Your piano student comes for a lesson. Wonderful progress is made. Homework notes and activities are assigned. Lesson materials are placed in a music bag. Your piano students goes home. The music bag is left leaning against the shoe rack in his garage.
And it is ignored for seven days until it is once again time to rush off to piano lessons.
The Sad Truth About Piano Books
The sad truth about the forgotten music bag is that the simple act of taking it into the house (instead of leaving it in the garage) and then placing its contents (the music books) onto the piano can mean the difference between a student practicing and loving music and a student floundering and quitting music.
So, today I wanted to share a tool that has one single, yet important purpose – to get the music books out of the bag and onto the piano.
Enter… Book Bands!
Book Bands are simple paper bracelets that you fasten around the wrists of your piano students before they leave their lessons. Each Book Band has a cute design and a funny message reminding your students to get their music books onto their pianos as soon as they get home.
Tape these bracelets around the wrists of your piano students before they head out your door, and instruct them to only remove the bracelets once their piano books are open on their pianos at home!
You can download the Book Bands Printable here.
And Don’t Forget About This
While Book Bands are certainly a motivating tool :)… don’t forget about the power of innovative and exciting music to encourage piano practice. Recently a subscriber to PianoBookClub emailed us to say:
“BTW, I thought I’d tell you that one of my students who was hanging in there, but losing interest in virtually everything I presented to her, has gone wild with your Celtic/heroic-inspired collection. She’s working harder than ever.”
If you’re interested in learning more about PianoBookClub, click here.
Maryann says
Thank you for this bracelet idea!
I am currently using your “E-FISH-ent” Practice event with marvelous results!
The kids keep asking when the drawing will be and how many more chances they have left. I LOVE it!!
Andrea says
Hi Maryann – so glad to hear you’re using that incentive! We loved that one too. Yay for kids who are excited about practice! 🙂
If anyone is wondering, Maryann is talking about this free practice incentive program we had on the blog awhile back: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2014/05/07/we-have-an-e-fish-ent-piano-practice-incentive-just-for-you/
Robin says
What a fantastic idea! Fun as a trip to a waterpark–well, not quite, but same flavor! 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Robin – Glad you can use it! Yes, same idea as a theme-park bracelet… if the books get an exciting “ride” to the piano then I’m all for whatever it takes to get them there 🙂