notes
A short summary in adjudication format: strengths, the specific things costing marks, and the three practice points for the week.
A parent line
One paragraph for you, in plain language, on how it went and what would help at home. Parents are usually left guessing. You will not be.
Scheduling
When sessions run.
Weekday afternoons and early evenings, plus Saturday mornings. Because there is no travel on either side, online slots can be shorter and more frequent in the weeks before a competition — a focused 30 minutes three days before an eisteddfod is often worth more than a full hour a fortnight earlier.
I adjudicate around the country during the season, so some weeks have fewer slots. Booking a block of six secures your times in advance.
Practicalities
Common questions.
What if our internet drops mid-session?
If we lose more than about ten minutes, the session is rescheduled at no charge. It happens; loadshedding and South African connectivity are facts of life, not something I will bill you for.
Does a parent need to sit in?
For under-10s, please be nearby. For older learners, most do better without a parent in the room — but you are welcome to join the last five minutes, and you get written notes regardless.
Who can see the recordings?
Only you and I. They are stored in access-controlled cloud storage, never posted anywhere, and deleted at the end of the term unless you ask for them sooner. The privacy notice covers this in full.
Can you watch a rehearsal at our house or school?
Not at present — everything is online. What I can do is watch a video you record and send, and give written adjudication-format notes on it. Ask me about this if a piece needs full-stage work.
What if the learner is too shy to perform on camera?
Very common, and usually temporary. The first session is often just talking and reading. Nobody is made to perform before they are ready, and the camera can be turned away while they warm up.
How many sessions does a piece take?
Four to six from selection to competition-ready, for most learners on most pieces. A polish on a piece they already know can be two.
Start here