With social distancing sticking around for the time being, remote learning is becoming an increasingly alluring proposition. With that in mind, we’ve gathered a list of some of the best online courses from places like Salford University, Manchester Metropolitan University and Culture Calling that can help you level up in 2021. Be sure to visit each venue’s website to check the fine-print before booking. Happy learning!
Hosted by Future Learn, this flexible course can teach you how to play jazz piano – from the basics of improvisation to more advanced musical techniques. It’s delivered by ExpertTracks – a service which allows you to access the entire course for a one-off payment and absorb it in your own time at a pace that suits your lifestyle. Included within the package is a final assessment that – if passed – will earn you a digital certificate to match your newfound skillset. Hosted by jazz pianist Ray d’Inverno, you’ll be mastering scale and chord theory, minor blues sequences and rhythm changes in no time – and there’s even a free seven day trial to help you on your way.
When social media and SEO decide who and what gets seen and by whom, it pays to have a strong knowledge of how to harness this technology to your own advantage. The University of Salford’s Digital Marketing Skills course is an intense, three-day programme that’s delivered digitally and aimed at professionals that want to boost their digital marketing skills and learn the tricks of this ever-changing trade. Google Ads, Search Engine Optimisation, content marketing – you’ll learn a bit of everything, all without having to leave home.
From late January until late March, the Confucius Institute is hosting a tiered course on conversational Mandarin in association with the University of Manchester. These evening classes are available in two, five-week slots which you can book separately or together, depending on how much available time you have to dedicate to the learning process. From just £80, students will be able to refine their speaking and listening Mandarin skills – with discounts available if you’d like to order the full ten-week programme.
Another online course that’s available to complete at your own pace, Manchester Metropolitan University’s guide to workplace wellbeing can help you reduce stress and increase your productivity. It’s delivered in four hour sessions across three weeks and utilises contemporary research and consultancy information to help reduce work-related stress by improving your productivity schedule and incorporating practical techniques into your daily routines. With home working becoming the new-norm, this online course could help you get the most out of your time during lockdown.
- Words:
- Simon Bland
- Published on:
- Fri 15 Jan 2021
Since 2016, the Verdun Allen Music Foundation has been helping folks become experts in classical music and the composers that created it via their affordable short courses. If you’d like to finely tune your knowledge of musical history, then why not sign up to their Zoom courses throughout January, February and March? Friendly and informative, each take place on Tuesday afternoons and feature an hour-long talk with musical examples, followed by an opportunity to chat with your fellow students in online discussion groups. 2021 courses include whistle-stop tours of Tchaikovsky, Schubert’s last year and Haydn’s Op. 33 String Quartets: ‘A New and Special Way’.