One of the reason why Japan did not suffer from major outbreaks of Covid-19/他国に比べ日本でコロナの爆発的感染がなかった訳.

７歳の生徒さんとのオンラインレッスンの後に確信した事。

年齢の若い生徒さんは　一般的にフレーズを急いで弾き飛ばしてしまう傾向が多く、長く伸ばす様に書かれた音符を、よくすっ飛ばして弾いてしまうのだが、フレーズに合った歌詞をつけて歌うとそれが防げるのと、正しいフレーズの切り方、取り方が把握し安くなるので、私はできるだけメロデイラインを歌詞と、DOREMIと両方で歌わせる。

英語の発音には日本語には存在しない破裂音や空気を入れて吐き出す発音が多い、日本語では全くない口の動かし方をする。Native ENGLISH Speakerでない私は,発音をハッキリする為に口を動かす努力をし、それがオンラインレッスンだともっと熱気が入って大声で喋っていたらしく、レッスンの終わりに目の前に置いてある私の楽譜を見たら私の唾だらけ。まあこの生徒さんもガンコさん+情熱的で私も情熱的なので、加熱した事もあるが。

これは日本でなぜかコロナが爆発的に蔓延しなかった理由の一つだと思っていたが、目の前の楽譜を見て確信、日本語は無表情で顔の表情を変えなくても喋れる言葉だから（でも日本語は西洋音楽のフレーズとは音楽的には合わないのだなあ、その話題は又別の機会に。）

友人からのアドバイス、オンラインレッスンのためにマイクロフォンを購入する事。そして一緒に歌詞を歌う必要のあるお子さんの対面レッスンのためにはface SHIELDを買った。マスクとface SHIELDのダブル防御なら唾は飛ばないでしょう。そして対面して歌わない。以前より距離を置いて！ピアノが二台になって良かったです。そこから話せるので。このNEW NORMAL, 色々自由が制限されますね。

Due to Covid-19, some of my piano students completely shifted to online lessons. Especially one of them, the family is now going back to their country and can not have any contact with others.

Yesterday , I had an online lesson in English with a 7 year old student. For she is a quite strong-willed child, as well as non-sedentary type, but she is a passionate learner and so am I ,a passionate teacher!!! Even when I was teaching her in sitting-next-to-each-other settings, I sometimes had to speak clearly with low tune to make sure she understood my instructions. I am also a non-native English speaker so, I try to speak articulately.

This speaking with the emphasis on articulation part is more needed in online lessons and especially for I always make my piano students to sing both with DOREMI and words( lyrics ) I become desperate to pronounce words correctly.

Young children often have tendency to hurry; when there are long notes, they do not stay in full counts but if they sing with the provided lyrics, they also play correctly= can not hurry up to finish long notes.

So, yesterday, I was singing so loud yesterday with this student and OH Dear ! ! I have discovered the music(score) in front of me was covered with water/ saliva at the end of the lesson.

This made me think, With small children, when I sing( especially online) how much discharge I would produce in the air..This is only with English, I mean not with Japanese, for to speak Japanese, we do not need much articulation of P, B, T,( pop sound/plosives) or using air blowing sound of Rrrr H,,,Sh, V, cK W, etc..

This is exactly bad in COVID time.

I always thought one of the reason in Japan ,the COVID-19 did not spread as badly as other places in the world was "the JAPANESE language" which does not require much of these Pop sounds and air blowing pronunciation.

And it’s proven in my piano lessons.

Solution in my piano class ;I do not need to talk as loud as in online lessons in my face to face regular lessons with my piano students and a friend of mine advised me to get a USB microphone. I decided also to get a face shield for lessons with young students. I will not sing face to face with students. Keep physical distance...!!!!