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 Sneak Peek & Free Printable!

April 11, 2012 Jennifer Boster

2 Comments

Featured Posts, Uncategorized

Today I wanted to give you a little sneak peek into our Spectacular Spring! lesson plan…and give you a little portion of it for free! As part of our class, we have often used these fun Snack Mats to reinforce musical concepts…and to give the kids a chance to have a little snack and get a change of pace from other activities. We put these two pages back to back and slip them into sheet protectors. The children sit around the table with small snacks (fruit snacks, cereal, goldfish crackers, raisins, etc.) and we do ear training and other activities. The children can listen for high or low notes, for example, and place a snack on the high or low end of the piano or the grand staff. Our snack mat has a grand staff on one side, and a piano keyboard on the other. There is also a section for listening for fast/slow, soft/loud and short/long notes.

This is just one of the fun activities included in our Spectacular Spring! lesson plan. If you haven’t entered our giveaway yet, don’t forget to enter! Giveaway ends Monday, April 16.

Also available on the “Printables & Downloads” page!

New Printable: Piano Point Card

March 30, 2012 Jennifer Boster

2 Comments

Featured Posts, Uncategorized

I hope you all are having a wonderful evening! I have another free printable for you tonight…something super simple that has been a big hit in my studio.

I have often used some kind of practice incentive in my studio, the most effective (and simple) being some type of card where students can keep track of points earned for various activities. I used to give out points for things such as: reaching a weekly practice goal, passing off a piece, coming to lessons prepared, performing a piece, etc. Most recently, I decided to try out a fabulous idea that I read on Laura’s blog months ago.

Basically, I handed out a list of “Signs of a Good Student” at the beginning of the semester. I used many of Laura’s same items, and added or adapted others. Each week, students start out the lesson by choosing a “mystery card,” which has one of the signs of a good student on the back. During the lesson I watch to see if they did it, and if they did they get a point on their point card.

Students fill out the point card by placing a sticker on one of the keys. Once the keyboard is filled, they earn a prize. I have found this to be a great way to encourage good practice habits in my studio. I like that the card can take awhile to fill out (with students usually earning one point per week, and sometimes bonus points for various things), but also does not include too many spots for stickers that it is unattainable.

Download the point card here or on my “Printables & Downloads” page. Cut it in half and you’ve got two point cards. Enjoy!

What type of practice incentives do you use in your studio?

New Printable: Musical Easter Egg Hunt

March 29, 2012 Jennifer Boster

3 Comments

Featured Posts, Uncategorized

Today I’d like to share a fun new printable! This “Musical Easter Egg Hunt” is the perfect springtime flashcard game for your elementary-level piano students. It’s based off this version of the game that I threw together last year. I have just used it in private lessons with my young students, but it would also be great as a group activity. Hope you enjoy!

You may download the file here, or you can find it on the “Printables & Downloads” page.

New Printable: Beginning Muscle Builders Booklet

March 6, 2012 Jennifer Boster

8 Comments

Featured Posts, Uncategorized

Pin It

I am super excited about this new printable! Today I want to share with you my technique program for my young beginners.

One of the downfalls of many beginning method books is that students are often confined to learning only a few hand positions. They get really good at playing in C or G position, and then when trickier keys like E or B Major are introduced (finally), students are usually not as confident.

I like to get my beginning students playing in many different keys all over the keyboard as soon as possible. I want them to be familiar with how these different positions (which include sharps and flats) feel, and I want them to learn that just because there are flats or sharps, it doesn’t mean it is hard.

I also want my students to learn chords as soon as possible and be confident spelling and playing many different chords – this is an awesome help in learning practically all of their pieces, and also lends to opportunities to teach harmonization and other creative keyboard skills.

This little booklet guides young students through learning all of the white-key major five-finger positions, including scales, arpeggios and chords.

Each key consists of the following:

a colorful “picture scale” to show which keys to play and the names of the notes
reminders on good piano technique
various hands-alone practice directions for five-finger scales
instructions on how to play arpeggios and chords, including technique tips & a fun way to remember the difference between arpeggios and chords (you wouldn’t believe how many of my students mix the two up!)
a chord-spelling review to help students remember the notes in each chord

Each item has a little circle next to it that can either be filled in or checked off (or better yet, use a fun little sticker!) when the student has completed the assignment. I usually draw a circle around the printed circle of each assigned item for the week, and we pass it off with a sticker the following week.

The colorful circles on the picture scales are just the right size for a standard round sticker (these ones fit great and are super cute – a fun incentive for youngsters!) – and after the student has learned the scale, I love to put stickers on the three notes used in an arpeggio and chord. It is a great visual reminder!

