How’s your 30 Piece Challenge and/or Sight-reading Challenge going? If you aren’t doing either this year, you’ve got plenty of time to start a “Holiday Sight-reading Challenge” (whose rewards won’t cost you a dime) or a truncated 30 piece starting in January (You could make it a 20 piece challenge until the end of the school term)!
What difference Does the 30 Piece Challenge and Sight-reading Challenge Make?
I’m loving both the sight-reading and 30 piece challenge because I’m seeing all kinds of differences in my students. These things include:
- Better sight-reading
- Faster progress
- Increased motivation
- Healthy competition
- And more (did I mention faster progress?)!
In fact, I have one wonderful student who has always struggled to make consistent and good progress who is making outstanding progress and is extremely motivated as a result of all the pieces she is learning. But I think it really says something when a student actually notices a difference! I asked one of my students the other day why she felt that she played a Nocturne in B minor from her lesson book so easily and beautifully and in such a short amount of time. Last year, this students really struggled with playing in key signatures and learning many pieces at all. She said,
“Well, it’s the sight-reading you’ve been having me do. Reading music with key signatures every day makes a big difference.”
Yep! That’s why I think these two challenges are a great idea! Let me know in the comments what kinds of differences you are seeing (if any).
I’m all ears.
How awesome!
The comments from teachers, parents and students from ‘down under’ has been very similar! Everyone has mentioned the improvement in sight reading, students have been turning up to lessons more prepared, children are enjoying playing the piano more and are playing more musically.
One parent even wrote in to say that because the student had been progressing so well, and working so hard on all the new pieces (in her 40 Piece Challenge) that they were upgrading from a keyboard to a piano!!!