How I Plan My Year as a Piano Teacher [Piano Recitals, Festivals, Events, Themes]

Studio Events = Student Engagement

As a piano teacher, I’ve learned that the single most powerful tool to keep students enrolled and engaged in piano lessons is…

Annual Events. Not just piano recitals–regular seasonal events.

Let me explain.

Every year, my students know that they are working towards specific goals.  They know way ahead of time what they’ll be preparing for, when the deadline is, and the reward they can expect if they work hard.

If your piano students just “spin” on an endless week-to-week practice schedule, they are likely to get bored.  

Introducing planned yearly events can be just the thing to get your piano students excited about practicing!

Keeping a Yearly Calendar of Events as a Piano Teacher

MyMusicStaff: The Planning Tool I Can’t Live Without

I like to credit myself as the brains of the operation, but the truth is I could never stay as organized as I am running my business and staying on top of studio events without the planning and calendar features on MyMusicStaff, the platform designed specifically for music studio owners.

If you haven’t yet checked out MyMusicStaff, I highly encourage you to hop on over to my in-depth review of this amazing tool for piano teachers.

MyMusicStaff’s calendar makes planning ahead easy. I can easily view upcoming events, invoice fees, see who’s attending, and contact participants with one click. Parents and students can keep up on calendar events as well which reduces the amount of emails I get.

MyMusicStaff offers a 30-day free trial of their services if you’d like to try it out!

More Than Just Piano Recitals

I have had nearly two decades to settle into a yearly routine.

I already know what’s happening and when a year in advance!

My advice to my younger piano teacher self (and to you) would be to establish some fun and motivating events earlier on in my piano teaching career.

It is my hope that be seeing my annual studio schedule, you will be inspired to personalize some of these ideas for your own piano students!

So let’s dive into each individual event I host throughout the year.

Piano Recitals

The most obvious annual event for piano teachers would be piano recitals.

Can You Get By Without Piano Recitals?

Now, piano recitals are a staple of my piano studio and are often mentioned in parent reviews for my studio!  I would never consider skipping a piano recital.  They are the “bread and butter” of my studio’s calendar.

But I remember being a new piano teacher and feeling overwhelmed with the idea of hosting my first piano recital.  I taught for years before working up the courage to plan that first holiday piano recital.  I’m so glad I did because I haven’t gone a year without a recital since then!

Holiday Piano Recital

Every year I host a holiday piano recital in December.  I usually settle on the third Sunday in December as our recital date.

I rent out the community room at a local arts non-profit.  The vibe is great with a gallery feel, hardwood floors, big windows, and a coffee shop.  Although I do pay a large sum to rent out the space for the afternoon, I charge each family a reasonable recital fee to help me cover the cost.

I group students into recital programs to keep each recital about 40-50 minutes in length.  This also ensures that all attendees can fit into the gallery space.  Each group consists of 10-15 students and I try to include a variety of ages and levels in each program.

I have each student prepare two pieces, one holiday-themed and one general selection.  I do not require memory at my recitals.

Every student, regardless of age, who has had at least one year of piano lessons is highly encouraged to participate in the recitals. 

In lieu of a reception, I prepare treat bags for any child in attendance and pass them out at the end.

Sometimes I put together a Powerpoint presentation to play between programs, or I ask a student or group to play music during the downtime.

Every year I choose a word of phrase as our holiday recital theme.  To keep things new and interesting each year, I rotate between asking the students to create art, write a short story, or share their thoughts on a pre-recorded video clip based on that year’s theme.

I do create programs as well.  These are a bit of work to make and print, but parents and grandparents really appreciate them, and students love to follow along to ease their nerves as they await their turn to perform.  In recent years, I’ve tried offering paperless programs (a Google doc accessible by QR code) but those have not been a huge hit yet…maybe in future years.

Spring Piano Recital

The spring recital takes place the third Sunday in May and runs very similarly to the holiday recital with one big exception.

I choose a theme for each year’s recital.  Each student selects two pieces that fit the theme.

I’d love to create a whole blog post about how I come up with my themes and how I make them into a spectacular recital experience parents and students are talking about for years to come.  Let me know in the comments if that is something you would be interested in.

