Milestones are very important to parents. The first day of school, the first soccer game, the first piano lesson… these are all things that tug at the heart strings and deserve a little extra attention.
When it comes to “first piano lessons” however, you’ll want to recognize this milestone for reasons that extend beyond the emotional sphere. “First piano lessons” represent the start of your working relationship with new families. By kicking it off on a celebratory note you’ll firmly places piano lessons in the “important” category in the minds of both your students and their parents.
But making a first piano lesson feel special does not need to cost you a bunch of extra time and effort. Instead, it simply requires a few thoughtful gestures that are appreciated by parents and remembered by students. In today’s post we’re sharing one of these gestures that you can put to good use in your own studio.
A First Lesson Follow-Up Email
Today we thought we’d share the email that I send home the day after a child’s very first piano lesson. Feel free to copy it and/or modify it as needed to suit your own needs.
Dear Sarah
It was so lovely to teach Aidan yesterday. What a fabulous little boy you and Darren have! I was delighted to see how excited he was to learn to play the piano. We had a lot of fun together!
I thought you would like to know that he has exceptionally good listening skills – he’s already shown me that he is going to be very good with rhythm. He was delighted to learn that the clap backs we were doing were ones that I typically do with 8 year olds!
I thought you’d appreciate a copy of the picture I took of him yesterday. A first piano lesson is such an exciting event, and in my studio we like to mark it by taking a special photo. Years from now it will be fun to look back and see how much he has changed.
I also ask my students three questions at their very first piano lessons and we re-visit these questions many years later to see if their answers have changed. Here were Aidan’s responses:
- What do you like most about the piano? I like that it is fun to make soft and loud sounds.
- Who do you know that plays the piano? My grandma and my auntie and the big kids at school.
- What kind of music do you think will be your favorite? I like spy music… it is spooky and cool.
I am really looking forward to working with Aidan this year and I hope you are excited about having his music become a part of your family.
See you next week!
Andrea
Attach A Photo, And Voila! You’ve Marked The Occasion.
We recently released a set of photo props for your studio – one of which is a “My First Piano Lesson” prop. Simply pop it in a frame, have your student hold it proudly, snap a photo, and attach the image to your follow-up email. Parents will really appreciate having a keepsake of the special event.
Other Ideas to Make a First Piano Lesson Special
- Post a “Welcome Aidan!” poster on the wall of your waiting area or draw “Welcome Aidan” with sidewalk chalk on your walkway. This immediately makes your student feel important.
- Loan your new student your studio mascot after his first lesson (see more details here).
- Send home a piano game to reinforce skills learned in the first lesson (such as finger numbers etc.) so your excited student can involve his parents in the lesson experience
- Send your student home with a “First Piano Lesson” Certificate
- Create music bags with your studio logo and send your student home with one as a gift
- Post a “Welcome to our new student Aidan” graphic on your studio Faebook page or Instagram account.
Searching For More “First Piano Lesson” Ideas? Read on…
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Teaching My Frst Piano Lesson
Linda H. says
These are all such good ideas. Thank you!
Andrea says
You’re welcome Linda! Hope it saves you some time and helps to make your first piano lessons uber-special 🙂
Andrea says
Thanks for reading Linda! 🙂
Paul says
I have to say I LOVE this idea. My wife always has pictures of all the firsts’ like first haircut, first day of school, first lost tooth, first scrape on the body, etc. Then she writes down where it happened and what we were doing.
Thanks for always providing us with such great ideas to make our studios great by adding that personal touch which goes a long way in making our families happy.
Paul
Andrea says
Thanks Paul! Yes, those “firsts” are so important. And wow… your wife just made me feel guilty being that organized! I’m off to sort out my kids’ scrapbooks ASAP! 😉
Brian Jenkins says
This is a fantastic idea, just from a purely business standpoint even. With such a thoughtful email after a first lesson, it shows the student that you care and that you’re expecting lessons to continue on for years.
What a fantastic idea. I’ll definitely be utilizing this!
Donna A says
I have experienced over and over the first lesson bonding. This email made me realize why one of my students ( a little brother of a previous student) did not bond with me. I believe it was because his mother warned me that he was worse than his older brother (ADHD) and had a lot of discipline problems. I spent most of the 1st lesson sitting and waiting for him to come to the piano bench and listen. He decided to come the last 5 minutes, but only when I informed him that our time was almost over. He is a very immature 2nd grader and is still not cooperating. But after reading your article I have decided to start over with him and pretend it’s our first lesson. His mother insists that he take piano lessons. I could discourage her and him, but I will try again this fall.
Thank you for your encouragement and all of your ideas!!
Andrea says
Hi Donna – we also have lots of help and ideas on our blog for teaching children who have behavioural difficulties. Here are a few to get you started in the hopes it helps you break through with this child. Sometimes the most difficult kids to teach end up becoming the most rewarding 🙂
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/11/01/8-strategies-for-teaching-piano-to-students-with-add-or-adhd/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2015/02/03/6-piano-teaching-strategies-for-fidgety-piano-students/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2015/07/01/4-focus-enhancing-tools-for-piano-kids-with-busy-brains/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/04/23/how-to-teach-piano-to-anthony-ants-in-his-pants/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2013/03/04/how-to-teach-piano-in-84-seconds/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2014/11/30/when-the-honeymoon-is-over-how-to-re-establish-boundaries-with-piano-students/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/11/19/how-to-teach-piano-to-lions-and-tigers-and-bears-oh-my/
Sorry – I could keep going 🙂 Can you tell that I’ve taught a lot of “difficult” children in my day?! 😉
Maryann says
You have such a gift of inspiration!