KODIAK, Alaska - Port Lions sixth-grader Joseph Kewan is learning how to play his first musical instrument this year. As he sits with two of his classmates on a recent afternoon the instructor mutes them, and zooms in a little bit on his students on his monitor.

Kewan sits down in front of his instructor like any other student who is eager to learn music. However, his instructor is miles away, and instructs via video teleconferencing (VTC).

This school year the Kodiak Island Borough School District started teaching students music using VTC equipment, and it has been quite the learning experience for students and the two faculty members involved.

"At first, it was interesting," said Dale Lhotka, Kodiak High School music teacher and district music coordinator. "It was just not easy. Basically, we have a two-second delay with the VTC. That's the biggest challenge."

It takes two seconds to hear music being played through the VTC, and weather also causes the equipment to "freeze up" on occasion.

The two-second delay is an issue Superintendent Stewart McDonald said he wasn't sure could be overcome.

"Mathematically and music-theory wise it shouldn't work," McDonald said.

However, it is working.

Lhotka teaches band to 10 students from Port Lions, Ouzinkie and Akhiok. He said, so far, things have been going well after having to adapt to the new style of teaching.

"It's just different, I'm not used to teaching without being in the presence of the student and making the changes on how a student holds the instrument," he said.

Catherine Tallino, a music teacher at Peterson Elementary School is the other instructor. She also finds it challenging to use the VTC to teach music.

"The time delay made me have to rethink how I teach," Tallino said.

When Tallino teaches she is face to face with her students at Peterson and plays along with them.

So far, she has found ways to work around the equipment's limitations. She's able to play with students on guitar, and takes turns playing measures on the violin with the students.

Basic issues, however, become immense challenges due to students being so far away.

"What do you do when a string breaks or when a flute in Larsen Bay doesn't work?" Tallino asked. "These are just normal run-of-the-mill type things, but in rural sites it adds a new dimension."

She also said gathering materials has been a challenge because the sites didn't have very many, if any, instruments.

Despite all the difficulties both teachers find the new rural music program very rewarding.

"For 26 years we've never had equal access to music programs," Tallino said. "To put two certified music specialists in the rural sites is a great thing. I am really happy that we have it."

The students are happy about it, too.

Kewan is having fun playing his clarinet, and he enjoys learning his instrument.

"We just got started this school year, and we're getting pretty good," he said. "It's pretty cool, and you have to play all those notes, and those songs sound cool when you play. Most of the songs are pretty hard, but Mr. Lhotka teaches us pretty well."

He also is looking forward to playing with Lhotka in person on the harder songs.

"There are songs that you have to play pretty fast, and he's going to come over so we can do better on those fast notes," Kewan said.

What Kewan receives after a song is perhaps his favorite part of playing music.

"It feels really awesome when you get a big applause," he said.

Port Lions eighth-grader Aaron Bjornn said he also is having a fun time learning music. He played bass clarinet at a school in Idaho and decided to pick up snare drum this time around.

"It's a good experience to learn music and it teaches you to listen more and be patient," he said.

Port Lions fifth-grader Grant Bjornn is trying his hand at trumpet, and also is having fun playing music.

"It's awesome," he said. "We've been learning new, really fast music and it's really hard."

There are a fair number of students participating in the VTC music program. Lhotka has 10 students, while Tallino has about 36 students from her Ouzinkie, Old Harbor, Akhiok, Larsen Bay and Port Lions sites.

Lhotka said due to the challenges VTC presents, he wasn't sure rural students would keep up with his other music classes.

"I really thought that they would be behind and it might not go well," he said. "Turns out those students are at the same level and are actually at the same place as the other students are in our studies book. They're going just as fast as my students here - if not faster - and they're really learning quite a bit."

One thing Lhotka would like to do is generate more students and visit the rural sites more often. He hasn't been to Ouzinkie yet, and he tried to make a trip to Port Lions recently but was grounded due to bad weather.

The VTC music program is actually a first of its kind in the state, and it is still changing.

"We realized that nobody else is doing this," said Marilyn Davidson, KIBSD instruction director. "We are actually in uncharted territory at this point. I know that the Lower Kuskokwim district is doing some arts instruction by VTC, but it's visual arts."

The music lessons via VTC may actually become a model for the rest of the state.

"Other districts in the state are now asking us what's going on and they're waiting to see what our end-of-year report is on this," Davidson said. "My impression is that this is not being done not only no place else in the state, but I don't think anyplace else in the country."

Davidson is working on publishing an article in one or more journals after the year concludes to share the results of this project.

As to how far the program will go, Davidson said she will take it to the limit.

"It's all evolving," she said. "We don't know quite how far we can go with this. We're willing to go as far as we can. These kids are exceeding expectations far beyond where we thought we'd be at this point."

McDonald isn't sure where the program is headed either.

"We would consider the program successful if we had a few students scattered in the villages who could play well enough as a group in public," he said. "We've far exceeded that expectation so much that I don't have an immediate understanding of where the program goes next."

From here it seems the program will grow.

A recent school board purchase of four additional comprehensive VTC units will help give more access and time for the instructors to teach their students. Davidson is exploring other technologies that allow better instruction.

Tallino said she is just glad to finally have a program like this.

"I hope it stays and never changes," Tallino said. "I would be really sad if it goes. I'm really honored to be able to do this program. It's great to actually get out and work with these kids."

All the hard work will pay off when the rural music students play in a concert April 27 and 29. All district students play together in this large-scale concert.

The instructors hope to travel to the sites more often and get Karluk involved with the program. Tallino also hopes to have concerts in the villages for parents.

"It be nice for them to see their own students in their own schools," she said.