Last year in my studio, I divided my students into four teams - Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow - and assigned points to various activities. Over 10 weeks, I tallied their points at their lessons and watched the motivation spark. Here's the point system:
1 day of practice = 1 point
Reading a music book = 5 points
Completing all bowings for one scale = 10 points
Completing a certain number of etudes = 10 points
Attending a concert which included a live violinist = 10 points
It was wonderful to watch students push themselves to practice more because they knew their points would help their team, to take on extra scales and etudes in order to earn points, to explore the music books for children at their local libraries, and to take part in the rich musical scene in our area.
Side note: because I know that there are Harry Potter fans in my studio, I'm SHOCKED that not a single person caught onto the fact that this was inspired by the Hogwarts point system.
The prizes for the challenge winners were as follows: They would have all of their winter break off of practicing scales. They would get to choose a non-curricular song to learn on their violins - possibly for the next recital. AND, I would write a blog post about how wonderful they are.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you...THE GREEN TEAM. The Green Team simply dominated this challenge. They were the leaders in points most weeks. They were the most consistent practicers as a team. And they all contributed.
Daniel was an incredibly consistent practicer. He turned in several 7-day practice weeks and remembered to turn in his practice chart each and every week. He completed two scales, and consistently kept the Green Team going.
Ethan eats scales for breakfast. In the 10-week challenge, he completed SEVEN scales, more than anyone else in the competition by far.
Melody was tied for practicing the most days in the entire challenge - 68 days out of 70 possible. She also read several books for extra points.
Abigail took this challenge to heart. I saw dramatic improvement in the consistency of her practicing from the day the challenge was announced. She and her family attended concerts and she also read several books.
Chiara was the youngest member of this team, at five years old, but she also practiced a consistent 5 or 6 days each and every week and also read a book nearly every week as well.
So there you have it - the Green Team's recipe for success: consistent, focused practice; lots of scales; and lots of books.
Daniel, Ethan, Melody, Abigail, and Chiara - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
1 day of practice = 1 point
Reading a music book = 5 points
Completing all bowings for one scale = 10 points
Completing a certain number of etudes = 10 points
Attending a concert which included a live violinist = 10 points
It was wonderful to watch students push themselves to practice more because they knew their points would help their team, to take on extra scales and etudes in order to earn points, to explore the music books for children at their local libraries, and to take part in the rich musical scene in our area.
Side note: because I know that there are Harry Potter fans in my studio, I'm SHOCKED that not a single person caught onto the fact that this was inspired by the Hogwarts point system.
The prizes for the challenge winners were as follows: They would have all of their winter break off of practicing scales. They would get to choose a non-curricular song to learn on their violins - possibly for the next recital. AND, I would write a blog post about how wonderful they are.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you...THE GREEN TEAM. The Green Team simply dominated this challenge. They were the leaders in points most weeks. They were the most consistent practicers as a team. And they all contributed.
Daniel was an incredibly consistent practicer. He turned in several 7-day practice weeks and remembered to turn in his practice chart each and every week. He completed two scales, and consistently kept the Green Team going.
Ethan eats scales for breakfast. In the 10-week challenge, he completed SEVEN scales, more than anyone else in the competition by far.
Melody was tied for practicing the most days in the entire challenge - 68 days out of 70 possible. She also read several books for extra points.
Abigail took this challenge to heart. I saw dramatic improvement in the consistency of her practicing from the day the challenge was announced. She and her family attended concerts and she also read several books.
Chiara was the youngest member of this team, at five years old, but she also practiced a consistent 5 or 6 days each and every week and also read a book nearly every week as well.
So there you have it - the Green Team's recipe for success: consistent, focused practice; lots of scales; and lots of books.
Daniel, Ethan, Melody, Abigail, and Chiara - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
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