How to create a wonderful memory with piano lessons
A wonderful way to make piano lessons fun and exciting for your students and kids, especially beginners, is to assign audio and visual assignments to inspire and cultivate their creativity.
Thanks to technology and apps for laptops and smartphones, music videos are a great way to introduce students to the audio-visual world.
Here is the assignment:
Make a Music Video
My favorite submissions are when they create a music video of their holiday or family vacation.
First, the student will choose and record their favorite tunes that they have already learned.
When students choose a song (or 3) to use in their video project, they also quickly learn the value of polished pieces and important transitions. “Almost” or “close to” finished doesn’t cut it. They want their recording to sound great!
Instead of just mashing songs together for medley creations, (assignments that can be frustrating with key changes) they see the need for that seamless flow from one song to another during their slide show. This skill development adds to the project’s success from the get-go.
Next, they will put together the pictures and video with the music they’ve chosen and recorded.
One example…
One of my student’s family took a road-trip across America for most of the summer. Instead of practicing, they focused on the music they heard along the trip. At a friend’s home, my young student found a new favorite song and learned how to play it on the piano when they got home. That song became the highlight for his project. Their vacation video was longer than the one song, so he learned more songs and added them to the video.
Once his soundtrack was recorded, the video, pictures, and graphics were added.
Now they have their fun vacation videos and photos combined with their favorite music from their summer in a treasure they will appreciate more and more in the years to come.
If you’d like to view his video, I will be posting a snippet on my Instagram account on Saturday, October 9th. Go follow my account so you don’t miss it!
You may be asking, “How old was this kid? Was he a high school student?” Nope! This child isn’t even in middle school…he’s only 10-years-old, still in elementary school. Age doesn’t matter, only the desire and practice!
The real success is found when this young student realized that he has found a new way to use his talent for piano that brings joy to himself and his family. Plus, he’s also learning how he can use his audio and visual skills in the future.
Just like learning to play the piano through piano lessons, it takes practice to build this new skill. This assignment gives you a treasure that you will love! And who knows, maybe your student will find a new passion for making music videos!
Tips for Parents, Teachers, and Students
If you don’t already, go follow my Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more tips to maximize your child’s music lesson experience. Bookmark my blog for posts that can motivate your student and help them develop their potential. Don’t forget to check out my freebies as well.
Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
