With Thanksgiving just ending and Christmas coming up (can it really be almost December already??), I've been thinking a lot about how to keep the momentum going with my students over the holiday break. Two weeks off of lessons usually means that students stop practicing... which can be really hard to come back from in January. BUT I found this awesome idea on a teaching blog I'm following (TeachPianoToday.com) that I just had to share!
Ever heard of Elf on the Shelf? Same idea, but with a fun piano twist!
How Santa’s Helpers Can Increase Piano Practice Hours – An Early Christmas Gift From Us To You
Such a fun idea! The blog post has free printable instructions and elves - you print one out, and each night place the elf on a different page in one of the student's method books. The student then has to find the elf each day and gets to practice that song.
Obviously, this works best with younger kids who will still have fun with the "magic" of the elf moving overnight. I'd also recommend using it mostly with songs the student has already learned, so that they don't get frustrated trying to practice songs further along in the book that they might not have all the necessary skills/knowledge for yet. But over the Christmas holiday when students don't have lessons for a couple of weeks, this is a fun way to review old pieces. Students will have fun with the mystery of the elf and reviewing old pieces will get them feeling super successful at the piano - and kids like to do what they're good at!
So give your kid's piano teacher a Christmas present... by making sure they practice over the break! Stay tuned for more fun holiday ideas!