Fall 2024 Practice Calendars
I’ve been using practice calendars in my studio this last year. I’ve really liked how these practice calendars have helped both students and parents. It’s given me a way to know how much practice is happening at home during the week. Rather than the conversation that goes something like this….
Me: “Did you practice this week?”
Student: “Hmmm, yeah”
Me: “How many days were you able to practice?”
Student: “Umm.. well Monday I had soccer. And then Tuesday my brother had a swim meet. ummmm Wednesday we were really busy. I practiced on Thursday.”
Me: “What about Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Were you able to get some practice in on the weekend?”
Student: (also facial expression of confusion like why would one practice on the weekend.) Um we were really busy then too..
It was the same thing with slight variations. We wonder why they weren’t making progress! The practice calendar has been a visual tracker, communication tool, and an accountability tool. I can quickly see what their week looked like for practicing, flashcards and listening.
Have you tried to add a new habit to your life recently? It’s hard. Consistency is hard. It’s hard to remember what the week looked like. It can be really easy to push off what needs to be done thinking you have the rest of the week, and then the week is gone. The visual of this tool is helpful for parents and students! The great thing is, practicing has improved, students are progressing, parents are happy, and all of that makes me happy.
Practice Chart Code: Symbols
Note: Usually I have them trace the note and then color it in to make a quarter note. But you could easily have them create half notes or dotted half notes.
Lightening Bolt: If they have flashcards that they are working on, they color in the “flash” on the days they do their flashcards.
CD: For my Suzuki Violin students, they are supposed to be listening to their recordings every day. So the CD is to help me know if they are getting their listening time in.