"Great ideas are like expensive wines. They are best enjoyed when shared . . . especially with those who have value for them" ― Apoki Charles
CLICKCOACH videos are created by professional musicians. Each video on CLICKCOACH covers only one section/part of a work or a single instructional topic and each video explores this subject matter for 10-15 minutes. Examples of a section/part include: a single aria, a duet, a movement of a concerto, a movement of a choral work, an etude, a movement of a symphony, or even an instructional topic like warmups. These videos are not performances, remember. Try to pack each video with helpful, concrete information that others can use themselves. Be specific, demonstrate concepts where you can, and be yourself.
Remember: Focus your video on a single section and don't discuss multiple movements/sections of a work in a single video. Also remember to keep your video in the 10-15 minute range, as our system will reject videos shorter or longer than this time frame.
Here are some tips and suggestions for making your CLICKCOACH brainstorming a success.
1. Choose a topic you know well
The best videos have the best insight. So in brainstorming what you want to cover, ask yourself what musical works or topics you can speak about easily.
CLICKCOACH videos should be either about a specific section from a work or about an instructional topic. For more info on topics, see our Uploader FAQs page.
To help walk you through it, you'll choose from one of the following categories when beginning your upload:
Vocal Work
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Instrumental Work
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Opera aria
Opera duet
Opera other
Opera chorus
Oratorio, Requiem, Choral-Orchestra
Choral work (without orchestra)
Song/Lied, Duet, Trio+, or Solo Voice
Voice with Chamber Ensemble
Musical Theater Piece
Vocal Jazz
Other
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Solo instrumental movement/piece
Concerto movement
Duet, Trio, or Chamber Ensemble
Symphonic/Orchestral
Wind Ensemble/Band
Instrumental Jazz
Other
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Instructional Topic
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Instructional videos focus on subjects such as warm-ups, relaxation techniques, instrument care, hand exercises, stagecraft, score study techniques, etc. The world is really your oyster here so long as it's instructional based. It's completely fine to reference musical works, even utilizing one particular work so long as the focus of your video is on the instructional element and not on the musical work itself. For example, using Carl Flesch exercises to strengthen the fourth finger is fine if the video topic is "Strengthening the fourth finger for violinists."
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Bundles: When planning your video(s), know that it's possible to create a video bundle. A bundle is a grouping of related video content about a single work or topic broken up by section using multiple videos. The most common bundles are:
1. Aria Study Bundle (all the arias in a staged work by one character)
2. Role Study Bundle (all the arias + duets, ensembles, and scenes in a staged work by one character)
3. Instructional Topic Bundle (videos focusing on topics under the umbrella of your bundle title. For example, bundle title: "Instrument Care" - Video 1: Cleaning, Video 2: Storage, Video 3: Handling)
4. Song Cycle Bundle (all the songs/Lieder in a song cycle)
5. Solo Work Bundle (all the movements/sections in a solo work)
6. Concerto Bundle (all movements from a single concerto)
Other bundle options are also possible. Feel free to contact us before recording if you have questions about creating your bundle or visit our Uploader FAQs page. You will have the option to indicate in your upload that your video is intended for a bundle. Bundles are always offered on our website with a 10% discount.
2. Assess what you know about the topic
As you would do in giving a masterclass or preparing to teach a lesson, you might create a list--mental or otherwise--of things you know: maybe it's a list of tricky areas many people stumble on, perhaps you have some insight into what Beethoven really meant about that tempo marking in the second movement, or maybe you simply have some good advice based on your own performing or teaching of a work. All of this is wonderful to jot down as topics you can cover in your video.
Videos often include a structure similar to this:
Video beginning: •Introduce yourself •Tell us your topic •Tell us why you chose the topic/work
Video middle: •Share your story: personal/professional experience •Discuss specifics: markings, what’s difficult & why, how you approach it, give us technical advice & demonstrate, tell us measure numbers & edition info, point out common mistakes, discuss style, make musical recommendations •Share your personal interpretation •Draw comparisons with other works •Tell us what you think is important & why it’s important •Talk about research you’ve done on the work •Share your tips & tricks •Point out mistakes in the score or edition differences/specificities •Tell us where you learned about the work •Be yourself & keep casual
Video end: •Recap your main points •Mention other videos you’ve made on CLICKCOACH •Thank your audience •Wrap up in your own style
3. Pick a specific audience for your video and speak directly to them
When planning your video, have a clear idea of who your audience is. In fact, we'll ask you who your intended audience is as part of the upload! You should make this decision before you record. Choosing a specific audience makes the information more useful to people watching, so focus your discussion just as if that audience is there with you (like you would in a lesson, a coaching, or even a masterclass setting).
Tip: Don't try to be everything to everybody. You might think it's better to stay general and cover a bit of everything, but the most helpful videos are specific to their audience. Choose who that is, keep that in mind, and speak to this person/these people through your video...do that and your video will be worth its weight in gold.
4. Use your experience
Few things are as valuable as personal knowledge. The personal knowledge you hold about a work or a topic comes from your personal experience. In planning your video, think about what experience you have with the topic and plan to share it with your audience. It might come in the form of "this is what I do when I get here" or "every time I perform this, I notice that..." or even in the form of a short story about a time your performed. Your audience will appreciate knowing what you've gone through or how you learned something and it will only add to the value of your video.
5. Envision where you'll be making your video
It might sound strange, but knowing where you're going to record your video will affect how you structure your video. If you're planning to demonstrate some passages on the piano, consider filming your whole video with you sitting at the piano. If you'll be demonstrating an instructional topic about yoga for singers, then set your camera up in a location where you can easily demonstrate the stretches.
It's a great idea to use your score as a reference in a video about a work, so plan on how you'll incorporate that. Will it be in your hands? Will you reference it while sitting at the piano? Is it on a music stand?
Tip: bookmark the pages you'll plan on talking about so you're not thumbing through your score while your audience waits!
Good to know: you're allowed to use copyrighted audio/visual material in your video if you've obtained the rights to use them from the video or content creator.