Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Piano Practice Incentive - Strive for Five in February!


Piano Practice Incentive

Progress in piano lessons starts and soars with consistent practice.  For this month I'm encouraging students to track their practice on the Strive for Five Post it Note. 

Add a sticker, star or tally marks to one heart for each day you practice.  At lessons, for each five star practice week, students can guess the # of candies in the candy jar of their choice. The closest guess wins the jar at the March group lesson. The first five students to cover all of their hearts also earn a bonus prize.

This Template for post it note printing makes it easier to print the Strive for Five tracking cards.  The free printable also includes a larger version if you prefer to print on standard paper or make a poster to display students progress in the studio.  

5 Piano Practice Strategies

  • Choose a specific piano practice card strategy for focused progress (Nibble a Note, Snail Dog Cheetah, 3 in a row, etc.) with each scale or song you practice. 
  • Break practice into smaller time chunks for more effective progress.  Set a timer for 5 minutes for each category or piece on your assignment sheet (Scales, Technique/Rote, Lesson Pieces, Creative/Fun).
  • The Science Behind Effective Practice video explains that effective practice is consistent & focused. Tackling problem spots is more productive than "washing the clean dishes."  Instead of playing every piece from start to finish, mark the trouble spots in your music and practice them in small sections first. Stretching yourself to tackle the hard things first allows you to improve more quickly.
  • Back Track by starting a new piece at the end and learn one measure at a time backwards.
  • Practice mentally by "ghost playing" scales or song or music map as much of your piece as you can on a paper away from the piano.

Related Posts:

Piano Practice Strategies and Pathways to Perfection

Fun Ways to Practice Smarter Not Harder

Powerful Playful Piano Practice Kits

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