Our Sight-Reading Challenge of 2024 ended in October 2024. Then, it was Diwali celebrations, school examinations and Christmas. Some students practised and some began to make erratic practise their norm.
Fast-forward to January 2025, when we resumed lessons after an 11-day year-end piano lessons break. And almost every student came back with some level of growth. My young students – children and teens – came back with a fair amount of practise that is unusual post-holidays. And my adults came back with some practise, plus a realization that they needed to adapt their lifestyles and priorities if they wanted to stick with piano lessons, and a genuine will to make daily practise stick.
Read on to know what’s really making practise stick with my current batch of students and a policy change that’s brought in very high levels of student motivation.
The Sight-Reading Challenge of 2025 got one student going in December 2024
Our Pyjama Piano Party got some students on a practise roll
This was an online event and yes, you guessed it – the dress-code was pyjamas. Plus, a request to all parents and attendees to make this a special day with a sandwich or one-pot dinner.
Some students attended and some couldn’t make it – much like it is with our Online Monday Meet-Up’s. But that was fine!
Sight-Reading At Our Online Monday Meet-Up’s
We’ve had online Monday Meet-Up’s ever since the lockdown and they’ve really helped build community and support piano practise.
I’ve changed the content of these events since February 2025 so they now focus purely on sight-reading. These used to be optional group classes but the students who attend them are doing so well that I’m considering making them compulsory for children and teen students. This means that lessons will move to a twice weekly format – one solo lesson in-studio or online, plus one group online meet-up lesson each week.
Group Performance Classes
A January 2025 change – I introduced a Group Performance Class in place of the free solo lesson that students get in week 4 of the month. And it was wonderful!!!
Rhythm, Piano Performance & Singing. And with some – watching YouTube performances.
This really gave practise a boost in February. Community, the opportunity to perform and listen to music, and fun with rhythm and singing made a HUGE difference to student motivation.
A Policy Edit That Changed EVERYTHING
Every student has a TRIAL Piano Project that’s due the month before fees are accepted.
- A set of pieces with varied performance levels that help the student display learning.
- A minimum of 70% which means that they display a fair achievement in terms of musical skills for their level of playing.
- Flexible in-lesson assessments with a chance to be reassessed if necessary.
This policy change is introduced on a trial basis from January 2025 to June 2025. I communicated it to my piano parents in November 2024, so everyone was aware of it before we closed for the year-end holidays. I’ll see how it goes and will then consider making it permanent.
A couple of students decided they didn’t want to practise regularly and dropped out. And that was fine really, because it’s a waste of effort to attend lessons when erratic practise is the norm. This only works for student families who have no expectation of progress. In my experience, it’s quite unusual see this. And quite reasonable to expect that investment in piano lessons – both time and money – will bring learning and growth in music.
I think that this policy has made student families realize that piano lessons just don’t work without practise. So they’ve either got to get practising or be mature about it and take a break until they’re ready to commit to daily practise.
My current batch of students IS practising.
Other posts from The Piano Lesson Diaries here.
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