Many instructors have been searching for the best way to share classes with remote participants, but can’t figure out how to effectively share workout leadership while legally using their favorite, motivational music.
Announcing MyFitnessDJ HomeWork!
Now teach a class as an MFDJ ? Leader and have Followers anywhere in the world who can hear your music and see your cues in real-time. Followers with BLE Power/RPM and/or Heart Rate data can be a part of the HomeWork Scoreboard for an even more motivating remote class experience.
Leader builds an MFDJ playlist as usual, then turns on HomeWork by:
-> swipe playlist name – More -> Turn ? On
(requires Studio Edition in app subscription)
While playing, you’ll see ? at the bottom left corner of the playscreen that allows you to share the MFDJ App link or a URL to view the stream in any browser / any platform.
Leader starts a video conference (Zoom, Group FaceTime, Google Meetup, Skype, etc) on one device, then starts the HomeWork stream on another iOS device by playing the first track. Turn the MFDJ device to landscape to see Followers’ data as they enter the stream.
As the Leader, try using an earbud in one ear to listen to the music so your vocal cues are part of the video stream but the playlist music is not.
Followers join the video conference on one device, which is their source for video and vocal cues from the Leader and tap the MFDJ ? invitation shared by the Leader on another iOS device, which is their source of music, text cues and ride data.
No need to start all sessions at exactly the same moment, as all streams are automatically synced!
While music, cues and timers are transmitted from the Leader’s iOS device, a Follower’s BLE Power/RPM and/or Heart Rate data (requires Power Pack subscription) is returned so real-time Scoreboard performance data can be viewed by Leader & Followers for a great Scoreboard challenge.
Not only does MFDJ HomeWork help the Leader provide targeted coaching, it also provides added safety as the Leader can watch the Follower’s heart rate. Followers can also enter an “in trouble” phone number and instructions that are accessible to the Leader in case they need help.
MyFitnessDJ HomeWork is in beta and will be part of the publicly available MyFitnessDJ iOS app soon. If you are interested in being a beta tester, please email your testing setup and ideas to info@myfitnessdj.com
Instructions for Leader (v 2.26 b786 or later)
Install MyFitnessDJ from the Apple App Store
Subscribe to Studio Edition in-app purchase
In device Settings:
- Confirm iCloud sign in.
- Confirm Apple Music subscription -> Music section -> Show Apple Music.
- Confirm Game Center sign in. Your Game Center name will be used on the HomeWork Scoreboard so use a name that’s easy to identity.
On Lead device, build your class using Apple Music tracks. Confirm by tapping edit when viewing the tracklist. In edit mode, you should see ?followed by a 9 or 10 digit number before the artist. If the track is from Apple Music but doesn’t have a 9 or 10 digit number (or if you see a yellow triangle when in edit), -> play track -> back to track list -> swipe track -> More > Set Apple Music URL.
To invite Followers -> swipe playlist you want to lead -> More -> Invite ? Follower -> to Followers with iMessage or email. The URL is copied to your clipboard if you want to share in the video conference info section.
Start video conference with your Followers on your first device.
To start the lead stream, play any track of the shared playlist on your other iOS device. For now, only tracks from Apple Music can be used in MFDJ HomeWork playlists.
Let Followers know they can tap the MFDJ ? URL shared earlier and can enter “In Trouble” info by tapping the ‘Info’ tab at any time. The instructions and phone number they enter is available to the Leader during class time.
Turn Leader device to landscape to see data for all Followers. A ✔️in the name indicates that Follower has entered Trouble info. Tap and select Trouble Info to see the info or Call to directly call the trouble number.
Connection process is displayed and depending on network status, the stream will begin in a few seconds.
Instruct Follower to -> Tools -> Connect Bluetooth Sensor > choose BLE heart rate sensor and/or Power/RPM sensor. All Followers’ data shows in the landscape screen of the Leader and Followers who have active data as if you were all in the same studio!
If a follower device is having trouble connecting or is interrupted, tap ? on the bottom left of Leader screen and tap “Refresh Leader”.
Instructions for Follower (v 2.26 b786 or later)
Install MyFitnessDJ from the Apple App Store
Subscribe to Power Pack in app subscription to share your performance data with the leader.
In device Settings:
- Confirm iCloud sign in.
- Confirm Apple Music subscription -> Music section -> Show Apple Music.
- Confirm Game Center sign in. Your Game Center name will be used on the HomeWork Scoreboard so use a name that’s easy to identity.
In MFDJ Tools, turn on Stay Awake, Cue Lookahead & Ticker Tape.
Start video conference with leader.
Tap the MFDJ ? URL from the leader on a second device running iOS 13.6 or later. Connection status is displayed on the follow device. Depending on network status, the stream will begin in a few seconds. Optionally, enter your “In Trouble” info by tapping the ‘Info’ tab at any time. The instructions and phone number you enter is available to the Leader during the class.
Tap -> Tools -> Connect Bluetooth Sensor > choose BLE heart rate sensor and/or your bike’s Power/RPM sensor. All Followers’ data shows in the landscape screen of the Leader and Followers who have active data as if you were all in the same studio!
If you have a paired Apple Watch, start MFDJ on the Apple Watch and tap the ❤️ one time to start heart rate reading. This starts an Apple Watch activity session that will run until you tap the ❤️ again to stop it. Constant heart rate monitoring will cause your watch’s battery to drain faster, so remember to stop the session when you’re finished.
If the stream is interrupted, tap ? on the bottom left of Follower screen and tap “Refresh Follower”.