Technical and Internet

In order to have the best experience possible at the InterHarmony International Music Festival Online, please follow the following guidelines. InterHarmony representatives will be happy to help with questions about technology and internet setup. Students will receive instructions in their welcome packets. Subject to Change.

You will need a computer with high-speed internet access. Normally your device comes a built-in video camera and microphone. For better results, you may want to purchase an external USB microphone. (See recommended devices.)

• A webcam with a minimum resolution of 1280×720 px.
• A microphone
• Speakers or headphones

• We suggest you obtain a high-speed internet connection from your internet provider. minimum of 100 Mbps (megabits per second) Download Speed and 2 Mbps (megabits per second) upload speed internet connection. A connection of 200 Mbps (megabits per second) or higher Download Speed and 4 Mbps (megabits per second) upload speed is recommended. The higher the connection, the more comfortable the experience will be. Internet providers often advertise high download speeds, but upload speeds are sometimes very low in comparison. Please email festival@interharmony.com with questions.
• Use a computer that is less than 4 years old with an updated operating system, rather than mobile devices or iPads.
• Make sure your internet connection is stable before you join your classroom or webinar. You will need to do audio testing in advance of the festival. Show up to class 20 minutes before to set up the computer and connection.
• Computer must be connected to your router by an ethernet cable. Use an ethernet cable or powerline adapter to connect your computer to your router. If you do not own an ethernet adaptor for a Mac computer, you should purchase a Gigabit Ethernet Adaptor. The newer Mac computers do not have a built-in ethernet port. If unsure which adaptor to purchase, please send your computer system information, type, and year to festival@interharmony.com. Some Windows laptops have built-in ethernet adaptors that are not up to speed. You can also purchase a USB ethernet adaptor to make sure your high-speed connection is maintained.
• Don’t use a mobile device as a "hotspot" to connect your computer to the internet, since these connections can be unreliable.
• If you’re having trouble seeing your teacher or classmates, or if your teacher says your video isn’t visible, it’s most likely due to a spotty internet connection.
• Make sure all other applications are closed, except the ones you are using for the lesson. Don't try to edit Word documents, stream anything, or browse the internet while in a video conferencing session.
• Cancel any file transfers during the lesson.
• Make sure Windows is optimized for Video Conferencing and Sound. For tips on this, email festival@interharmony.com.
• Ask your family members to refrain from using the internet for tasks using lots of bandwidth like watching videos or playing video games.

Recommended Devices (Optional)

• An external USB microphone such as Blue Yeti or Apogee Mic+ is recommended.
• An external USB speaker. Many students use headphones plugged into their computers. The disadvantage is that headphoes are meant to cancel noise and students are not able to hear their intonation as well. An external speaker will help during private lessons when the teacher needs to stop the student to make a correction.
• A computer with the following minimum technical specs: Intel 9th generation i7 processor or later with 8 GB RAM, updated software, and a well-performing system.
• Another more advanced set-up option is to hook up a USB audio interface to your computer. A condensor microphone would be connected to the input and open-back headphones or studio monitors to the output. Audio interfaces provide low-latency, high quality audio connections, though they may require more tweaking for your setup. Please email festival@interharmony.com for audio interface, microphone, and other setup questions. Note: USB microphones and computer and/or bluetooth speakers will not connect to audio interface. A Boom stand might be helpful for the microphones for better placement in lessons.
• This is just a suggestion, and not necessary. It is possible to connect computers to television screens in order to double them as a second monitor. This view could be interesting for the classes and seminars. To connect a computer to a television screen or monitor, you will need an HDMI cord to attach to the tv screen/monitor and the other end attaches to the computer. Check your computer to see if you have an HDMI port. If not, you can purchase an attachment for HDMI at Amazon or Best Buy. You can see this tutorial for Windows/PC computers, and this tutorial for MAC/Apple computers.