If you could see our family calendar right now you’d want to take a great big eraser and wipe it clean for me. Our holiday season is seriously overloaded with activities.
Now, because my own calendar is a jumbled mess, I can imagine that the schedules of my piano students look much the same. And when schedules get busy, it’s often piano practice that gets kicked to the curb.
This is unfortunate… because at the “mid-way” point in the year I want to keep the momentum rolling, progress building and motivation soaring. So, over the coming weeks, the following activities will be taking center stage in my studio.
4 Ways To Keep Holiday Piano Practice Fun!
Kids need a break at this time of year; from school, from routines, from pressure. However, I never like to think of a departure from playing the piano as taking a “break”. When kids need a breather, music should be something they gravitate towards not away from!
So, while I’ll still be encouraging regular home practice during the holiday season, I’ll be doing so with a few fun twists!
Over the holidays I will be:
- Encouraging mini-recitals for visiting family and friends. Many of my piano students’ families will have guests over the holidays… and guests make a great audience for mini-recitals. I’m going to help my students add a professional flair by giving them a little recital program that they can fill out in their own adorable handwriting. Grab a copy of what I’ll be using here.
- Asking for a gift. In lieu of the “piano teacher gifts” I typically get, I am going to instead ask for a New Years’ surprise. They can choose to work ahead in their book, memorize a piano piece, compose a little tune, perfect something in their current piece, or videotape a performance. I’ve asked them to prep my “gift” over the holiday and bring it to their first lesson in the new year. Unless they were going to buy me chocolate… and then they can bring me both 😉
- Putting a fun spin on practice time. These four fun home practice printables that we shared last year will be put back into action this holiday season. My piano students had an absolute blast and have been asking for their return. Adding “games” to home practice makes it less routine and much more fun!
And Finally… Some Super-Fun Tunes!
5. Having great-sounding pieces to play is essential in keeping your piano students musically motivated over the holidays. With PianoBookClub we have you covered! Check out how you can receive 7-9 new pieces every single month as a member and keep your kiddos practicing and excited.
