Your piano recital is over and lessons are coming to a close as the holidays creep closer. You have your cozy socks on and your toes are warming up by a roaring fire as you sip on egg nog and contemplate just falling asleep on the couch.
But, before you take a long winter’s nap, there’s one more thing you should do:
… Use our easy email template below to follow up with parents after their children’s recital performances! While it’s so easy to just sigh “Phew! It’s over!” and leave your recital memories in the past, this small gesture will accomplish several wonderful things in your studio:
- It provides the perfect chance to connect with your piano parents. A strong parent-teacher bond is important.
- It gives your piano students one more injection of “warm fuzzies,” further endearing them to the piano lesson experience.
- It reminds parents of the joy they receive from watching their children learn to play the piano at a time when budgets are tight, families are tired and new winter extracurricular activities are advertising.
- It’s kind! Reaching out whenever you can to offer encouragement, praise, and happy feelings is always worth it.
You don’t even need to leave your couch to accomplish this task. Simply use our template below, fill in the details to personalize your message and press “send”! Add one more badge of awesome to your Piano Teaching Hero Cape!
The Ultimate “Piano Recital Follow-Up Email”
Here’s what I send to my piano parents after a piano recital. Feel free to copy and modify it as needed to suit your own needs.
Hi Sarah,
It was wonderful to see you and your family at our recital on Saturday.
I wanted to send a quick note to let you know how much I enjoyed Rayleigh’s recital performance. She has changed so much since we started working together. It’s been a pleasure watching her musicality develop and grow. Rayleigh has worked really hard on developing a good sense of rhythm and her performance reflected this. As I watched her on Saturday, I couldn’t help but think back to those days when she was playing simple little pieces on the black keys… she has come so far!
Please know how much I appreciate your support from home during the first half of the year and your assistance in helping her prepare for the recital.
I look forward to seeing what Rayleigh will accomplish in the New Year! Please share my congratulations with her on a beautiful performance.
Andrea
How Do You Follow Up?
What did you do this year to send home holiday cheer? Did you send home piano student gifts, email parents, share recital videos and/or pictures? We’d love to hear in the comments below. We’d love to hear all of your ideas!
María Laura says
Here in the South emisphere I’m siiting in front of my air conditioner with a cold drink because it’s 35 C degrees, ha ha!! But never the less it’s all the same since I had my recital on saturday, wishing to take a long summer nap and looking for ways to not loose connection with students and their families. I wanted to edit a video with photos I took over the year of the different accomplishments students achieved most of them with the prompts you share 🙂 and send it to the students next week, but I like the letter very much! I probably do both things! Thank you so much for sharing! and the games from the game club are going to be a great reason for students to keep coming to piano lessons over the summer! 😀
Andrea says
Hi Maria – I do think of southern hemisphere teachers (usually with envy at this time of year) 🙂 It’s so far from my Canadian experience that thinking of an air conditioner in December sends me scurrying for a warm blanket LOL. I love your idea of a video montage for your studio – I’m sure parents would LOVE that. So happy to hear that you’re enjoying PianoGameClub too 🙂 Enjoy the season.
María Laura says
;D Thanks! And thank you and Trevor for a whole year full of resources that make us all better and happier teachers!
Shauna says
Hello Andrea Dow! Thank you for your helpful posts throughout the year. For the month of December I had provided your Christmas peg card to each student and had them practice and move over the peg each time. The last week before Christmas they earned a gift prize. I was able to get a gift for $3.50 which includes gift wrapping. I bought these finger puppet giraffes to show that they have a long neck that is flexible. The same as a flexible wrist that I teach for technique. Also they can press the finger puppet with tips of fingers without collapsing the joint for technique. It’s fun to play with this finger puppet and it’s educational. I got the finger puppets from here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M8NDBPP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Andrea says
What a lovely idea Shauna! Love that it’s a gift that has a practical use 🙂 Happy holidays!
Louise says
Gloves! Each student gets to pick out a pair of knit gloves. They come in an enormous variety of colors and patterns, sparkles, stripes, even with designs that match their pieces, such as dinosaurs, penguins or snowflakes. Right now I can get back these for .79 cents! The kids just love them, and it communicates the message to take care of your precious hands. They are so practical for living in Alaska too.
Andrea says
Fabulous idea Louise! And yes, much-needed in Alaska 🙂 Happy holidays – thanks so much for sharing!
Sylvia says
Where do you find these gloves?
Sarah says
This year I found some inexpensive gold and silver bon-bons that had the word “Joy” on them. I carefully opened up each one and placed a mini tic-tac’s box followed by a christmas eraser. Also place a little special music quote or perhaps a happy memory created from the year special to each student. I called each grade group into the music room and they all pulled the crackers,laughing at silly jokes and walked out with their party hats on! Although it was slightly tedious unwrapping the bonbons it was a great gift when you need to make 40+ and have a small budget! A nice way to spread a little joy and go out with a bang! Merry Christmas from Melbourne Australia!
Andrea says
What a lovely, thoughtful idea Sarah! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you as well!
Bonnie says
Since November I’ve been “building” a paper Christmas chain. Each link has the student’s name and Christmas song that was passed off. It is getting really long and is a great visual aid to all my students – they realize that together they are contributing and building a ginourmously fun chain! It is motivating to me as well, I can see my hard work, one link at a time!
Piano Parlor Studio says
I like to send a post-Recital letter and share pics, too! I like the idea of mailing (rather than emailing) the letter. Also, I give a gift each year at Christmas and this year, I gave chocolates and wooden back scratchers the week of Recital… ‘Cause they deserve a good back scratch and some chocolates after their hard work! 🙂
Sherri says
What a great idea! Is there a template to download? Thanks!
Andrea says
Hi Sherri – just copy and paste the text into your email program 🙂
Harriet says
Teaching a piano class to middle school students is one of the most challenging projects I’ve done. Your site and resources have been life savers for me! I love the letter and I know it will solidify their support for my program! Thank you and Merry Christmas
Andrea says
So happy to hear it Harriet! Happy New Year 🙂
Mae says
Hi, Andrea and Trevor,
As always, I am very grateful to you for your truly amazing resources, books and games that make me the coolest teacher in town! For the Holiday recital this year, I broke up my students into 3 days of recitals (after the first day, the reset was SOOO easy for the next day). I had between 10-12 performers each day. After my students played their holiday pieces, each student, their friends and siblings decorated small gingerbread houses. While the decorating happened, the adults and I enjoyed champagne and appetizers and I got to visit with each parent and relative. This year was the first year I did this type of recital, and the coziness was awesome! I sent each student home with their wrapped up decorated house and am now so glad to have your email letter that I can use as a follow-up. I will possibly add a video clip of their student performing. I am also thinking how to put a video together for my Facebook page, too. Thank you and have a very Merry Christmas!
Andrea says
That sounds fantastic Mae! What a lovely event 🙂