MARCH 2023 • IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DIGITAL LESSONS!

Starting Monday, March 13th we are testing new software to improve our digital lessons: Farplay.io

This software has the potential to close what we think is the most important remaining gap we see in digital service: Being able to play together at the same time! This is a big deal, and we have been waiting for a year for FarPlay to be ready for this, and are very excited about the potential to further enhance your lesson experience.

Before listing requirements for your best experience, please note that we will keep Zoom running during Phase 1 of this test, which will run through March. Phase II will be the Month of April, and if all goes well, we will fully switch to FarPlay effective May, except to use Zoom as a back-up, if and when necessary.

PRO TIP

Download FarPlay now, or well in advance of your lesson and try to get online as soon as possible to make sure it works.  You won’t likely see your teacher, but it is a good test to run.

REQUIREMENTS

  1. You will need to use a laptop and download the software from FarPlay.io. This does not work with mobile/tablet devices at this time.
  2. It is recommended to be connected directly to your router. If you can’t do that, we recommend shutting down any other software that could use bandwidth (email, internet, calendar, etc.). Get as close as possible to your wireless router to have the highest quality signal.
  3. Earphones are recommended. Wired is what is meant by this, as wireless will affect the latency (perceived sound delay). Since the whole point of this is to be able to play together at the same time, this is a fairly important detail. An equally important consideration is that this software doesn’t have sound compression the same way Zoom or other software does, so echoing is a very likely outcome of not having earphones in.
  4. If you have a plug-in microphone you can use, as well, then we suggest you try it. A nice microphone can make a big difference to sound quality.

ACCESSING YOUR LESSON

We have kept the same approach to this as we have been with using Zoom.

Scroll down on the Digital Studio Access page and find the digital studio number for your teacher.  Open FarPlay, click ‘Join Session’, and enter your digital studio number.  That’s it!

IF IT DOESN’T WORK

Your teachers all have Zoom standing by as a backup.  If you cannot make FarPlay work, you should get back on Zoom and your teacher should find you there.