It’s the time of year to change up the same-old-same old and keep your kiddos interested and excited about their piano lessons and their piano practice. One of the best ways to do this is to host a studio-wide practice challenge event.
So – to help you get through these last few weeks before spring we’re giving you all the materials you need to host a fun pirate-themed practice challenge in your studio!
How It Works
1. For each student, cut out a treasure chest (see handout below), write their name in the space provided, and tape the treasure chest to the front of a ziplock bag. Hang it in a highly-visible place in your studio.
2. Students are then given a treasure map each week for 3 weeks. On this map is a practice task or an in-lesson task to complete. Each week when the task has been completed, students are given treasure to put into their treasure chest (ziplock bag). I’m going to use chocolate gold coins but you could use pennies to avoid food.
3. At the end of the challenge, students who complete their treasure collecting receive their reward (also your choice… I’m going to use a goody bag idea off my Pinterest page).
The Materials (Three Cheers for Free!)
We love to see the practice incentives we create and share popping up in different piano studios all over Facebook – it warms our heart 🙂 And so here are all the materials you need to make this challenge happen in your own studio.
1. Promo Poster and Social Media Sharing Image.
2. Student Treasure Chests (print and cut out, give one to each student and write student’s name on each one, attach to a ziploc bag)
3. 3 Weeks of Practice/Lesson Challenges (print, cut and give one card to each student each week. If they complete the task they add a gold coin to their treasure chest).
“All In” Is The Way To Go!
These challenges provide GREAT material for social-media sharing, and newsletters and are just one more way you can generate word-of-mouth advertising. We do suggest that you go “whole hog” to keep everyone pumped about the event. You can find awesome and inexpensive decor at your local dollar store, but also on the pirate-themed party page on Orientaltrading.com.
If you’re stoked about the challenge but don’t know where to begin when it comes to Week 2 and the composing activity… check out our uber-popular resource “The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff: Adventures in Composing”. Your kiddos will be pumping out original compositions from Day 1 with ease!
Dorla says
February 6, 2015 at 4:59 amFun, fun, fun! Can’t wait to do this at my studio!
Andrea says
February 8, 2015 at 4:44 pmWill love to see your pictures Dorla! 🙂
Shan says
February 6, 2015 at 6:58 amI’m excited! We are currently in the middle of your Wild West practice incentive. My students love it and it has added some new interest to our lessons and practicing each week. Thank you for sharing your awesome creativity with the rest of us!
Andrea says
February 8, 2015 at 4:44 pmThat’s so great Shan! Now you have another one in your back pocket to re-inspire when needed 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Linda says
February 6, 2015 at 8:26 amThis is a great idea! My students will love this! And so will their parents. Thank you for being so creative.
Andrea says
February 8, 2015 at 4:43 pmHi Linda – glad you’ll use it with enthusiasm! 🙂
Suzy says
February 6, 2015 at 4:01 pmSuch a fun idea! Who doesn’t love pirates?!
Andrea says
February 8, 2015 at 4:43 pmExactly! Pirates are always a hit (and very easy to find themed decor!)
Fiona says
February 10, 2015 at 6:43 amI love it! I’m thinking I might do a pirate themed piano party at the end too! I’ve got the ‘Happy Birthday Bach’ one which has some great ideas in it that I can tweak to be pirate related,. Thanks Andrea and Trevor!
Amy says
February 26, 2015 at 8:46 amThis is great! I’d love to have an extra page of blank treasure maps, to create my own challenges for my students 🙂
ANDREA says
August 12, 2015 at 11:44 amThis is awesome!!! Thank you! Is there anyway we could get a copy of the blank treasure maps? Our studio is planning to use this theme, but will need more than 3 wks of challenges. Thank you so much!
Andrea says
August 12, 2015 at 12:41 pmHi Andrea – I’ll see if I can find the file and see if it’s “Editable” 🙂 Can you email me at andrea@teachpianotoday.com and then I won’t forget?! 🙂
Andrea says
August 17, 2015 at 11:13 amSent you an email. Thanks!
PS – Great name too 🙂
Carrie Chalfin says
October 27, 2015 at 10:54 amMy students are just eating this challenge up! Thank you so much for this post! Have you created any similar practice challenges since? I’ve been thinking about doing one like this mid-winter to boost excitement in the studio during the dreary months.
Andrea says
October 27, 2015 at 12:04 pmHi Carrie – so happy to hear it! Yes, we have several practice incentives like this one:
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2014/05/07/we-have-an-e-fish-ent-piano-practice-incentive-just-for-you/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/11/29/how-santas-helpers-can-increase-piano-practice-hours-an-early-christmas-gift-from-us-to-you/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2014/09/30/practicing-piano-students-wanted-a-wild-west-themed-practice-incentive/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2013/01/31/a-great-printable-incentive-program-for-your-tech-lovin-piano-kids/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2013/10/03/were-pump-kin-up-the-piano-practice-with-a-new-studio-incentive/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2015/10/21/why-my-piano-students-are-setting-their-morning-alarm-30-minutes-early-this-week/
Should keep you busy 😉
Carrie Chalfin says
October 28, 2015 at 5:15 amWow–thank you!!
Jacqueline says
December 14, 2015 at 2:24 pmThis is amazing! I would like to do a longer incentive program though. Would anyone have ideas to extend it?
Amy Reiff says
May 5, 2016 at 6:13 amSo, for week three – what if someone asks the question: “What if I do exactly four days?” Guaranteed, most of my kids will ask that question. 😀
Regardless, this looks like a great challenge; I’ll start off Fall with it!
Melinda says
June 27, 2016 at 9:42 pmI know this comment comes waaaay late (I’m just finding this post now, but plan to use this in the fall!), but I think I’d answer Week 3’s question of “what if I do exactly 4” with this “Well, your playing will determine if your practice was good enough for treasure, or if it was worthy of the plank!” said very playfully, of course, so it won’t worry them. But you’ll know whether or not they put their best effort in (regardless of the level of “perfection”) to make a good judgement call. 🙂
Julie says
September 4, 2018 at 1:11 pmI know it is several years since this was posted, but I am planning to do a pirate themed incentive for my students this fall and was searching for some more ideas. I found this today. I am also wondering if I could get a file of blank treasure maps so I could do more than three weeks of challenges? Did you come up with that several years ago when another Andrea asked about it?