If you’re like Trevor and I, you’ve probably spent every day after Easter looking forward to the May Long Weekend. While it’s not quite summer, the May Long Weekend means it’s time to break out flip flops, barbecues, tents, and tank tops. Or, maybe you pack up the old jalopy and hit the road for an epic road trip.
Either way… holidays and long weekends are awesome! They provide beacons of hope when work weeks start to drag.
If it was up to me, I’d throw in a few more national holidays every month… but unfortunately, it’s not up to me. So, instead, I settle for throwing mini celebrations in my piano studio. They don’t provide the rest and relaxation of a long weekend, but they do keep my students interested and excited in piano lessons… which keeps them coming back for more… which keeps food on my table… and I find food relaxing!
So let’s take a look at several potential celebrations that might make it on your calendar next year…
Piano Studio Celebrations – The When and The What
Piano teachers should plan to throw a studio celebration at least every other month. And while this may seem like a lot to plan, remember that some celebrations, like your Christmas and Spring Recitals, are part of your yearly schedule anyways, while others can be simple celebrations between you and each of your piano students. They do not have to be GRAND events!
Here are several celebrations you may want to work into your studio schedule:
- Celebrate student progress with gigs at your local coffee shop
- Celebrate Grandparents Day
- Celebrate Bring-a-Buddy Day
- Celebrate a bizarre holiday, like Talk Like a Pirate Day
- Throw a weekend Piano Party
- Celebrate summer by having an outdoor lesson day
- Celebrate the birthday of a famous composer
- Throw a Proud Parent Showcase
- Celebrate the inner workings of the piano and spend a lesson on the inside
Tackle the Post Long Weekend Blues
So if, like many of us, you’re feeling a little blue now that the long weekend has come and gone, take one of the ideas above and start planning your very own celebration. It will give you renewed energy and your piano students something to look forward to!
In less than a week, we’ll be releasing our new Piano Book of the Month from PianoBookClub.com. If that’s not a reason to celebrate I don’t know what is! So if you’re not already a member sign up today… and look forward to receiving a brand new piano book full of supplementary music each and every month.
Leia says
Ooh! Is it new music time again? Yay!
Andrea says
Yes! The new PianoBookClub book hits inboxes starting on Sunday 🙂
Kathy G says
This is an added spur for me right now, when I am trying to plan the year ahead, farther ahead and in more detail, than I have in the past. I’m naturally a spur-of-the-moment/keep-the-plan-in-my-own-head kind of person, which is fine for some things, but not necessarily useful for teaching! I like the sound of some kind of piratical celebration, to coincide with International (it’s international by now, right?) Talk Like a Pirate Day in October. Several teacher blogs have incentive programs already set up around pirates — why not jump in?
I think you are correct that frequent special events keep student interest high. However, I also know that both parents and students (not to mention teachers) can get burned out with too many events. Our local MTA holds 5 annual events already, there is NFMC Junior Festival and on top of that, two studio recitals. This time of year families are also extra crazed because of end-of-school-year extra events.
So I wonder how many extra events I can add, and have us all retain why few wits we still have, here in 21st century life!
Or am I the only one struggling with this kind of overload? I guess it comes down to choosing what fits my studio and my personal choices. I am looking forward to having some time soon — ??? — to work more on this. Summer always sounds like the idea time for this kind of studio planning and organizing, but somehow, once school gets out, I drift outside and the summer disappears in a happy daze of gardening, hiking, and bike riding.
My current plan is to get all the next year stuff organized BEFORE lessons end for the school year, so I won’t have to start from scratch (and try to remember where everyone was) in August.
Disclosure: I will be 65 years old this summer, and have been teaching since 1975. I am still trying to get my s…. together! And I love, love, love your blog, your ideas, and all the fantastic, inspiring ideas and comments you share with us. Thanks so much!
Andrea says
Hi Kathy – such great points you make, and I think the key is in moderation; not moderation in terms of doing fun things at your studio, but moderation in terms of HOW you do those fun things. Sometimes a mini-celebration can simply be a themed supplementary repertoire piece. Or a day when you play a fun piano game, or a day when you invite Grandparents into the lesson to watch. We piano teachers are creative people, and so the tendency is to think BIG… but sometimes just small gestures go a long way (and save our sanity in the process) 🙂