Tips for Student Motivation
Practice Space is committed to getting music students to practice more and helping teachers create better lessons for their students, so we wanted to offer some simple tips on how to get your students practicing more. Check them out and give them a try!
Practice Streak Awards
Consistency goes such a long way. A student would be more prepared for a class if they practiced 20 minutes a day, over a couple of 70-minute sessions. Coupled with the fact that younger students respond really well to challenges makes a practice streak challenge super effective!
If they practice every day in a row for the number of days you designate, they complete the challenge!
Try a 30-Day, 50-Day, or 100-Day challenge with varying levels of rewards. For example, students could get a ribbon for 30 days, a medal for 50 days, and a trophy for 100 Days. Some students at a school we know using this award system have practiced every day for over 5 years!
Remember to make it fun, make it work for your budget, and also never lose sight of the goal: motivation. If someone misses a day because they are sick, make an exception, or if they are traveling, have them do a listening assignment.
Game-Based Repetition
Repetition is a necessary part of a successful practice session. This one can be tough to do if you are not able to have a parent involved for at least some of your student’s practice at home and is really only effective for students 12 and under. It’s also great to do this in the lessons!
Have the student roll a die (albeit virtually these days) and then do the assigned task that many times successfully to get a move in the game.
Tic-tac-toe or Connect Four are usually big winners. Before a student knows it, they have done the same, small section of a piece 20 times! You can ask a parent or guardian to sit-in on a student’s practice session for a few minutes to try this out too.
Of course, it’s important to make sure the students is focusing on their instrument when they are doing the repetitions, and not taking too much time to make a move during the game. This is why Chess is not a great option for this strategy!
Goal-Oriented Events
These can be opportunities organized by other organizations or by you.
For more advanced students adjudications offered by the Royal Conservatory of Music, ABRSM, or you state’s music educators organization can be fantastic. Competitions can also be great if everyone is approaching them with the right attitude.
At a minimum organizing a recital for your students a couple of times a year at a local venue should be an integral part of your studio! Online recitals or casual open-mics via Zoom are a super powerful motivator these days!
Practice Space
With Practice Space Teacher, teachers can create lessons with detailed notes and multi-media attachements while their students get a ton of in-app motivators to keep them practicing like practice streaks and more!