Much has changed in the piano teaching world over the past few months. Teachers have had to change the way they deliver lessons and the way they communicate with parents.
And let me tell you… piano teachers have passed this test with flying colors.
Every day we see piano teachers embracing emerging technologies and inventing clever tools to make music lessons work.
One tool that has been widely embraced by piano teachers and adored by parents is the Piano Porch Pick-Up.
In their simplest forms, Porch Pick-ups are like little goody bags full of piano lesson materials and musical treats that students can pick up from a piano teacher’s… porch.
All piano teachers should be using Porch Pick-Ups right now to impress parents and keep connected with your students.
If this is your first time hearing about Porch Pick-Ups or you are looking to jazz up your own goody bags, today will be the read you need.
Your Piano Porch Pick-Up Guide
Most piano teachers are currently teaching online. While we hope it won’t last too much longer, with re-registration season upon us, we still need to deliver top-notch piano lessons in the coming weeks.
While Zoom lessons have helped keep piano lessons alive, they have their faults; one of the biggest being the inability to use physical teaching materials.
Many teaching tools that make lessons so wonderful like dice, piano studio mascots, stickers, candy, erasers, and teaching manipulatives can’t work their wonders in a digital world. In addition, it is impossible to send physical music books over the internet 🙂
Porch Pick-Ups are helping piano teachers conquer this obstacle.
Every day on our social media pages, teachers are sharing cute goody bags full of musical treats that are waiting for pick-up in front of their houses.
They are the perfect tool for getting piano teaching tools to your students in a contact-less way. Check out these cute examples shared with us by Teresa Custer Stephenson and @GreenRoomPianoVoice!
Taking Your Porch Pick-Ups To The Next Level
As we’ve discovered after working with piano teachers for years, “good enough” is never enough. That’s why many people in our teaching community are turning Porch Pick-Ups into little works of art.
And they are quite literally, impressing parents and saving studios!
I have seen pictures of tables filled with goody bags that look like they could be wedding favors decorated with ribbons, colored tissue paper, and cute tags telling students how much they are missed.
And then, inside, the goody bags get even better!
In addition to filling their Porch Pick-Ups with music and piano printables, teachers are adding stickers, erasers, musical coloring pages, and more.
But don’t worry, the creation of Porch Pick-Ups doesn’t have to be an onerous task. If you are looking for musical treats to fill some goody bags, check out the resources below.
Fill Your Porch Pick-Ups With These Resources
The key to an impressive Porch Pick-Up is variety. By including a range of items in your package, you’ll WOW your students and their families. Here are 10 ideas to get you started. Pick your favorite five for each monthly package you create!
1. A Personalized Postcard: In our WunderKeys Facebook Group you can find printable postcards containing kind messages for your students. These postcards (with the message “Though we are apart, music keeps us close) come in four different designs and have been popular additions to Porch Pick-Ups (see them in the photo above). Teachers attach these to the outside of their goody bags for visual appeal and some warm fuzzies.
2.Teach Piano Today Homework Pages: The Teach Piano Today Homework Pages have been a staple in porch pick-ups. Their game-based approaches to learning ensure they feel nothing like homework.
3. Stickers! While our virtual stickers (lots can be found in our WunderKeys Facebook group) have been a massive hit, students will love finding a page of stickers in their Porch Pick-Ups.
4. Composer Trading Cards: Now is the perfect time to include music history in your lessons and our composer trading cards make it simple and fun! Use these cards for your younger students and these cards for your older students.
5. Brag Tags: Congratulate your student on a recent moment of brilliance by including a brag tag. You can find an emoji-themed set here and sets for younger students here.
6. New Music! Nothing gets piano students more excited than new music. Check out our WunderKeys 2020 Piano Book Guide for inspiring method books, creative composing resources, rockin’ repertoire for beginners, and cool pop tunes for teens.
7. Piano Puzzles: While stuck at home, your students will enjoy spending some time away from the piano reinforcing note-reading in a hands-on way. Grab our keyboard awareness puzzle here and our note-reading train puzzle here.
8. Piano Games: Families have more time for board games and you can provide a musical version by including a game from PianoGameClub.com (all licensed for unlimited printing). This is a fun way to get family members involved in the musical fun.
9. Father’s Day Composing: Get a head start on the upcoming holiday and print off this pack that helps your students to create a masterpiece for all those fabulous Dads.
10. Mini Erasers: Your students will love finding these teeny, tiny surprises in their Porch Pick-Ups, and you’ll love using them in your online lessons. Here are 10 ideas for how to use mini erasers to teach piano.
Photo shared by Faber Weislogel
Do you live somewhere where social distancing rules are more stringent and Porch Pick-Ups aren’t an option? All of the free resources you find on TeachPianoToday.com can be emailed to parents.
If you are already using Porch Pick-Ups in your studio tell us about it in the comments below!
