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It’s August…and that means school is just around the corner! And that means, it’s time to go school shopping again!
As you are getting ready to welcome piano students back into your studio this fall, I want to remind you of some resources in my shop that can help you get organized!
I give a one-inch, white, three-ring binder to each student. In the front of the binder, I slip Piano-opoly into the plastic sleeve. We use Piano-opoly to track progress - anything from completing a scale exercise correctly, to completing a song, to finishing a theory page. When students reach a square that says “prize,” they get to choose something from my prize box! Some of their favorites include:
We keep track of their assignments on the Piano Tracker, where I write in detail what I want them to practice each week and students mark an X for each day of practice.
Students can see the progress they are making in technique and repertoire on their Piano Achievement page, which is aligned with the Royal Conservatory of Music levels. I use RCM’s technique requirements to guide students in a progressive study of scales and chords. I’m excited to announce that in addition to the achievement pages, I now offer corresponding technique pages for the first four levels (Prep A to Level 2) in my shop!
The technique pages make it easy for students to see exactly what they are to practice, with which fingering, in order to complete their technique requirements. If you already own the Piano Achievement pages, you’ll want to check these out!
I use colored tabs with labels to keep everything organized. I also keep my Studio Calendar and Studio Policy in plastic page protectors right after their Piano Tracker and before the tabs, for easy reference. Finally, I slip a Suggestions on How to Practice sheet in the back cover of the binder as a reminder for students.
You can watch a quick video of how everything is put together here.
The Piano Binders serve as a growing library of musical information for students as well as a place to house their assignments. The binders grow with the students and are a physical reminder of the hard work they put into practicing and music study, forming a portfolio of sorts that celebrates their achievements!
Many of the resources I mentioned above are free in my shop! Check them out!
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