Long-Term Practice Challenge Ideas

I recently came across a quote that read: “If it doesn’t
challenge you, it doesn’t change you,” by Fred DeVito.
In teaching music, this is sort of double-edged sword.
On the one hand, we practice to make it easier, and when it’s
easy, then we can enjoy what we are doing. And of course,
students love to play pieces that are easy! But, “the practice”
is difficult and we know that the changes we aim for will
only occur after we put in the time, the work, the thinking,
the dedication, and the willingness to make the change.
So how do we teachers help these changes along? How

can we help motivate our students with the necessary con-
sistency that is required to make these changes which will

lead to progress on the instrument? One thing we can do is
provide the opportunity to accomplish long term practice
goals. Goals give our practice time purpose and vision for
the future. Goals can help eliminate the “practice because
I told you so” syndrome and help bring ownership to the
instrument and the learning process. They can also be the
success that breeds more success.
In my studio, I create a practice challenge each semester
so that everyone is working toward long term goals. I’d like
to share with you some of the practice challenges I’ve created
to help my students grow over many weeks of practice. Not
all the following ideas are mine, and I’ve given credit where
credit is due and noted if I’ve adapted the ideas from what
I witnessed originally. Some require a little investment of
time and some spare change, but if you are looking for some
new ideas please read on:

1. The 100 Day Practice Challenge: An oldie but goody! I
   have many different charts that are numbered 1–100 in some
   form or fashion—a violin shaped chart, a chart with 100 stars,
   a plain grid, Wall-E numbered 1–100, and even a chart with
   color-in fruit. It’s nice to have a variety of charts for students
   to choose from. They can also choose to color in the squares/
   boxes/icons or maybe get some special stickers. This chart
   can be started simultaneously within a studio or catered to
   each student when the time is right. It’s nice to have some
   sort of celebration following the completion of the chart.
2. Themed Practice Challenge: This is similar to the 100
   Day Challenge chart but you would cater to the number of
   days in your semester. A theme is always nice too such as

“Spring Forward Practice Challenge” or for winter break
“Frosty the Snowman Challenge” (each day leads Frosty to
track down his scarf) (see Picture 1).

3. Picture Perfect Posture Points Challenge: For this chal-
   lenge I bought a Polaroid camera and took a picture of

each of my students at the beginning of semester and hung
them on the wall. With each student, we decided on which
posture point they would focus on improving throughout
the semester and each lesson we would bring attention to
this point. Then, at the end of the semester, we took another
picture and evaluated if we saw improvement. The students
got to keep the pictures!

4. The Game Board (idea attributed to April Losey): This
   challenge needs a few materials including a metallic board,
   several magnets big enough to write a student name on each,
   and some colored tape (electrical tape worked well). On the
   board I created a pathway marked by two- or three-inch
   squares (think of Candyland). The students would all start
   at the “START” and then each lesson they would move their
   magnet forward the number of squares that corresponded
   to the number of practice days during the past week. The
   students who crossed the “FINISH” got some sort of reward
   and then got to go again if time allowed in the semester. You
   could also add some “way-points” in this game, so when the
   student reaches 10 days, for example, they get to the pick the
   order of the lesson that day.
5. The Punch Card: Similar to those that you get at a coffee
   shop, I made some “punch cards” on my computer (you
   can also purchase some in educational supply stores) so

that there were 14 possible punches on each card. Each les-
son, we would punch the number of days that the student

practiced the previous week and once the card was filled
up, it was entered into a prize drawing (with other students’
fully punched cards). Any student who had __ number of
punches (predetermined at the beginning of the semester)
was invited to a hot chocolate party.

6. Task or Time Punch Cards: This one is similar to the
   Punch Card idea above but with a twist. This idea followed
   the punch card challenge in my studio, so students were already accustomed to “the punching of the card.” The twist was that the student and myself were to decide if their practice in the upcoming week would be Task Focused (e.g. telling pinky to be curved on the bow) or Time Focused (e.g. playing a practice spot 10 times each day or using a timer to practice vibrato exercises for two minutes). Each task/time card was a different color, and the other change from punch card was that each task/time card was only seven punches and a new card was started each week. For this challenge, any card with six or seven punches was entered in a final prize drawing and if the number of punches for the entire semester was then the student was invited to a nice cream party. (see Picture 2)
7. Listening Like a Maniac (idea at-
   tributed to Michelle Horner): Michelle iterated this challenge in a Parents as Parents Online video and I used it one semester. Basically, you make a playlist of the student’s current piece and the next two pieces. Each piece is repeated (and listened to) 10 times each day. If that happens, the student “ticks the box” or puts the date on the listening chart they are given when the challenge begins. Prizes or incentives can be offered for chart completion at the end of the semester. Of course, we know the ultimate “prize” is ease in learning the Suzuki repertoire!
8. Practice Chain Challenge: For each
   day the student practices, a piece of
   paper (about eight inches long and
   two inches wide) is added to another
   to create a paper chain. For an added
   bonus, you can have the student write
   on one of the pieces of paper what
   they thought they accomplished in the
   previous week’s practice. Each student
   could work on their own paper chainat home and then bring them to deco-rate the recital space at the end of thesemester or a teacher could compilethem into one long studio paper chainin his/her teaching space.
9. Kite Tails (this idea attributed to
   Kirsten Marshall and her 4DX talk at
   the Atlanta Suzuki Institute): I think
   I changed Kirsten’s idea a bit on this
   one, but the basic idea was that I wrote
   each student’s name on a single piece
   of paper and hung them up at the
   ceiling level in my studio. We also
   came up with a goal that the student
   wanted to focus on for that semester
   (such as getting a bumpy thumb on the
   bow hold). Each week we would have
   a new idea to help reach said goal and
   we would write this idea on a piece of
   piece and hang it under their name. At
   the end of the semester, we had a list
   of ideas on the wall that represented
   numerous ways of addressing one
   aspect of their playing.
10. Tools for 10: This next idea is my
    newest to be used. It is our program’s
    10th year, so I was challenged to come up
    with something related to the number. So here it is: I bought a chart with
    little squares on it (the kind you see at
    the educational stores) and a place to
    write the student’s name. Each square
    equals one day of practice and when
    the student gets to 10 days, they get
    a new “tool” to use for their practice
    time until they reach the next ten days.
    I tried to purchase “tools” that were
    relatively inexpensive or home-made
    and that could be used by every age of
    student. Each tool will be used in the
    manner that we choose or see fit for a
    particular student and the practicing
    that they are assigned. The tools are “leveled” (so the higher the level the “cooler” the tool—I hope!) and areas follows: pencils, erasers, stickers ,paper/laminated targets, egg shakers made from dry beans and plastic Easter eggs, dice, one minute sand timer, and a sweet treat with multiple pieces such as Starbursts or Jolly Ranchers). I hope this gives parents and teachers some ideas on creating long-term momentum in their studios. Also, aside note that any incentive that I give out are meant to be useful for music learning (big squishy dice or a free lesson) or time for fun and socializing(an ice cream party). It’s nice when these challenges are done studio-wideso that students can see each other’s progress. In the end, we are trying to create consistency in practice time and build habits with our students. Good luck!