MARCH MOTIVATION MADNESS FAMILY CHALLENGE
Motivation is something I get asked about a lot as a teacher. This March, I'm challenging my students - and their families - to take part in a series of activities to spark their collective motivation. And, anyone else who wants to take part as well! (Though the offered prizes will only apply to my students.)
Our goals: Create consistency through a daily action connected to music, that will make music a part of our daily routine. Give students and their families new ideas and perspectives about practice to support them at home. Create opportunities for joy and connection through enjoying music and media that features music together with our families and friends.
What it is: A 28-day motivation practice challenge that takes us right up to Spring Break.
Who: Students and their families, primarily the parent/caregiver who is the primary practice coach/music parent, although in homes where multiple adults/parents are present, I encourage all of them to listen to the podcasts/do the reading/etc.
What's involved: Daily, weekly, and monthly challenges
What's the prize? Here's where it gets complicated. Keep reading for more details!
|
GET STARTED: Download the Challenge Bracket (to the right) and print it out, then place it somewhere prominently in your home.
|
| ||
The Daily Challenge
Choose one or more of the following activities to do every day for 28 straight days. Pick something that you will be able to do even on your busiest day, when you are the most tired. If you have an idea that's not on the list, talk to your teacher about it in your lesson!
- Make 5 mindful bow holds
- Go from rest to playing position slowly and mindfully 3 times
- Do vibrato exercises for 5 minutes
- Listen to music that you are learning or will learn for 5 or more minutes
- Practice for a minimum of 15 minutes (lesson, group class, chamber, and orchestra rehearsals do not count)
- Read your notes from your previous violin lesson each day
Choose one or more of the following activities to do every day for 28 straight days. Pick something that you will be able to do even on your busiest day, when you are the most tired. If you have an idea that's not on the list, talk to your teacher about it in your lesson!
- Make 5 mindful bow holds
- Go from rest to playing position slowly and mindfully 3 times
- Do vibrato exercises for 5 minutes
- Listen to music that you are learning or will learn for 5 or more minutes
- Practice for a minimum of 15 minutes (lesson, group class, chamber, and orchestra rehearsals do not count)
- Read your notes from your previous violin lesson each day
|
Weekly Challenge #1: Podcast Practice Inspiration
Listen to one (or more!) of the following podcasts about music practice together and pick one idea to try in your own practicing. Time To Practice: Motivation & A Musical Environment Time To Practice: The Only Way To Get Better Is By Making Mistakes/how to use neuroscience to help you practice! The Bulletproof Musician: On Being Effective Parents to Musical Children Mind Over Finger: The Practice Session Weekly Challenge #3: Podcast Practice Inspiration Part 2
Listen to a podcast about music practice together and pick at least one idea to try in your own practicing. Time to Practice: Executive Function Skills & Music Practice Time to Practice: Encouragement for Teens The Bulletproof Musician: For Better Rhythm and Timing, Count With Your Body The Bulletproof Musician: Interview with Catherine Cho |
Weekly Challenge #2: Creative Capitalism
Part of what shapes our identities as people is the environment we're in and the clothing we wear. If in your budget, purchase one new item of clothing that helps your child celebrate their identity as a musician and violinist, and add a piece of decor or two to the place in the home where they practice. This could be as simple as decorating a notebook with some music-themed stickers, printing out a photo of your child looking happy with their violin and framing it, or perhaps purchasing a violin poster, or a poster of one of your favorite violinists, or a new tote bag to store your music books! There are great music products all over the internet, and I've also curated a selection of items on Etsy to help you get started. You also can't beat The Strad Shop when it comes to amazing quality posters of some of the world's oldest and most famous violins. I've also created some simple, minimalist music shirts over on Bonfire. Check them out here. Budget Decor Ideas: print a photo or two of your child with the violin and place around the house. Create a collage of your/your child's favorite musical artists to put in your practice area, or have your child create their own art about music to decorate with. Buy a generic brand notebook for practice and decorate with musical themed stickers. Social Media Side Quest: If you're a social media person, or have teens on social media, follow accounts that are inspirational and will feed your timeline with music and practice tips!
| ||
Weekly Challenge #4: Dreaming of the Future
This week's challenge is to make one musical plan for 2022 that you will look forward to eagerly! This could be committing to a summer camp, planning a visit to play some duets with a violin friend, or getting concert tickets for something you really want to see.
