The "Points for Practice" Program

We want to encourage fun, beneficial work habits and progress.   Regular practice ensures students are as prepared for their lessons as we are. 

Each week we give out assignments with the hope that students will read and follow them within the context of at least 5 day/week practice routine.

​This can seem difficult with everything that is going on, so to help motivate students and get parents more involved, we are instituting what we call "Points for Practice."
The "Points for Practice" system:
  • Each student has an online practice log that can be accessed through our website and will need to be updated weekly ONLINE - PLEASE DO NOT PRINT THEM OUT.
  • Students will receive 1 point for each day of practice.  
  • To encourage progress, for every 20 points earned students will be able to choose a small reward from the prize basket. 
  • Students can choose to save their points to put toward a larger reward, like at an arcade.
  • Beginning at higher point ranges (65, 130, 195 and 250), students may cash in/save their points for something they find interesting in the “Points for Practice Catalog".
  • Once students choose to cash in their points toward a larger reward, they will then begin again from "0" or whatever remaining points-balance they have.

Earning points:
  • Students can earn no more than 1 point per day of practice - there is no trying to make up for missed days by practicing 3 or 4 times in one day.  That would be 3 or 4 practice sessions in 1 day.
  • Students' assignments are meant to structure their practice time. To earn a full point, the student must ensure that each time they practice they are following the directions in their assignment and completing it.
  • LESSONS DO NOT COUNT AS PRACTICE SESSIONS - daily practice prepares a student for their weekly lesson.

Parents' role:
  • Parents will need to establish a routine, help students stick to it, and guarantee that the work necessary to earn a point for the day has been completed.
  • Parents also need to ensure the practice log is being maintained.

To help clarify for parents/students - practice is not:
  • playing something through once or twice for 2 minutes, or even over and over again 100x for an hour: this is where students will need to follow their assignment directions (amount of repetitions, slow practice, metronome practice, counting out loud, hands separate practice, specific directions for how to work on something, etc.)
  • picking and choosing what to do each day: the entire assignment should be worked through each day; it is our attempt to structure/guide the student's practice session in our absence and remind them of what we worked on and what they need to focus on.
  • spending a set amount of time at the piano each day until the timer runs out: we can suggest an amount of time that it may take for a student to work through everything, but the most important thing is that all the work is completed; it may take more or less time/vary by day depending on where a student is in the learning process.