Episode 107

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Published on:

6th Dec 2022

Online Music Teacher Finds Groove Teaching Guitar, Sax, and Piano, with Marshall O'Leary, Ep. 107

Marshall O'Leary is known as Mister Marshall in his city of Richmond, Virginia, where he was a traveling music teacher for many years. However, in the last three years, once he switched to online lessons for pandemic purposes, he decided to teach online only. Marshall has retained some of his original local students who have made the switch but is now expanding to accept students from other regions who, for whatever reason, also prefer online lessons. Teaching remotely has not only saved time and gas money, but he's appreciated some other nuances as well, such as not being limited to working with students who are within driving distance only, the ease of arranging make-up lessons when someone has a conflict, as well as having his own piano in his studio so he can play along with his students.

In this lesson, Marshall shares some tips for online music students. In the first few online music lessons, he and his students (sometimes with the help of parents) work to establish preferred camera angles and get familiar with the technology. It eventually becomes second nature in future lessons once everyone knows how to get the camera set up correctly so both teacher and student can hear each other properly. Marshall has learned it's completely worth taking the extra time to get these set up so that it's easy to see and hear at least 90% of what's happening in the lesson. This cuts down on having to repeat himself or the student missing a concept because they couldn't see or hear well or vice versa. Another tip for online teachers is to make sure that your marketing is such that the clients/students know that you only teach remotely to find clients who are looking for the same thing to avoid a mismatch, as it's so much better to teach to someone who expects and wants lessons online than someone who is settling for online when they really want in-person lessons.


Marshall O'Leary has been teaching for 17 years and playing music for 39 years. He plays and teaches the guitar, piano, and saxophone and also performs with his band, Glass Twin (they make music similar to what might happen if Pink Floyd met Radiohead). Currently, he is teaching out of his home, which is also a home recording studio called Rabid Ears Recording, run by his friend. Marshall can currently be found in most places under Mister Marshall Music but will soon be adjusting more of his branding to his name, Marshall O'Leary.


If you'd like to reach out to Marshall, you can find him in the following places:

Email:  marshall@mistermarshallmusic.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mistermarshallmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshalloleary/

Rabid Ears Recording: https://www.facebook.com/rabidearsrecording/

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About the Podcast

Yes, I Work From Home
April Malone interviews people who work from home
Yes, I Work From Home is a community where people share stories about their work-from-home journey. April Malone is the host and interviews a wide variety of people who work from home in different capacities. Guests include entrepreneurs, freelancers, teleworking employees, and those managing a home-based business or remote team. April and her guests discuss how they started working from a home office, some of the challenges they've faced, benefits, and tips and tricks that might help others. Interview guests will talk about why and how they work from home, what they do, who they help, and how they balance work with household responsibilities. They'll also talk about how they manage staying connected with colleagues, clients, and work to maintain healthy habits and a social life. Listeners will be informed about upcoming WFH community events and hear about helpful physical products, digital tools, and services that April and her guests feel are worth recommending.

This podcast has a typical run time of 45 minutes, published twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Learn more about April Malone and the community at Yes, I Work From Home: https://www.yesiworkfromhome.com/

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April Malone

April Malone is the founder of Yes, I Work From Home and the host of this podcast. She is an adult educator who helps people improve their work-from-home situation by cultivating a community of sharing and accountability for people who work from home. April has worked from home for 12 years in a variety of roles including as an employee of a major health organization, running an online store selling physical product, and she spent two years as a full-time online ESL teacher. April is in the USA and is originally from the northern state of Minnesota known for its lakes, mosquitos, and brutal winters; but she now lives with her husband and three children in Arizona, where the desert summers are incredibly hot but the winters are lovely.