The summer months are generally viewed as a musical break. That could mean a break from piano lessons altogether or a break from the usual rigor that accompanies “school year” piano lessons.
And this is okay! Breaks are important – and the summer months are a great time to press the refresh button.
But a “break” shouldn’t mean an end to the progress that has been developing for the previous 10 months.
To put it simply, two months away from the piano is too long. Young children require regular, parent-supported practice to maintain a specialized skill like playing the piano. But when regular practice or parent participation disappears, kids take a backward slide; a slide that can often require a month-long recovery.
Our greatest allies in helping students to succeed through the summer months (whether or not they continue lessons with you) are their parents.
To eliminate the “summer slide” we’re sharing an email template you can send to your piano parents to explain the importance of continued practice during the summer.
Send Parents This Summer Piano Practice Email
The email template below provides parents with the information they need to understand the importance of summer piano practice, as well as some strategies to help make this practice happen.
I send this email to my piano parents a few weeks before the end of the school year so it reaches them before the lazy days of summer have settled in.
Feel free to copy and paste my template or to make any necessary modifications to make it work for your studio. You can send this email (with a few small changes) even if you continue to teach during the summer, as summer piano practice can still be difficult to maintain without parental support at home.
Dear Megan,
Wow, what a busy year we’ve had at the studio! It’s been a pleasure teaching Nathan. I’m sure you and Mark are very proud of all that he has accomplished at the piano. Nathan has made great progress, and I look forward to what we’ll be able to achieve together next year!
Because we’ll be taking a break from piano lessons in two short weeks, I wanted to send along some information on summer piano practice. It should help Nathan stay motivated through July and August.
While the summer months are a great time to take a refreshing break from routines, in my experience, two months away from the piano can often result in what I call the “summer slide”… a loss in valuable skills learned during the year. Students who experience the summer slide get frustrated upon returning to lessons in the fall once they realize that their skills have deteriorated (which can happen even with just a few short weeks away from the piano).
Nathan has worked hard this year and I would love for him to continue on his path to success!
While the summer months are busy and often “routine-free”, I thought I’d pass on a few suggestions in the hopes that you and Mark can help Nathan keep piano practice as a part of his daily tasks. This way, our fall lessons can be spent on exciting new projects instead of on review and “repair” 🙂
One of the best ways to continue practice during the summer is to have your child play piano first thing in the morning. This means that, no matter how busy a day becomes with summer fun, practice has already happened. Short, but regular practice sessions at the piano will maintain his skills; so setting up a routine where Nathan practices right after breakfast would be a fabulous way of keeping his skills sharp.
In addition, you may want to:
- Sit and have your morning cup of coffee while listening to Nathan play. Children love an audience and will practice more diligently if someone is listening.
- If you will be away on holidays, see if you can find a relative’s piano that can be used for a few practice sessions. If not, bring along his piano book and have him “tap practice” (I’ve taught him how to do this) and/or complete a score study on his pieces.
- Every time you have friends or relatives over for a summer get-together, ask Nathan to play for them. Having a mini-performance goal is a great motivator to hop on the piano a few extra times.
- Play piano games with Nathan on those warm summer evenings. He’d love to teach you how to play his favorite games and you’ll likely learn a lot in the process!
I have set Nathan up with a lot of fun summer material, including several pieces he’s been asking to play, a summer note printing project using Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Playing With Note Printing Activity Book For Piano, Book 1 and a few piano games he can borrow for the summer. These should provide the motivation he needs to have fun at the piano.
Your help in keeping Nathan motivated and practicing regularly is much appreciated. I know Nathan will be thankful for his efforts come the fall. If you have any questions at all, please let me know!
Enjoy your summer,
Andrea
Summer Resources To Send Home With Students
If you are looking for summer piano activities that can be accomplished without the help of a teacher, consider using Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Piano Student Workbooks. Whether your students need timed note reading tests, technical exercises, or note printing activities, we have a book that will meet their needs.
Click on a cover below to learn more:
Denise West says
Hi, Andrea
I am using your books from piano book club as summer “projects”. Those who continue lessons with me will have the benefit of my guidance through the book as well as your games and building sight reading skills. Those who are taking the summer off can work on a project independently at home. I have a table set up with sample projects. Each book has a card listing the level, musical concept and materials fee. This is my first summer doing this and so far, the parents are supportive and the kids are excited! Thank you for all your fun resources.
Andrea says
Hi Denise – so glad you’re getting great use out of the PianoBookClub books and PianoGameClub games 🙂 Your idea of setting up a “sample table” is amazing – kudos to you for a great, organized plan 🙂
Jonella says
Hi,
Would you mind sharing your table or telling a little more about it? Thanks.
Dorla Aparicio says
Thanks for this letter. I’m going to use it for my Summer Practice Packets that I’ve created using different books from the piano book club!
Your ideas and resources have greatly made teaching piano accessible to the real world!
Dorla
Andrea says
Hi Dorla – you’re most welcome! Love the idea of Summer Practice Packets! 🙂 Would love to see a picture of one (maybe on Instagram!?)
Dorla says
Will do!
Paula says
Thanks Andrea and Trevor, I look forward to using your resources including Pianobookclub and pianogameclub each year now, and this email template will greatly help as I prepare to take the whole summer off. Thanks again!
Andrea says
Enjoy your summer Paula! 🙂