I often add other assignments to the ones in the booklet, such as playing any of the scales or arpeggios in a technique you’d like to work on (staccato or legato, for example). I have also taught students about the damper pedal (by opening up the piano and showing them how it all works), and then we have fun playing our 4-octave arpeggios with the damper pedal for a fun and “fancy” sound. Some of my students tend to scoot on the bench a lot, so I also used this as a way to practice leaning to reach the high or low notes.

Another wonderful thing you can do once the student has learned a few of the keys is to have them practice some simple transposition. Take a song that can be played in a five-finger pattern from their method book (for instance, one that is written in C position) and have them transpose to any other key that they have learned! A great song for this is “Ode to Joy,” by the way!

I have been so pleased with the progress of my young students as they have worked their way through this booklet and learned so many different scales and chords. I hope you can get some good use out of it in your studio as well!

I like to print this in booklet format, which you will have to choose in the “Print” settings. Be sure to select the double-sided booklet option – then all you need to do is fold it all in half for a fun little technique booklet. You may download the booklet here, and you can also find it on my “Printables & Downloads” page. Enjoy!

Find Muscle Builder Book Level 2 here, and Muscle Builder Book Level 3 here!

New Printable: Student Notes & Records

March 5, 2012 Jennifer Boster

1 Comment

Featured Posts, Uncategorized

Let’s just get this out in the open: I am not a very organized person!

I have never been good at keeping track of student records. I have realized that I am very right-brained, and anyone who knows me well knows that organization (not to mention laundry…) is not one of my strong points! (Who’s with me?)

But when you run a piano studio, it’s not all about the music and the creative aspects of the piano…(darn)…you also actually need to run a business and keep track of things. Today I want to share my system I have finally come up with that works so well for me. Not only does this help me keep track of when students pay me and such, but has turned into a super simple and effective way to lesson plan!

I have learned that by doing at least a small amount of lesson planning for each lesson, lessons go smoother and are more effective, I stay more organized and on top of what my students are learning and what they need to learn next, and I save lots of time trying to remember what happened at a student’s previous lesson.

Here’s what I do:

I have a spreadsheet for my studio with a page for each student. I keep mine on the computer in Excel, but you could just as easily print it out and keep it in a binder (in fact I have included a free printable for you to use! You’re welcome.)

On this spreadsheet I keep track of:

Student name
Lesson day/time
How many lessons they have had so far during the semester
Which lessons they attended, or the dates of missed or cancelled lessons
Tuition paid (how much, when and which lessons they have paid for)
Lesson notes (this is my super simple lesson planning method. Each day after a student leaves or after I am done teaching for the evening, I sit down at the computer for about ten minutes and jot down notes from the lesson – what we went over, how they did on their practicing, things they struggled with, things they excelled at, things I want to remember, etc. This only takes a few minutes but is such an easy thing to refer back to the next week before they come to lessons again.)
Materials needed (Here I keep track of materials they need soon – new books, flashcards, etc. I also jot down things I want to print out for them or teaching materials needed the next week. I can glance quickly at this column and see what I need to prepare or order for each student for their next lesson.)

Here is an example of things I write on my student records sheet. I usually highlight the weeks they have already paid for. If I make a cancellation, or if they don’t show up to lessons, I note it in the Attended Lesson column so I know if I need to make up any lessons (when I cancelled) or if they forfeited one of their lessons for the semester (by being a no-show).

So here you go…a free printable for use in your studio if you, like me, have been on the search for a quick and easy way to keep track of things and to plan for lessons. You can also find this on the Printables & Downloads page.

Student Notes and Records

How do you lesson plan in your studio? How do you keep track of student records?

Pin It

Giant Floor Piano – the specifics!

April 25, 2011 Jennifer Boster

11 Comments

Featured Posts, Uncategorized

I have had so many nice emails and requests to know more about how I made my giant floor piano – so I thought I’d share a post on the specifics for any interested in having a similar one made (and I know that summer is swiftly approaching, and many readers are working on summer camp plans!). In fact, I have done all the work for you, if you want to easily order an exact one for your studio, read on!

My floor piano is a 3′ by 8′ vinyl banner. It is super sturdy (which is perfect, considering all the running and jumping-on it gets!) and I was so pleased with how it turned out.

I first designed my own piano keyboard graphic on the computer to use for the banner. If you would like, you may purchase and download my graphic and save yourself the time and energy! I was very pleased with how the graphic turned out on the finished product. Visit the Shop to purchase and download the graphic.

I then searched around for the best rates on vinyl banners. I came across the website www.bannersonthecheap.com, went ahead and designed my banner, then crossed my fingers while clicking “order,” hoping it was a legit, good company who would do a good job! I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of their product, and with the fast delivery time! The vinyl is very thick and sturdy and rolls up really nicely for storage.

