Alan Cameron's Edublog Learning in the 3rd Millennium 

Dumfries & Galloway Education Service is known throughout the UK (and certain other parts of the world) to have pioneered a music learning & teaching programme for school students (aged 9-18) over the medium of video conferencing. In November 2005, Grant Golding was appointed as the UK’s first instrumental tutor to teach pupils in remote schools every week via video-link. Some of the schools Grant teaches in, he has never personally visited. The quality we now have with Polycom HD video conference systems is such that it is possible to teach young people from around the age of 9, lessons in a range of orchestral instruments. Today Grant was giving lessons to groups of pupils in a range of schools from a room in Lochside Education Centre, Dumfries. The pictures seen here show the on-screen detail possible. Via a remote control handset, the tutor has control of the camera at both locations, near and far. Grant has zoomed in on a student’s trumpet and hand position and can give detailed instruction to the student as if he was standing beside him. These images were captured today as Grant delivered his lesson to students in Kelloholm Primary School, around 30 miles north of Dumfries. Lessons are delivered in Dumfries & Galloway schools most days of the week by this method, allowing young people in remote schools access to instrumental lessons. This technology is now capable of allowing tutors to deliver lessons over high quality, reliable and cost effective broadband video conference systems.