Slow internet, time lags, lap top crashes - anyone who has been adapting to the new normal of tele-working is used to the downsides.

But for children these hiccups, help to teach them life lessons about responding to circumstances beyond their control. 

That's the view of Marco Calleja, founder of Hoi Polloi Academy, which is beaming its theatre, performance classes and storytelling into the homes of their young students. 

“We sometimes get a lag when we’re singing or we’re unable to see each other. It’s frustrating for them but we tell them not to worry. It teaches them about adapting and that sometimes there are things beyond our control.”

Marco Calleja holding up two of the books he has been reading as part of the evening storytelling sessions. Picture: Hoi Polloi Academy.

Hoi Polloi has been formally teaching performing arts education to the next generation of performers since 2013. Prior to school closures, teaching was carried out at their Qormi studios. 

Up to 30 students are now hosted during one of its three daily sessions over Zoom video conferencing. The sessions try to follow their original course timetable.

The morning session starts with exercises and activities, open to all performers aged between three and 13 years old. The afternoon sessions offer a mix of musical theatre and acting, while the evening sessions are for storytelling.

“We have around 60 students and we’re managing to see between 75 and 80 per cent of them on a daily and weekly basis. We have a good rapport between the ages. 

“This has brought us closer together. It feels more like a community than it did before. The kids get to see each other, we get to see them. They feel less alone.”

Parents have also been very positive and supportive towards to the changes Calleja, one of Hoi Polloi's five teachers said. The daily sessions keep the children occupied while their parents themselves work remotely.

There are occasional technical issues encountered with the format. Picture: Hoi Polloi Academy

Calleja said that while there are certain benefits involved in online teaching, like not needing to drive to and from the school to deliver classes, nothing compares to teaching in person.

“There is a big difference between watching your students perform online and then being in the same room with them. I don’t want to replace our previous method with what we have now, but I do want to marry the two.”