5. How Do I Motivate My Students to Practice?

5.1 Awards and Recognition

Many students, especially children, are motivated by rewards.  Stickers, new music, pens & pencils, or any musical gift item may be used.  It is best to have many low-cost items on hand for weekly recognition of time practiced.  More expensive items could be awarded at the annual spring recital.  The awards should always be age-appropriate.  For example:  Give a sticker book or lesson assignment book to a younger child (approximately age 10 & under) and give them stickers for their books each week for time practiced.  Older children and adults might need to collect points toward a larger gift, such as a movie ticket, CD, or even a concert ticket.  A special practice award could be given at the end of the year to the student who has practiced the most.  Be sure to verify the amount of time practiced with a paren'ts signature, when neccessary.

Encourage your students.  Compliment them when they're done something well.  We all need to hear words of encouragement periodically, especially when we're learning something new.  Every lesson should include something positive about the student, even if the only possible positive comments are not music-related!  When correcting a student, use the "spoonful of sugar" approach:  Give a compliment with every critique.

5.2 Music for Fun

Everyone loves to play music that they and their friends and family can recognize.  For each student, try to find at least one song at his/her level that he/she will enjoy playing.  Some teaching methods have books, correlated to their teaching levels, that include popular songs, movie music, classic themes, broadway songs, folk songs, Christmas carols and other familiar music.  Playing a song for fun develops musical skills as much as required repertoire, as long as it is at the right level.  Practice time will almost certainly increase.

5.3 Performance Opportunites

Recitals are excellent motivators because they set a deadline for learning and memorizing a new piece.  Plan for at least one, if not two, recitals per year.  The end-of-year recital is a good time to wrap up the school year and recognize your students' accomplishments.  Rent a facility, possibly a church or school, for a large recital.  A small recital could be held in someone's home or combined with another teacher to share expenses.  Consider having a Christmas recital in a nursing home.  This can be a fun time for students to play their favorite Christmas songs.  Regardless of the size of the group or the location, always plan to serve refreshments afterward.  This gives you an opportunity to visit socially with your students and their families.

Festivals provide additional opportunities for students to perform and be critiqued by a judge.  Music teacher organizations that hold festivals usually require teacher membership.  See Appendix for a list of music teacher organizations.