Still Stressed at the Thought of a Piano Recital?

Check out this post where I go over exactly how I plan for my piano recitals, including a handy Stress-Free Piano Recital Checklist.

Music Festivals & Piano Competitions

The next big thing my students look forward to is the annual Federation Festival.  

“Federation,” as it is known, is an audition event run by the National Federation of Music Clubs.  Each state has their own chapter.

Students memorize two pieces (one off of a list) and perform them in January for a judge.  The judge writes comments and gives the student a score: 1 through 5.  

Students accumulate their points to receive a trophy every 15 points.

If the student receives a Superior rating at the regional festival in January, they are invited to participate at the state level in May.  They may receive a trophy, ribbon, or scholarship depending on how they do at the state festival.

Federation is a BIG DEAL in my piano studio!  We start picking out and preparing pieces in September.  Students have their pieces memorized by Christmas so we can polish and perfect in January.

When trophies are awarded, I present them at the spring recital which raises awareness and encourages participation in the festival.

Summer Piano Camps & Workshops

Every summer I like to offer some specialized classes during the daytime when students are off from school.

Composition Boot Camp

I offer a 5-day camp for piano students serious about learning how to compose music.

Students are with me for 5 hours a day for 5 days.

We work on three projects: reharmonizing a familiar melody, simplifying a pop arrangement, and the big project, a full-length original composition.

Not only do we talk about chord progressions, melody lines, phrasing, dynamics, and all of the other components of a great composition, students also get hands-on experience scoring their pieces in MuseScore.

They leave the camp with a professional-looking 4-page original score.  Students are proud.  Parents are pleased.  I’ve had great results with this type of camp.

Composition Classes

I also offer lighter classes for students of all ages who want to compose.

Students meet with me for an hour once a week for a few weeks.  We write either several very short compositions (younger kids) or one two-page bigger piece (later elementary kids).

I’ve developed a few different curriculums designed for these group class settings.

Kids also really love these classes and often enroll year after year.

Rhythm Classes

Sometimes I’ll offer a rhythm-focused workshop.  

This runs something like a drum circle with percussion instruments.  But we also review note and rest values, writing rhythms, and reading rhythms.

I’ve found that picking a theme, such as a popular kids movie, draws in more enrollment.

Guitar and Ukulele Classes

I play a little guitar and ukulele on the side, and I get requests for lessons occasionally.  Summer is a fun time to explore these instruments with any kids who are interested.  And it’s easy to organize activities and songs for these instruments in a group setting.

Crochet Workshops

I hesitate to include this, but, honestly, it’s one of my highest demand annual workshops.

I am a long-time crocheter, and one year I just felt inspired to offer this as a summer workshop.  It was such a big hit, I had two sold-out classes and requests for more!

Now I include a few workshops throughout the year in crocheting:

• I teach a basic stitch workshop.  Students go home with a few small sample squares and all the supplies they’ll need to keep practicing.
• I offer a project workshop.  In this workshop, students will need a little knowledge of the basic stitches.  We all create the same project together and they get to keep their creation as well as their supplies.  We’ve done Christmas ornaments, an owl, a turtle, etc.

If you have another talent or hobby, consider offering a workshop on the side!

In-Studio Piano Olympics

After Federation, this is the event I get the most student questions about:  When is it?  What will the prizes look like?  What team am I on?

It’s our annual Piano Olympics!

Students pick two individual events: one skill event and one theory event.

Each student is also assigned a team for the team challenge.

From June til August, students “train” in their events before taking a final test in August and receiving a score.

In August, I host a live awards ceremony which features performances by willing students as well as handing out gold, silver, and bronze medals to the winners.

If you would like to hear more about how to run a studio-wide Olympic event for your piano students, let me know in the comments and I can dedicate a post to that topic!

My Full Year Piano Studio Calendar

So here it is, my year’s schedule!  

Conclusion

I hope you feel inspired to add a fun event to your piano studio’s calendar!  Yes, events are a lot of work.  But they are a huge motivator for students.  And if it keeps kids into piano lessons, then it’s a huge win for YOU as a piano teacher.

So, let me know in the comments which event you’d like to learn more about.