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.
Which is unfortunate… because at the “mid-way” point in the year I want to keep 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 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.
I am finding TEDDtunes almost a substitue for lesson book work. Those of my younger students who are using them can’t wait to get on to the next story, and I find they can sight-read them easily. They learn intervals, sharps/flats, major/minor much sooner than they do in the lesson book.
The only problem is – some of them have very nearly finished them. Your website says the next set is coming “in the fall” – um, it’s almost December, did you mean fall 2016? seriously, watching the blog EVERY DAY for these.
Cheers
Linda ff
PS Have I missed “Tunes for your Smartphone”? I keep forgetting to look at the past issues from PBC and it’s the only one I haven’t got now.
Hi Linda – so happy you’re loving TEDDtales so much! 🙂 We are working on Book 2. With the PianoBookClub composing and the PianoGameClub creation we are working some very long days which has meant that TEDDtales took us longer than we thought it would. It is coming – and we know that many people are waiting anxiously for it 🙂 Songs for my Smartphone hasn’t yet been released at all – you haven’t missed it!
Thank you for the great suggestions! I give my students a break from standard lesson materials during December and focus on holiday piano activities (games, fun worksheets, and repertoire). I love your Holiday Recital program, as I encourage students to perform for their family and friends during this season. I also assign Christmas/seasonal compositions that students write and play as a gift for their families. In all the years I have been teaching, I rarely have had problems with students practicing and performing holiday music, but your activities will certainly make piano lessons more festive for all.
Arrrgh, the Practice Elf. I noticed that the few parents in my studio who have consented to take part in this challenge *are not moving the Practice Elf around in their kids’ books. * Ah, well.
That’s the only hiccup in this. I always hope that parents care enough to keep the “magic of christmas” alive by committing to doing this (if only for that reason… not to mention for the value of home practice LOL!) but yes, you will always have some who just don’t.
Love the Mini-Recital page!
Any chance you might offer these in blue ink for those who celebrate Hanukkah?
Hi Janet – If I have a spare moment I’ll try to make some up for you 🙂
Do you take off teaching for a full 2 weeks over the holiday break? I always wonder what other teachers do. I’d like to take those 2 weeks off fully so i can refresh but i wonder if that is a disservice to my clients. Could you do a poll or write an article about that?