Piano lessons are coming to a close for another year. In the next few weeks most families will decide if they are going to continue on with lessons… so it is really important that piano teachers give them every reason to keep on, keepin’ on.
And there’s no better way to communicate the importance of piano lesson participation than by sharing with parents the progress their children have made this year.
Right now, you’re probably thinking… “Ugh, I have no time to complete 30 or more assessments before the end of year!” And you’re right! But because you also can’t afford to miss out on doing assessments we’re here to help you make it happen anyway!
Keep reading below as we share a simple and effective end-of-year assessment strategy called, Playing Through Time.
Piano Student Assessment: Making It Work For Everyone
If you’ve done piano student assessments in the past, they were most likely written and they were most likely a ton of work. And the feedback you received from parents probably didn’t make you feel like your efforts were worthwhile. Written assessments can’t always easily and effectively provide all of the information you want to share, and non-musical parents can be overwhelmed by “lingo” they may not know.
So, we figured it was time to change the way piano teachers do assessments. With today’s strategy, you’ll satisfy everyone’s needs in the “piano student assessment” category; your parents will be well-informed and thrilled, your students will feel proud and accomplished, and you will be overjoyed with the time saved!
Playing Through Time: A No-Sweat Student Assessment
Nothing demonstrates a student’s progress better than a visual and aural demonstration. When demonstrated, even the most “non-musical” of parents can gain a good understanding of their child’s progress and development. But demonstration is not just for the parents; you can say goodbye to hours of report-writing time!
“Play Through Time” is a simple and effective way to show parents piano student progress. It takes just a week or two of in-lesson prep by going over tunes your students should be playing anyway.
Demonstration Day can happen before or after a year-end recital. If you host it before a recital, it’s a great opportunity for a pre-recital trial run and if it happens after a recital it’s the perfect opportunity for your student to perform music they may not have had a chance to play at the recital. Here’s how it works:
- Prior to Demonstration Day have your student select four pieces to prepare: 1) the first should be a very early piece he learned as a new piano student (dig back into your primer method books and have him select a piece that he remembers with fondness), 2) the second should be a piece he learned at the start of the current teaching year (seek out a “September favorite”), 3) the third should be one that your student was playing mid-way through the current year, 4) and the fourth should be one that he is currently working on, but that is ready for a “mini-performance”. If your student is brand new and only began this year, decrease this list by one piece.
- During lesson time, help your student review and prepare each of the four pieces. It’s important for your student to do some self-assessment during this process by noticing the changes in difficulty from piece to piece; remembering any struggles he had with the older pieces, and calling attention to his current abilities and how the pieces he learned in the past have contributed to his playing abilities.
- Send a personalized email to your student’s parent(s) asking them to attend the first half of their child’s lesson at a specified date (you can use my email template below):
- When Demonstration Day comes, welcome parents to their child’s lesson. Working in order of oldest to newest piece, have your student introduce each piece and, before playing it, discuss when he first learned the piece, what he liked/likes about it, and what used to be difficult about the piece.
- When all 4 pieces have been performed, ask for feedback from parents. Enjoy the warm-fuzzy sharing that will ensue 😉 You can then continue the lesson as normal after saying, “goodbye” to Mom and Dad or you can invite them to participate in a rousing piano game!
After starting this tradition in your studio, you’ll likely find that parents really look forward to “assessment time”; it’s a lovely chance for them to sit back and reflect on the growth that their children are experiencing year after year… and as the person who has provided them with this opportunity you’re sure to get a huge dose of thanks!
“Playing Through Time” Email Template
Hi Sarah and Brian,
It’s the end of our teaching term (already!) and Aidan and I would love to invite you to attend the first half of his next lesson. I like to provide piano parents with a good snap-short of their children’s progress and I’ve found that the best way to do this is with something that I call a “play through time” demonstration. This will give you the chance to see (in-person) the wonderful progress that Aidan has made on the piano this year.
He’s very excited to share his accomplishments and I can’t wait for you to be amazed by how much he has learned!
Could you let me know if you will be able to attend?
Thank you so much,
Andrea
The Perfect Piece For Every “Stage”
One of the best ways to ensure piano student progress is to have a large and varied library of music. Being able to have the right piece of music at the right time for the right student is invaluable. Our “Sessions Books” are changing the way teen piano students feel about their lessons and are “saving” students who have worked so hard to get to an intermediate level of playing… but then lose interest! Find them on Amazon here.
Emily says
that’s a great idea! Does it really fit for 30 min students?
Andrea says
Hi Emily – yes, it works great for 30 min. students – just use the first half of the lesson for the “play through time” and then parents can either duck out for the last 15 and you can continue as normal OR they can stay and play piano games with their kiddo!
Lisa Williams says
If a picture is worth a thousand words than how many words is a video worth! Such a great idea. So many of my parents are drop and dash as they are off to take or pick up other children from activities. Think this would be as effective if I made a video and emailed it? Or what if in September/October I make a video, then at Christmas, and then add one at the end, or is there a bigger benefit in having them do it all at once because I’m kind of thinking there might be, but am curious what your experience suggests?
Lisa Williams says
…as in benefit to the student.
Emily says
I like that! I have been doing the same… video at beginning of year, and one at end of year for progress. It’s been exciting! my studio parents are similar – not stopping in at lessons but dropping off….
also – I had made a comment about “does this fit for 30 min appts?” because I have a lot of those, but it was deleted for some reason!
Andrea says
Hi Emily – your comment is still there and I just answered it 🙂 A video is a great substitute for this idea!
KathyG says
I have done a student/parent/teacher conference each year, at or near the end of the school year, and have found it very informative for all concerned. But I love the idea of having the student demo pieces they have learned along the way — great addition. I know most teachers don’t encourage or require parental attendance, but I find the in-person meeting is really important, and I actually schedule the conferences at their regular lesson time, so I get paid for that time the same as for a lesson time. Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea.
Andrea says
Hi Kathy – yes, this would be a brilliant addition to your already lovely conferences! Hope you have fun with the idea 🙂
Kathleen B. Isberg says
This is a wonderful and ingenious idea! Thank you for sharing this.
Andrea says
Thanks for reading, Kathleen! We hope it makes assessments easier for you 🙂