Bring a Friend Week

This whole month we have been celebrating the 1st birthday of Bravo Music Academy in Denville. This week is Bring a Friend Week and for me it's a little extra special.

Growing up, I didn't take lessons at a music school for very long. My piano teachers were independent and taught out of their homes. I never had the opportunity to show my friends what I did during my piano lessons. Looking back on it now, that was probably a good thing. I was a shy kid and I probably wouldn't have done very well if any of my friends were with me during my lesson.

One of the things I love about running this academy is that I can do these things for my students!

So we're sharing the love this week.

While preparing for my lessons, I tried to think of all the options I could provide for my students' friends to keep them engaged during the lesson as well as having something special for my students.

I chose to follow the following basic lesson structure

Meet & Greet

I ask my students to discuss their relationship with their friend and why they chose to bring them for this special lesson. I then ask the friend to share about their relationship with my student and musical knowledge...i.e. do they play an instrument? do/did they take lessons?

Music Game

My game library is constantly growing thanks to PianoGameClub.com Every month I get 4 new games, so I'm not short of any options for this week! Most of the games I have set aside are basic rhythm games that can be played by anyone regardless of their musical knowledge.

Learn a New Skill

At this point both children are comfortable enough with me and the situation that they can take some instruction. We head over to the piano, I choose a skill (technique, note/rhythm reading, etc) that is relatively new to my student and practice it together. My favorite one has been play-doh pressing. If you don't know what that is, check out this video...it's so much fun and works!

Show & Tell

This is the part of the lesson where I let my students show off their hard earned skills to their friends. So far it's been a huge hit with everyone!


And that's it! A fun time has been had by all and I'm thinking we may do this again!

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Do you have anything like bring a friend week at your studio?