Why should you plan to continue lessons during the summer?
Highlights from this episode:
Teacher’s Livelihood
Your teacher (if they consider teaching as a primary source of income) is depending on their piano teaching income, even during the summer. You wouldn’t want to go without a steady stream of income three months out of the year so don’t expect your piano teacher to go without the same.
Consistency for your Piano Kid
By avoiding a three month break your child will be able to maintain the musical concepts they learned during the school year.
It’s good for you, both mentally and physically.
As a parent, you know how difficult it is to remember how to use a piece of software if you’ve been away from it for an extended length of time. The same is true for your child with playing the piano and reading music.
Summer lessons allow your child to keep moving forward. If they try to work on a piece of music on their own, they might get stuck with a tricky rhythm pattern or finger strategy. Continuing lessons with your teacher throughout the summer will help them get past difficult passages more smoothly.
Summer lessons are an investment
When students don’t practice during the summer months, they often have to be retaught the same concepts when they return to lessons in the fall. This is a waste of both time and money.
By continuing lessons during the summer, even at a reduced schedule, you are helping your child to maintain the skills they have acquired. When the full piano schedule returns in the fall, they can pick up again right where they left off at the last summer lesson.
Summer piano lessons offer a change of pace
Because students aren’t usually bound by the normal school activities and homework, students have more time to devote to piano practice during the summer.
Even extracurricular piano activities are halted in the summer months. Students aren’t having to prepare for exams, piano auditions, recitals and other performances. This allows students to play music that often gets overlooked because of studying music specific to certain events.
If sight reading is a focus during the school year, perhaps improvisation, creativity and playing by ear can become the priority during the summer.
My studio works with a flexible summer schedule
Students purchase 180 minutes of summer instruction. This time can be broken down into six 30-minute lessons, four 45-minute lessons or three 60-minute lessons.
I only teach two days per week during the summer session. This allows me to spend more time with my own children and to travel with my family.
My husband and I were married July 9th so we always take a trip together the week of July 4-9. I never schedule lessons during that week. What a treasure it is to be able to arrange my schedule to fit my needs and the needs of my family!
Students who enroll in the summer are given priority scheduling for the fall semester.
The summer session is also a time when new students are able to do a trail run with piano lessons before they commit to a full school year.
Free Resource for summer music activities
Included in this free piano parent resource are three activities to help you keep your piano kid engaged in playing the piano during the summer break.
♫ Play favorite pieces
♫ Song Sundae
♫ Composer Facebook Page
Download your free summer resource by completing the form below.
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