Keeping Our Students Engaged During a Pandemic

As children, families, and teachers are all adapting to the new realities of this pandemic, we can probably all admit to our share of challenging, teary moments. On the bright side, private music lessons are one of the few activities that have not been cancelled, making this time even more important to resemble normalcy in a time that is anything but normal.

Without face-to-face contact, group classes, high fives, and all the other magical moments that keep our students engaged, we may need to supplement our typical teaching strategies. Each student requires a different strategy depending on age, level and personality. Here are some ideas I have tried out the past week.

• Duets

  • For my older students, I have assigned challenging duets. This reminds us all that the pandemic will, eventually, end and give us something to look forward to. Additionally, duets are great reading work before we move onto rehearsals where the skills of listening and collaboration are really explored.

• Practice Challenge

  • Last week, I introduced an Easter Challenge (Austria observes this entire week as a national holiday and schools are closed for 1.5 weeks). In this challenge, students may accrue various points for tasks like a review practice, mini practice, full practice, home performance, great attitude and so forth. Points lead to different levels of prizes. In our studio, the prizes include a succulent plant, cookies and ice cream party shared with the entire group class (that is our ‘grand prize’).

• Improv

  • As students are spending record time at home, it might be nice to offer improvisation assignments to break up the regular practice flow. Moreover, it may be beneficial for students to practice improv separately from their formal practice time as it activates a very different skill set in the brain.

  • For pianists, I love pentatonic scale improvs, where students improv using only the black notes, one note at a time. Check out Forrest Kinney’s book series with hundreds of absolutely delightful improv ideas.

• Composition Assignment

  • Yet another way to keep students engaged in world of music is by assigning compositions. Try starting by something very simple, such as an 8 bar composition using only quarter notes and C, D, E, F, G.

• Home Performance

  • In my program, we end every group class with a performance. Since we are not meeting for group class right now, I have encouraged all students to give their families a beautiful home recital. This may even involve making programs, invitations, a bow, beautiful rest and ready positions, playing 1 or 2 polished pieces, bowing and smiling.

• Rhythm Practice

  • Rhythm practice using our very own Rhythm Keeper is especially useful during a quarantine because it does not need to be done at the instrument. Jazz up exercises by adding the metronome, animal sounds, foot taps (on beat one for instance) or play on a drum!

I hope some of these ideas are helpful to sustaining interest in music during these wild times. Remember not to overload students with additional assignments — one or two a week should suffice.

Stay healthy and wishing you all well.
-Samantha