Free Printable: Piano Lesson Contract

September 18, 2013 Jennifer Boster

As a piano teacher/business owner, it is imperative to have some sort of a studio policy and contract to help lay out and enforce your studio rules and practices. I have had one for years and am constantly updating it. (It definitely does evolve as you get more and more experience!)

I had a little “a-ha!” moment though at my son’s meet the teacher night at his elementary school. One of the forms they had us fill out was a little teacher-student-parent contract, outlining the responsibilities of each in helping the child make the most of the school year. It included things such as parents making sure their children get enough sleep so they are well-rested for school, students reading for 20 minutes each day, and so on. I realized that a similar contract would be so helpful for piano lessons.

Yes, a studio contract from a business standpoint is great and wonderful (we all do want to be paid and have a well-run business, after all); but how about a contract that is purely aimed to helping our students get the most out of piano lessons? This type of contract would help make the teacher stay accountable to do their best in helping each student; it would allow the parents to realize what kind of a commitment music lessons really are, and that they are needed and responsible for so much more than just paying the tuition; it would also allow students to see what being a good student entails, and it would be a great opportunity to sit down with a parent and the teacher and commit to doing their best.

I particularly think this type of contract is so needed in many studios because I have come to learn just how important parental involvement is in piano lessons. Educating parents of this fact is imperative! About a year ago I had a couple of students who were perfect reminders to me of just how important parental involvement is. Both students came to me as beginners:

Student A enjoyed piano lessons, but for whatever reason (the parents both had busy careers, that may have been a factor) she was left to practice on her own most of the time. The mom even commented to me once that she was so frustrated that Student A just would not practice on her own and wouldn’t unless mom would help. (The student was about six years old.) I wished that she would have been more supportive in her daughter’s daily practicing, because she had a strong piano background herself. Despite my efforts to make piano lessons a positive experience, Student A became disinterested and, sadly, discontinued lessons.

Student B (about the same age as Student A) did not have a piano in his home. His mom took him to his grandparents’ home every single day to practice. She sat down with him and practiced with him every day. They were always sure to read the assignment book together and practice each assignment very thoroughly and effectively. When Student B would struggle with a concept, the mom would always communicate to me what/where the problem was, and we were able to address it in the piano lesson and fix it. Student B progressed very quickly. He always had extended family around who would encourage him and listen to him play. At studio recitals he always had the most family in attendance who were all genuinely interested in and proud of his progress. Student B is still playing the piano and doing remarkably well (although sadly I am no longer his teacher!).

Parental involvement is key! We need to educate our students’ parents of this fact and encourage them to be a bigger part of their child’s musical education.

Now added to my Free Printables page is a Teacher-Student-Parent piano lesson contract. My hope is that this will be a helpful thing to go over with new students to help explain expectations, and a nice catalyst for some good discussions with parents about their responsibilities in conjunction with their child’s piano lessons. I have included three different versions with different clipart at the top. I hope you enjoy!

giveaway winner, and Summer Music Activity Jar freebie!

February 23, 2013 Jennifer Boster

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Teaching Tip Tuesday: Communicate with the Parents

March 13, 2012 Jennifer Boster

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Teaching the Individual, Part 5: Communication & Attitude

October 23, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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This week we are discussing ways that we can maintain standards of excellence in our studios, while at the same time adapting our teaching styles to help each individual student succeed. For this final segment, I’d like to talk about the importance of communication and attitude.

Communication

Just as it is important to communicate with a new student about goals and expectations, it is just as important to keep communicating with them all along the way. Communicate with the parents to keep them involved, for they play an important role. Discuss with the student how they are doing on their goals. I think if we can keep a good line of communication going, students will feel like they can tell us when they absolutely loathe a piece we chose for them. They will be more likely to communicate honestly about how they are feeling about lessons, if they are enjoying them or if there needs to be some changes.

In what ways do you keep a good line of communication going with either the student or the parent?

Attitude

A couple of weeks ago I heard an inspirational address given on teaching. While this was directed specifically toward teachers in a religious setting, the speaker said a couple of things that really resonated with me as a piano teacher. He quoted David McCullough, the great author and lecturer, who said, “What matters most in learning is attitude. The attitude of the teacher.”

I think that if we can approach teaching each individual student with a good attitude, no matter the student’s ability level, goals or personality, we can truly succeed in teaching them the joy of music. Even if they never perform on a big stage, or any stage at all, we can teach them the joy that comes through making music, and hopefully give them a great, positive experience with music lessons.

Poll Results & Making Piano a Priority

September 7, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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Thank you to all who participated in our poll – it is great to see the variety of ways that we teach rhythm to our students!

How do you teach beginning students to count rhythm?

Other Answers & Comments:
1: “ta-ta-half note”
2: “ta-ta-ta-ta or ti-ti”
3: “Gordon method”
4: “I start with the 1-1-1-2, but I move them to 1-2-3-4 as soon as I possibly can, based on when they ‘get it.'”

This week we would like to talk about The Over-Scheduled Student and Keeping Teenage Students Interested. Although two different topics, I think that these are very related to one another in that they both fall into the category of Making Piano a Priority in a student’s life.

How can teach effectively to help make piano an important part of our students’ lives? Are piano lessons fun, exciting and engaging? Are our students progressing enough to keep them loving it? How can we communicate to our students and their parents the importance of consistent practice? What can we do to keep an open line of communication going with the parents to help encourage practice and continued piano study?

I just read a great post on this subject on the “Music for Tots” blog. One thing I loved about this post was that the author talked about weighing the importance of music study as a family and then prioritizing accordingly. So what does that mean to me as a piano teacher? To me it illustrates the importance of educating parents about the importance of music in their child’s life and about the importance of effective and consistent practice. It reminds me of my important role in making lessons a positive part in my students’ lives, in discovering each student’s unique strengths and abilities and in teaching each student in such a way as to help them learn and progress.

Thoughts? Comments? 🙂

p.s. Don’t forget to take our new poll!

The Power of Parents

May 31, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Just got back from a quick road trip with my family…twenty hours of driving in two days (with a toddler!)…and it’s good to be home 🙂 I’ve been thinking a lot about this week’s topic of Practicing & Motivation, and about a wonderful comment that was left on my last post. The comment mentioned the importance of parental participation in practicing, especially when the student is young. I couldn’t agree more!

I have found that students with super supportive parents who regularly attend lessons and help with daily practicing are much more likely to succeed in piano. If only all parents were like this! Well they can be – if you require it in your studio! I have never officially required parental attendance and help with practicing, but have always strongly recommended it. I actually may add it into my policy as a requirement for parents of younger students (ages 5-7 or so), because it really makes a world of difference. My mom always practiced with us when we were starting out with piano lessons, and I do believe it made a big difference. If nothing else, it helped me to feel that my parents supported me and expected me to work hard. I attribute much of my own success to my parents’ wonderful support.

Some ways parents can be involved and show support:

Attending lessons of young students
Sitting down and practicing with young students
Helping students make (and stick to) a consistent practicing schedule
Sitting down and listening to children play their pieces (my Dad has always been amazing at this – he LOVES laying down on the couch at the end of the day and listening to his children play the piano – what a great message to send to your children, that you really do love hearing them play beautiful music!)
Giving compliments and words of encouragement

In what ways do you encourage parents to help support their children in their piano study? Do you require parents to help children practice? To attend lessons?