The banner itself is 3 feet by 8 feet, which costs under $30 from Banners on the Cheap (shipping costs are also reasonable, and I have noticed they have even better deals from time to time). When you visit their website, near the bottom you want to select the “Have your own design?” option. Choose 3×8 and click “Start Now!” In the next window select “Upload an Image” and upload your own image or mine that you downloaded. Enlarge the graphic on the preview screen to fit the banner, then center it using the center tool. When you go to the order screen, make sure you un-check option #4 (because you don’t need grommets for hanging the banner). Add to cart and you are done! My banner arrived so quickly and I am super pleased with it.

I hope this helps some of you! I’d love to know if any of you use this in your summer camps and studios, and hear your brilliant, fun ideas on how to use it. Enjoy!

Now I am toying with the idea of a giant staff banner for learning notes… 🙂

Pin It

Introducing the Keyboard

November 2, 2010 Jennifer Boster

1 Comment

Uncategorized

I’d like to share a fun little game that helps introduce the keyboard to young students. I wanted to help my little students learn the layout of the keyboard – that there are groups of two black keys and groups of three black keys, and that these alternate. I also wanted to make it fun, rather than sit them down on the bench, explain how the keyboard is laid out, and then show them the keys (we don’t want to bore these kids!!).

So, I made a Giant Keyboard puzzle. Each piece contains either a group of two black keys or a group of three black keys. Students can sit on the floor and try to put the puzzle together the right way. I like to just sit on the floor with them and talk about the keyboard there as we do the puzzle. Later you can go to the piano and play the black keys. Once you put the puzzle together, there are so many ways you can use your new giant keyboard to teach new concepts (some of which I will share with you in upcoming posts)!

I love this because it is super simple to make and to use, and it gets young ones having fun while learning about the piano. You can also keep a copy for your studio and send home individual giant keyboards with each young student. I have included two different versions you can choose from – one with the black keys filled in, and one with them not filled in (for others like me who frequently run out of black ink and feel like doing some coloring! haha). I printed three copies for my giant keyboard (so I can make three octaves), but you can print however many you want. I cut out each piece, and then I mounted mine on colorful cardstock to make them a little more sturdy and fun. Laminating them would also be an excellent idea, so they will last longer! Enjoy!

(…and stay tuned for a fun giveaway coming up!)

Giant Keyboard Black Filled In

Giant Keyboard

Pin It

Teaching High and Low

October 14, 2010 Jennifer Boster

11 Comments

Uncategorized

I recently came up with a little game to teach the concept of high notes and low notes…it has been a success! Not only has it been great for teaching high vs. low on the keyboard, but has become a great tool for exploration and improvisation at the piano. I have used this with preschool-aged children (and even with my son who is not yet three). It would probably also be great for other beginners who are school-aged.

It is really very simple. You can play it at the piano or away from the piano (I have a little keyboard printed on the sheet to use if you are not at a piano). I put the sheet and a small envelope inside of a file folder for easy organization. Here’s a photo:

The child gets to reach in the envelope and pull out a little picture. It could be a picture of a fish, a star, a butterfly, a rocket, etc. We then talk about if the object is high or low – a fish would be LOW because it swims deep down in the ocean. An airplane would be HIGH because it flies high in the sky.

Then we play some notes to represent the picture! My son likes to put the picture on the left side of the piano if it is low, and on the right if it is high.

The fun of this game is the improvisation that naturally happens when you start to play what things “sound” like. For example, when a child pulls out a picture of raindrops, you can start up high (where the clouds are) and play short rain drop notes going all the way to the bottom of the piano! A rocket ship can start low, and then when it “blasts off” you can play a fast glissando all the way to the top! A swing goes up, then down, then up, then down. The possibilities are really endless.

I love this because it gets the child playing and exploring on the piano! My son and I love playing “train music.” One of us plays short, low “chugga chugga” notes and the other plays high, long “train whistle” notes.

Download High or Low Game for free!

What ways do you teach the concept of high and low notes to young beginners?

Repertoire Wish List

June 4, 2010 Jennifer Boster

3 Comments

Uncategorized

Just a fun item I wanted to share –

I put this page in my students’ binders. My hope is that as they are doing their listening assignments, or when they attend recitals or hear their peers perform, they will discover pieces that they love and would really like to learn! This is just a fun place where we can keep track of all our future repertoire…

Repertoire Wish List

What’s on your repertoire wish list??
…mine includes…Before Sleep and Dreams by Aaron Kernis, Spring Fairy, Summer Fairy, Autumn Fairy and Winter Fairy from Prokofiev’s Cinderella, Op. 97 (these are somewhat in progress), Daisies by Rachmaninoff…

Pin It