Tapestry Music owner David Sabourin says that while the tempo has changed at his White Rock store, they have adjusted the way they do business during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they don’t miss a beat.
“It’s a whole new world,” Sabourin told Peace Arch News last week.
Sabourin said the majority of his instrument and singing teachers have started offering lessons online with various platforms, including FaceTime, Skype and Zoom.
“There’s been varying degrees of success and actually, on the positive side, we’ve had some new people sign up who are at home quarantining and have nothing to do. Not a lot, but a few,” Sabourin said.
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Inevitably, some beats will be missed, but Sabourin says his teachers are experimenting with how to resolve the issue.
“The main issue is lag time,” he said. “If you’re trying to play something together, depending on your internet connection, that’s a problem. Doing duets are tricky,” he added. “It’s a learning process for everybody.”
Sabourin says one of his guitar teachers has been taking virtual lessons with his own instructor, to further his professional development, for a number of years.
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“He’s well versed in it. There are inherent challenges but for the most part, it seems to be working.”
With many people self-isolating at home with not much to do, Sabourin says they’ve experience an uptick of ukulele sales.
“A lot of people are picking that up, it’s very inexpensive. And then you can either do YouTube or go online with one of our teachers and learn how to play.”
White Rock Business Improvement Association executive director Alex Nixon said he’s aware of a number of White Rock businesses that adjusted their service amid COVID-19.
In an email, Nixon said Hillcrest Bakery is doing free delivery for orders over $10, Live Yoga is offering yoga instruction videos they filmed on their website, the Dailey Method White Rock is hosting live-streamed fitness classes, the Handpicked Home has launched an online store with curbside pickup and delivery, Blue Frog is streaming recordings of past concerts, White Rock Beach Beer and 3 Dogs Brewing are doing home delivery, and White Rock Supermarket is offering a call-in service where they accept payment over the phone and will prepare an order for curbside pickup.