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May 2019 Practice Challenge!

Tuesday, April 30, 2019 by Rylin Erickson | Uncategorized

Hi Students! Read on for all the details on our May Practice Challenge!

WHO: all students who are enrolled in Uncaged Musicians classes for both spring and summer sessions

WHAT: it's a little different from last year so please read all the words. ;-) In the Practice Log page of your student portal, post an entry every time you:
1) practice
2) listen to your recordings
3) watch a practice video associated with one of your assigned pieces
4) send me a video of you practicing
(yes, even though you will be sending this to me via text/email/WhatsApp, please still remember to log it in your portal so it counts!)

WHEN: May 1st through May 31st, 2019

WHERE: your car, grandma's house, a tent in the woods, an airplane, the comfort of your own home... Anywhere you find yourself this month!

WHY: many reasons! Preparation for the concert May 4th; maximizing the post-concert enthusiasm boost; establishing/maintaining a solid practice, listening, and video watching routine; preparation for summer classes; fluency with navigating the student portal; a window for me into your setup at home; and a chance to receive feedback during the break between sessions, to name some of the more tangible. Also, the arguably more important long-term benefits: a marked increase in joy, skills maintenance, and self confidence resulting from this careful attention to practice over time.

HOW: go to the "Practice Log" page in your student portal, click "+ Add Time," and enter both the duration and what specifically was practiced, listened to, or watched. Please let me know if you have any questions! *Logging is the responsibility of the parent/student; while you will still receive all of the benefits listed above if you participate without logging, prizes will only be offered to those who have logged their results.

PRIZES? Yes! As you are all probably aware, intrinsic motivation is more effective for student learning than extrinsic, which is why I do not tend to offer much in the way of prizes/rewards/trophies/etc. throughout the year. For this reason, the bar is intentionally low for student prizes: all students will receive a small participation prize if they log at least one practice, one listening, one current piece video watching, and send one video of practicing at home. Additionally, because practice routines for kids are typically formed as a result of adult involvement and because students who practice are more rewarding to teach, like last year I will be offering tuition discounts for Fall 2019 to all who complete the full challenge: 20+ practice sessions, 10+ listening sessions, 5+ assigned YouTube videos watched, and 3+ practice videos sent.