By Robin Steinweg
Why wait until a holiday to “turn on the party?” We teachers can find many reasons and ways to celebrate student milestones.
Parents may not understand what a big deal it is to graduate to the next level of books, for instance. We can help them get it by making a bit of fuss over it ourselves. And if they still don’t get it, at least someone has admired the student’s success.
18 Reasons to Celebrate Student Milestones—they:
- arrived at the staples—the midway point!—of their book
- passed a unit
- completed their level and graduated to the next—huzzah!
- practiced one hundred days in a row
- practiced five days this past week
- remembered to trim their nails
- memorized a song
- accomplished all their weekly practice goals
- performed in public for the first time
- played in their first recital
- played in any recital
- mastered certain number of scales (pentascales, octaves or more)
- conquered a beast of a piece of music
- got their first playing gig
- used a metronome successfully
- memorized names of lines and spaces
- remembered dynamics
- they graduated from high school and are going off to college
18 Ways to Celebrate Student Milestones:
- pull out a kazoo and trumpet a fanfare
- tiny milestone—press Staples’ Easy Button
- the midway point in their book—offer a candy or let them make a shot at a Nerf basketball hoop
- publish their name (and photo?) on your website
- include their name (and photo?) in your studio newsletter
- a congratulatory certificate
- snail-mail a card to their home, addressed to them
- notify Piano Explorer Magazine about their completion of 100 consecutive days of practice (or 200+)
- post their names on a chart in your studio
- play a CD of a regal/fanfarish song as they enter the room
- let them wear a costume crown during their lesson
- give a blue ribbon
- create a banner/ribbon and add iron-on badges for accomplishments (like boy-and-girl scouts)
- let them choose from prizes you’ve collected (dollar store items, coupons for ice cream or burger, sheet music, manuscript paper or books, CD, iTunes coupon…)
- let them play music games on the computer
- bake their favorite cookies
for a BIG accomplishment , tickets to a concert or a huge fake-book plan a senior recital just for your graduate(s)
When we celebrate student milestones, it can generate excitement and motivation. How do you celebrate, and for what occasions?
