Scratch-off Music Practice Charts for Summer Success

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You go through all the work of helping your students develop a solid practice routine only to have it all fall apart during the summer.

Even worse, they come back to piano lessons after a long break seeming to have forgotten everything you taught them – the dreaded “summer slide”.

If we want our students to practice during a break from their weekly lessons, it’s going to take some serious persuasion.

With their prize ticket-like appeal, these scratch-off music practice charts might just be the magic needed to inspire your students to keep up with their routine through the break.

Going on a ‘Colourful Quest’

Colourful Quest encourages students to work on 3 pieces of music which you select and label with a green, purple, and pink tab or sticker before students leave for summer break.

Learning Objective

• Theory Concepts Covered: Practice
• Student Level: Beginner
• Activity type: Practice aid
• Number of students: 1 student
• Seasonal: Not seasonal

How to Use

• This can be used during regular lessons or as a special practice mission over a studio break.
• Put a pink tab/sticker on one piece in your student’s book, a green on another piece and a purple on a third.
• Give the sheet to your student and make sure they understand how to scratch off each day and follow the instructions.

Practice Prompts

For each piece, there are practice prompts for students to follow.

Green Piece

• Play your piece 3 times from start to finish: Slow, medium, and then fast.
• Play the last bar, then the last 2 bars, then the last 3 bars, and so on until you reach the beginning.
• Circle any repeating parts in the piece using the same colour. Play.
• Sing your piece while pointing to the music on the page. Then play the piece while singing along using the word “green” for every note.
• Play the piece 2 times: Softly then loudly.

Purple Piece

• Play your piece 3 times from start to finish: Slow, medium, and then fast.
• Play the last bar, then the last 2 bars, then the last 3 bars, and so on until you reach the beginning.
• Circle any repeating parts in the piece using the same colour. Play.
• Sing your piece while pointing to the music on the page. Then play the piece while singing along using the word “green” for every note.
• Play the piece 2 times: Softly then loudly.

Pink Piece

• Play the piece 4 times.
• Sing your piece while pointing to the music on the page. Then play the piece while singing along using the word “pink.”

All Pieces

• Play all 3 pieces.

Psst…for more tips on all-things-piano-practice, check out my Teaching Piano Practice page.

Vibrant Music Teaching members can download the Memorisation Mission here or the Colourful Quest here.

Assembly

• Print as many copies as needed of the Colourful Quest sheet (page 2).
• Laminate or cover with clear plastic.
• Mix 2 parts acrylic paint (any colour, but I suggest gold or silver) with 1 part washing up liquid (AKA washing up detergent or dish soap). It doesn’t have to be too exact!
• Paint over the instruction boxes with the paint mixture, leaving the little number borders visible. You may need a few coats depending on the quality of the paint you use.
• Let them dry, and your music practice charts are ready to be scratched off!

How do you motivate students to practice during summer breaks?

Do you have music practice charts like this, or have you found some other clever trick that appeals to students? Share your piano practice motivation tips in the comments below or on the Vibrant Music Studio Teachers group on Facebook.