A couple of months back I wrote a post on “random emails of kindness” as a way to inspire and motivate your piano students and their families.
At our music school we make “random emails of kindness” a weekly task… I know… not that random (but it is to the families receiving the emails). Once a week we send anywhere from 5 – 10 emails to the parents of piano students who have done something remarkable.
And for us, the feedback we have received from this simple act is priceless. Check out what a few piano parents had to say following last week’s “random emails of kindness”…
Piano Parents’ Responses to “Random Emails of Kindness”
Awww. Thanks Andrea for taking the time to share that. We are very proud of her and can’t believe how far she has come, considering she just started in September. That is Amanda – she has always been an easy going kid who wants to please. Until grade one she was also a very quiet kid, but she has been coming more and more out of her shell in the last couple of years. Piano has helped with that and I love that she is confident and comfortable enough to play in front of a crowd. Thank you for giving children these wonderful opportunities. We are so fortunate to have your school in our community.
Thanks very much Andrea for this great feedback. Brittney has also been enjoying having Laura as her teacher. She has really made great progress with her piano skills this year – we bought her a new piano for Christmas this year as she is taking it seriously. Thanks again and I’ll pass this feedback onto Brittney as well.
That is so awesome! I know how much Colton loves to just play and practice. We hear him improve all the time, but it is nice to know that Daniel [his teacher] is enjoying teaching him as much as he is loving to learn. Thank you for letting us know!!
Hi Andrea…that is great to hear! She is very keen at home too always wanting to play for us. I rarely have to ask her to practice as she often is just downstairs where the keyboard is and will just sit and play. And she really looks forward to seeing Emily [her teacher] each week!
I know Sarah enjoys her guitar lessons at your studio too. I think part of the success with the students is the fact that you get them playing music that interests them. Our family always looks forward to the talent that is produced at the recitals!
AHHHH! That’s so good. I’m glad to hear that. She definitely loves to sing. She sings all day every day. It’s good for her.
Thanks Andrea! That is very nice to hear, Abi is enjoying her lessons as well. She always says that she is going to Malea’s [her teacher] house to play.
Thank you so much for the pass along! He really enjoys his lessons and playing the piano…. playing with two hands has been a huge increase in motivation for him! He loves composing, it is so fabulous that it is part of your school’s program. Have a great weekend,
Wow! Thank you Andrea, this is great to hear! I showed Braiden the email as well and it made him feel good to know he’s doing well. You have a fantastic weekend.
It’s a simple task, but the payoff can be huge. It’s nice for parents to receive unsolicited feedback on their child… and it’s nice for you to get some in return! Win win 🙂
Lauri Bernet says
I love this idea, thanks for sharing. One thing we have found is the importance of sending greeting cards to the kids (both for holidays & encouragement) and thank yous to the parents for their business a few times a year. It is time consuming, but all the parents comment on how much they appreciate receiving them.
Andrea says
Hi Lauri,
That’s a great idea 🙂 Yes, any personal touches make a huge difference. Especially when they are not expected. Thanks for the comment!
Rebecca Brown says
I’m going to send a link to this post to all of the 16 teachers in my studio. I think this is a fantastic idea!
Andrea says
Hi Rebecca,
I’m sure that implementing this in your large studio will have many benefits. In a large studio it keeps it from seeming “big box store” – that personal individual touch means a lot. It’s also a great way for me myself to connect with parents that I don’t speak with often who are being taught by our other teachers. Happy teaching! 🙂
Cheryl says
Andrea and Trevor, I can’t find All the words to tell you how grateful I am to discover both of you, so I just express a few. What a Great Empowering Team and Fantastic Role Models you are for all of us. It’s always the simply things in life that mean the most – a simple smile, a simple nod to doing well, a simple word of encouragement. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us – “Random Emails of Kindness” = Perfect!
Andrea says
Wow! Thanks Cheryl – we’re blushing 🙂
Jean says
I would love to see some samples of your works of kindness. Always good to see what kind things others say to folks. Thanks!
Andrea says
Hi Jean – for sure! I’ll email you some examples this weekend 🙂
Margaret says
I would love to see some samples, too, please!
Thank you so much for this website! You have so many inspiring ideas!!
Josie says
Thank you for sharing such a super idea – it’s the simple ideas that are often best and are so obvious once someone has mentioned them! Please email me a few sample ideas – what kinds of things do you compliment?
I love your blog…