Best Laid Plans at Christmastime

What a wonderful time of year! As I've mentioned during previous holiday seasons, I think piano lessons and Christmas go together like peanut butter and jelly. I love organizing content that my students can enjoy every year, and this year was no exception.

While we did get to some of the fun holiday-themed activities, and every student learned a Christmas song or two, the plans I was most excited for were thwarted, (including cute pics of students playing Christmas-themed games - my favorite!) My husband tested positive for COVID-19, and we were immediately put on quarantine. That was Monday afternoon of this week, and next week is Christmas.

Really though, we're very lucky. My hubby and I are in good shape, he's handling the virus just fine, and after the new year I will see my students again. 

​To share the happier things - I have got to show you guys these beautiful books I had planned to gift my students with this week. Created by Jennifer Boster from The Playful Piano, the Shades of Sound Christmas book is a beautiful and festive way to enjoy the best parts of the season by listening to Classical Christmas Music and coloring a picture that is themed with each song! I was able to get a steal of a deal on printing these at my local print shop, and they turned out beautifully! Now they'll be getting a Christmas-themed book...in January. Really wishing I had purchased the New Years' themed ones instead now... ah well. The best laid plans and all that.
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Moving forward and trying not to think about the holiday fun that we missed, I also started a new incentive program for my students this quarter that has been a huge hit so far. (And apparently this is my piano quarter featuring Jennifer Boster because she was the creator of this next thing as well!) 

This quarter, each student is on a treasure hunt! Each week, if they made their practice goals then they get to progress to the next location on the treasure map up in my studio. They also get a couple of coins from a treasure chest and get to choose a prize! At the end of the quarter, if they have made it to the red 'X' on the treasure map, they get to have one whole piano lesson filled with only piano games! I'll be lesson planning a lot to make sure that each student will be choosing from games that are appropriate for their particular needs. So far, the kids are having a lot of fun with the map and the coins, and their consistency with practice has gone up considerably! It's an all-around "win!" for everyone! Ok, I'm sure that's about enough exclamation points to convey my excitement in one paragraph:)
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With a great incentive program in place and a lot of hope for 2021, here's to the new year and new beginnings!

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