For this challenge, either make a commitment to attend a summer camp, commit to being practice buddies with someone throughout the spring/summer, or make plans to go to a concert!
As a teacher, I've noticed that one of the most inspirational and motivating things for students is to see other students play who are just a little more advanced. A middle schooler may be inspired by seeing a professional orchestra concert, but they will likely be the MOST motivated by seeing the orchestra at the high school they're attending in the next year. A very young child will be most motivated by seeing someone a year or two older, just a slightly ahead of them in the repertoire. For upperclassmen, go to a collegiate orchestra concert, or a professional concert. If you're limited in what you can go see because of the pandemic, look up videos from performances and watch at least 15 minutes worth. Please note, however, that for maximum inspiration and motivated, attending a live concert is the ideal scenario. Ask your teacher if you're not certain how to find a concert!
How to complete this challenge: put a date on your calendar for concert attendance, summer camp, or at least 3 musical playdates with a friend within the next six months. Purchase any tickets needed, or submit the application/registration form.
This week's challenge is to make one musical plan for 2022 that you will look forward to eagerly! This could be committing to a summer camp, planning a visit to play some duets with a violin friend, or getting concert tickets for something you really want to see.
For this challenge, either make a commitment to attend a summer camp, commit to being practice buddies with someone throughout the spring/summer, or make plans to go to a concert!
As a teacher, I've noticed that one of the most inspirational and motivating things for students is to see other students play who are just a little more advanced. A middle schooler may be inspired by seeing a professional orchestra concert, but they will likely be the MOST motivated by seeing the orchestra at the high school they're attending in the next year. A very young child will be most motivated by seeing someone a year or two older, just a slightly ahead of them in the repertoire. For upperclassmen, go to a collegiate orchestra concert, or a professional concert. If you're limited in what you can go see because of the pandemic, look up videos from performances and watch at least 15 minutes worth. Please note, however, that for maximum inspiration and motivated, attending a live concert is the ideal scenario. Ask your teacher if you're not certain how to find a concert!
How to complete this challenge: put a date on your calendar for concert attendance, summer camp, or at least 3 musical playdates with a friend within the next six months. Purchase any tickets needed, or submit the application/registration form.
The Monthly Challenges: Movie Night & Book Club
Movie Night:
WHOLE FAMILY: Schedule a family movie night! Select one of the following movies and sit down as a family to watch and enjoy. Included in our list is an animated children's movie featuring a magic violinist and a yeti, a family drama about a passionate teacher and a struggling violin program, and documentaries about Itzhak Perlman, the Silk Road Ensemble, violins that brought hope and survived the Holocaust, the first female conductor of a major American symphony orchestra, and an unsolved theft of a Stradivarius violin.
A YouTube playlist of trailers is available here to help you choose.
Abominable
Music of the Heart
Itzhak
The Music of Strangers
Violins of Hope
The Conductor
Stolen: The Unsolved Theft of a $3,000,000 Violin
Book Club:
PARENTS/PRACTICE COACHES: Select one book to read or listen to about practicing with your child and supporting them. If your child is an upperclassman (think sophomore year or older) who is practicing independently successfully, then pick one of the fiction or non-fiction books about music to read and perhaps share with them! Even if you have a younger child who mostly practices without you, learning more about the practice process and different strategies can give you important information to help support them.
Some Suggestions:
On practicing with middle and elementary school students:
Beyond the Music Lesson, by Christine Goodner
Helping Parents Practice, by Ed Sprunger
Kids Aren't Lazy, by Lauren Haley
Music Practice Makeover, by Christine Goodner (being released March 21!)
