While I love (love, love love!) the holidays, they tend to be a music momentum killer right smack dab in the middle of the school year.
Returning to lessons after a two week break usually means that I have to really hustle to get my students and their families all fired up again at a typically dreary time of year. Fortunately I have a secret weapon that works wonders…
Magic Words To Start Piano Families Off Right
In today’s post I’m sharing my “Welcome Back To Lessons” letter that I use to get the motivational ball rolling in the new year. But it’s not just some letter I sat down and wrote out all willy-nilly… it is carefully crafted to do exactly what I want it to do…
…keep kids in piano lessons!
Whenever I send out communications to my piano parents, I keep the following in mind: kids quit piano lessons because…
- They lose interest.
- Their parents don’t see the value of music enough to “make it work”
- They are too busy.
- They don’t practice.
…And then I use my communications to ensure that these four points won’t rear their ugly heads in the minds of my piano parents and their children.
I encourage you to read the letter below (copy whatever you like for your own use) and pay attention to how I use a run-of-the-mill communication (i.e. the “Welcome Back Letter”) to address the four bullet points above to help maintain a healthy studio that keeps students coming back year after year after year.
Retain Piano Students With This “Welcome Back” Letter
Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!
After a wonderfully refreshing holiday, it is absolutely delightful to have your children back in my studio again!
I wanted to take the time before we launch into the new year to thank each and every one of you for your efforts this past fall. Being a “piano parent” is a big commitment, and I feel so fortunate to be connected with families who see the immense value of music. Learning to play piano can be a life-changing experience and I’m humbled that you have chosen me to be a part of this exciting gift that you continue to give your children.
I’ve spent some of my holiday time planning an exciting second term of lessons and I thought I’d give you a “sneak peek” of just some of what’s to come! This term your children can look forward to:
- Exciting practice incentives, including the very silly “I Mustache You To Practice” Event.
- Our spring ensemble recital – full of duets, trios, audience participation and other fun!
- Our annual CD recording project complete with mini photo-shoots for the CD cover art.
- The amazing piano theory games that have been added to our loaning library.
- The return of our Mail-A-Motive composing activity.
I also wanted to reach out to you to let you know that I very much understand the life of a piano parent. Please know that, while I spend most of my time motivating and assisting your children, I’m also here to support you as well! Working as a parent/child/teacher triangle is the optimal way to ensure your children’s success and enjoyment.
You are always welcome to ask for advice on making home practice work, for updates on your children’s progress or for any other musical assistance you may need.
We’re kicking off the new term of lessons with a practice event designed to get your children excited and motivated right off the bat. Please watch for information coming home next week. I’m always so appreciative of your assistance in these fun events!
Seeing your children grow, improve and learn to love music is truly the most rewarding part of my job. This past term I saw confidence, progress, creativity, pride, feelings of success and major accomplishments on a weekly basis. These are powerful memories your children are making, and these are invaluable skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. What a gift to your children… what a gift to yourselves to experience … and what a gift for me to be a part of!
See you in the studio,
Andrea
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Thanks for sharing this. This is the perfect time to share such a letter and I will craft one of these for my studio.
Wonderful Stephanie! Glad you found it helpful 🙂
Love the letter and will definitely be using this! Thank you so much! Will you be sharing some of these practice incentives that you mention in the letter? I do recall the mail of motive but not sure I know about the mustache one? Thanks again for all you do and a wonderful, healthy, happy, successful and prosperous new year to you and your family!
… but of course 😉 You can look forward to the Mustache You To Practice on the blog coming soon!
Do you snail mail these or e-mail or hand them out to the students to give the parents?
I hand them out directly to the parents – if I don’t actually see the parents in person normally then I’ll mail it 🙂
Can you tell me more about the mustache practice event?
Watch for it as a free printable set on the blog Brianna! I always test everything first with my own kiddos but will definitely share 🙂
This is fantastic! I’d love to hear more about the “I Mustache You to Practice” event! It sounds so fun!
We’ll be posting it on the blog in the New year Christina 🙂
Thank you, as always for some great ideas, and the motivation for me to be a more exciting teacher! VERY curious about the “mustache” incentive….i have a box of wax mustaches just waiting for the perfect idea of how to use with students!
He he… not going to ask why you have a box of mustaches Patricia 😉 Yes, we’ll definitely share it on the blog once I’ve tested it with my own kiddos!
