I think we can all agree that learning piano is far superior to any other activity available to children :). But everything has an Achilles heel, and when it comes to the piano lessons, lack of community is it!
Piano lessons are, for the most part, a solo endeavor. Students do not have the natural built-in community that a sport like soccer or an activity like dance. And, as we all know, children need a sense of belonging… a community.
If you want your piano studio to thrive, and if you want to compete with team sports, then building a community should be high on your priority list! Fortunately for you, we have a great activity (and a free printable) to kick off your community building. Read on!
My Piano Pal Composing Activity
Building community does not mean piano students have to meet face-to-face… but they do have to build an emotional connection. With today’s activity your students will get to know some fun facts about their piano friends.
Next week, give each of your students the My Piano Pal Printable. They can complete the activity with your help, or take it home and return it the following week (this is the better use of your lesson time).
When you’ve collected all of the completed sheets, shuffle them up and, during the next week of lessons, have each of your students select a different students’ My Piano Pal Printable. Everyone will now have a piano pal… kind of like a pen pal.
A Piano Piece For My Pal
Now that each of your students has a Piano Pal, their job over the next few weeks is to compose a piano piece for their pal. This is, of course, done with your guidance and direction. In fact, it’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce composing! It is important that the pieces your students create draw on the My Piano Pal Printables for inspiration; the title, mood, tempo, and dynamics (and maybe even lyrics) of each piece should connect with the themes from each Pal’s list of “favorites”.
Your piano students, regardless of age, will love the connections they make with their new Piano Pals. Having this camaraderie and sense of community can do nothing but great things for your studio. And… you’ll have generated some very motivating repertoire for your piano students to play! Repeat this activity several times throughout the year simply by rotating the Piano Pal sheets, and you’ll build a wide network of friendships within your studio. You could even host a recital where your students perform each other’s pieces!
If you’re eager to get started with the My Piano Pal community builder and would love a great composing resource to give your piano students a solid foundation in how to compose then check The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff (adventures in composing)
jeannie myers says
Love this idea! My studio is doing SITE-READING Month this month to improve site-reading plus as a fundraiser to help pay for a lady’s eye surgery. Each day the site-reading exercise is completed, the student’s sponsors pay a quarter. Each week students got info about different eye diseases, basic eye care, why we do community service, compassion, etc. . . . Lots of excitement and also lots of competition to see who can get the most sponsors. I am going to add “My Piano Pal” to the SITE-READING Month program and when we meet on November 8 for the party (collect $$) each student can play their little song. Think I will write the melody so I can control the time factor but this works in perfect with what’s going on in here at The MUSIC STUDIO.
Stephanie says
This is AWESOME! 😀 I’m doing a team incentive this year, so this will be a great way for the kids to get to know their teammates!
Printing off four copies right now for my students today!
Kate says
Yes, this is a fantastic idea! I am always looking for ways to build that sense of community in the studio, and it can be hard.
I have my own little story about the importance of community in music: I quit piano lessons at the age of 14 after practicing had become a battle of wills with my mother. However I was saved by the jazz program at my high school. They needed someone to play piano and I volunteered. Playing in a group, belonging to a band of other musicians (friends), brought back my love of music. I went on to do a Performance degree at university and am a professional musician and teacher today.
Like you said, piano can be a lonely endeavour. I’m sure if I had not chanced into playing in those jazz ensembles I would not be playing piano today. So now, as a teacher, I am always on the lookout for how to make piano a way to bring kids together. Thanks for today’s post!
Miriam Higginson says
What a fun idea!
Brenda Simmons says
Love this idea! I am going to print it off right now. It’s always wonderful to share new and different ideas with my studio.
Amy Clovis says
This will be a great activity to do in November after we complete your “Pumpk-in Up the Practice” in October. Thanks for such great ideas!!!
Ronda Lonsdale Davey says
When I first read this article, I was excited. I have always encouraged students to create their own compositions and this seemed like a fun idea. After the students filled out their piano pal pages that I printed off, I put the pages on the wall of the studio, so the kids could learn about each other. They got the names of their buddies, and started on their compositions. The goal was to have them composed and written out for their piano pals the week before Christmas. They all loved the challenge of writing music for someone else, rather than their own interests. We worked on writing out the music, (which was excellent reinforcement of theory) and then the students decorated the page around the music staves with stickers or drawings. Everyone loved their compositions! Each of them took a couple of minutes to write a thank you note for their piano pal, commenting on what they liked about the composition that had been written for them. This was a wonderful experience for everyone, and I will use it every year from now on. Thank you for this terrific activity!
lynn kiesewetter says
How do you have your students write out muisc- my hand or on a computer program? If program, which?