For advanced teens considering a career in music and their parents:
College Prep for Music Majors, by Annie Bosler, Don Greene, and Kathleen Tesar
Beyond Talent, by Angela Myers Beeching
The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green
Nonfiction:
This Is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin (about the science of music and the brain!)
Indivisible By Four, by Arnold Steinhardt (memoir about being in a professional string quartet)
Fiction:
The Violin Conspiracy, by Brandon Slocumb (new release, mystery/thriller)
STUDENTS: Pick one book about music, violinists, or that features musicians as main characters to read or listen to this month. Please note: if you are reading a longer book (100 pages or more), you do not have to finish the book by the time the challenge is over, but you do have to have started it!
Two favorites for middle-grade readers:
The Mozart Season, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
The Mystwick School of Magiccraft, by Jessica Khoury
For these and more, please see my lists on Bookshop and Amazon:
Book Recommendations (listed on Bookshop.org)
Book Recommendations (listed on Amazon.com)
Movie Night:
WHOLE FAMILY: Schedule a family movie night! Select one of the following movies and sit down as a family to watch and enjoy. Included in our list is an animated children's movie featuring a magic violinist and a yeti, a family drama about a passionate teacher and a struggling violin program, and documentaries about Itzhak Perlman, the Silk Road Ensemble, violins that brought hope and survived the Holocaust, the first female conductor of a major American symphony orchestra, and an unsolved theft of a Stradivarius violin.
A YouTube playlist of trailers is available here to help you choose.
Abominable
Music of the Heart
Itzhak
The Music of Strangers
Violins of Hope
The Conductor
Stolen: The Unsolved Theft of a $3,000,000 Violin
Book Club:
PARENTS/PRACTICE COACHES: Select one book to read or listen to about practicing with your child and supporting them. If your child is an upperclassman (think sophomore year or older) who is practicing independently successfully, then pick one of the fiction or non-fiction books about music to read and perhaps share with them! Even if you have a younger child who mostly practices without you, learning more about the practice process and different strategies can give you important information to help support them.
Some Suggestions:
On practicing with middle and elementary school students:
Beyond the Music Lesson, by Christine Goodner
Helping Parents Practice, by Ed Sprunger
Kids Aren't Lazy, by Lauren Haley
Music Practice Makeover, by Christine Goodner (being released March 21!)
For advanced teens considering a career in music and their parents:
College Prep for Music Majors, by Annie Bosler, Don Greene, and Kathleen Tesar
Beyond Talent, by Angela Myers Beeching
The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green
Nonfiction:
This Is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin (about the science of music and the brain!)
Indivisible By Four, by Arnold Steinhardt (memoir about being in a professional string quartet)
Fiction:
The Violin Conspiracy, by Brandon Slocumb (new release, mystery/thriller)
STUDENTS: Pick one book about music, violinists, or that features musicians as main characters to read or listen to this month. Please note: if you are reading a longer book (100 pages or more), you do not have to finish the book by the time the challenge is over, but you do have to have started it!
Two favorites for middle-grade readers:
The Mozart Season, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
The Mystwick School of Magiccraft, by Jessica Khoury
For these and more, please see my lists on Bookshop and Amazon:
Book Recommendations (listed on Bookshop.org)
Book Recommendations (listed on Amazon.com)
|
Let's talk about the prizes. With 20 different families in our studio and students ages 5 to 18, it's impossible to pick one single prize that will equally inspire everybody.
Part A: As a family, choose your OWN reward that you will grant yourselves for completing the challenge. (This is also crucial for families/students who will feel anxious about the 'group project' component of this challenge. Make sure you will be satisfied with your own reward even if not every family completes the challenge). Part B: Every family who completes the challenge will receive a special digital certificate! Part C: If more than 15 families complete the challenge, I will purchase a special penguin metronome to have in our studio and inspire us as we learn to play in time! (See picture at right) Part D: If EVERY family in our studio completes the challenge, I will plan a special outdoor studio party in June (either Sunday, June 5 or Saturday, June 11 in the late afternoon (4-6 pm) where we will play Disney and pop songs! |
|