Love the letter! I am going to use it too. I find though, my parents do not read emails. I am always repeating myself, being asked questions…that are answered in emails, or parents saying they did not know…when they have been told, in my emails. Hmmmm….
Hi Bethanne – I find that emails are being more and more ignored too. I choose either “in their hand” communication (printed and handed directly to them) or else I text them. For something like this I print it out.
Always a great post and encouragement for us and for our students and parents. Thank you!
Thank you Jan 🙂
I would love to hear more about the mustache practice incentive! Also, how do you help private students prepare duets and trios? I’ve only ever done this with siblings. Thanks for all you do to help us be the best teachers we can!
I too would love to hear any insight about how you create ensembles with private students?
Thank you, Andrea and Trevor!! I love reading your posts!!
I love this! I always send out a letter for thanksgiving, & the new year but yours is so much more well spoken! Thank you for showing me how it’s done & being so kind to share not only this but all you wisdom & experiences to help all of us be better teachers.
Hi Jennifer – you’re so welcome! Glad it was helpful 🙂
Thanks! This is great. I’m curious, do you send this out via email or an actual paper letter? I typically do email, but sometimes wonder how well they are read by the parents.
Hi Katie – I’ve found email is slowly becoming the least effective way of communication (Waaah! But they just don’t seem to read or respond). For me it’s either “by hand” or text for little things. For this letter I hand it directly to the parent (or if I don’t see the parents frequently I snail mail it).
As always, fabulously crafted letter, copy, tweak for my studio and off it goes! You just saved me a ton of time.
I agree. And you do so many things I never think of. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful Sandy – that’s what we like to hear! We love saving piano teachers time (because they have so little of it!) Now you have time for more enjoyable things 🙂
I just modified your letter to fit my studio. Exactly what I needed – a boost to just get a letter done! Thank you so much.
Wonderful – and look at you go Jeanne! Tadaaa… major studio lift done! 🙂
I am modifying your letter right now to use with my studio. I love how you always know what I want and need! I will be mailing the letters tomorrow. I’m sure the parents and students will not expect it in the mail and will surely be happy to know that work is being done for them during the break. Thank you and Happy New Year 2016!
I’ve been so inspired reading your posts over the holidays! I’ve spent quite a while etching out my own version of this letter – now I’m so excited to get back and have fun! Thank you!
I love this idea – a simple gesture to show parents that you really do care, and that piano teachers really do work outside of lesson time! Thanks for all your great posts all year!
You’ve got me all excited about the Mustache you to practice incentive! Spill the beans Andrea! 😉 Thanks for the letter btw…it was perfect!
Hi Jeanne! Glad you can use the letter! We’ll definitely share the Mustache You To Practice incentive – not to worry!
I was really competitive as a kid. My dad would challenge me to learn tunes or jingles that we would hear on TV or the radio. I thought that was a really great strategy to keep me motivated and practicing often!
You are a WORDING GENIUS. I am definitely copying and pasting some of your letter to e-mail to my piano parents! I tried to think of different wording, but honestly yours is best. Very eloquent and straight-forward. Thank you!
I used your letter with my own twist and my parents loved it. Thanks for sharing it. I appreciate all of the great ideas I get from you.
Ditto times one more 😉 I’ll put in a question about the ‘mail a motive’ composing activity. Is that something you have shared on the blog, or is it from one of your books? I am one of those teachers heading back into the new year feeling rather flat and unenthusiastic, and less than brilliant in the pep talk department. I am super grateful for your letter as a jumpstart to the one I am going to be sending/handing out. Thanks again, and again, and again!
I am eagerly awaiting news of the Mustache event. I found a darling greeting card at the grocery store, showing a woeful looking but adorable puppy, with a fuzzy black handlebar mustache printed on his face. A red heart hangs from his neck, and it says ‘I mustache you a question’. Inside it reads ‘Will you be my valentine’ — but obviously the front was made for this practice contest! So I’m hoping your students love the trial version, and we get a shot at it soon. Thanks again for the great post.
Did I miss your blog on the Mustache event?
Hi Bev – no it’s “yet to be shared”. I always test ideas on my own students first, but would never dream of not sharing 🙂
This is a fantastic idea for the new year! Could I possibly ask you to share more about your “mustache you to practice” event?
Thank you so much for this idea!
You’re so welcome, Cara! Hope it helps 🙂
Audience participation? Could you please share more about this???
OMG I love this letter! just sent out to my studio – thank you soooo much, super helpful!! love the tone! Interested to know what the practice part coming out next week will be? Thanks again, Amy