Most kids don’t love working hard but they do love games. Most kids really love winning prizes. I think it’s smart to end a lesson with something they love. Sneaky or not so sneaky, it’s a cool way to make them look forward to the lesson and hopefully try harder during the lesson too.
3 Fun Ways
- Flash Cards- Any type of musical flash cards work but my favorites are note names and rhythm. Soooo many games with flash cards.
- Ear training- This is the most enjoyable and most advanced “game”. I teach them to be able to hear and identify each of the 12 intervals with familiar tunes. They have no idea how beneficial this one is but they love it. One student I had could hear a difference between any 2 notes on the piano, no matter how far away from each other. Now he’s able to hear the difference between a minor 2nd and major 2nd.
- Knock Out Some Homework- Most of my students have 4 books worth of “homework”; 3 songs and 1 theory assignment. When we have extra time in the lesson, I sometimes give the option to pass one of the songs or get the theory out of the way during the lesson so they have less to think about over the week.
A lot can happen in a music lesson. The lesson experience depends on the mood of the teacher and student, the amount of preparation from the student, the student’s effort, the teacher’s patience, and much more.
End A Music Lesson On A Good Note!
I think it’s really important to end a lesson on a good note, no matter what happened, good or bad, within the lesson. Spending the last 10 minutes with a game or an opportunity to win a prize leaves the student with a good feeling overall and hopefully positive anticipation for the next lesson. Happy student, happy parent, happy teacher!
It is nice to now that you can look into getting help with homework. Having the ability to try some homework in the middle of a lesson is a useful tool. My sister might like knowing this as she looks into getting music lessons for her son.