summer photos/life skills boot camp/baptism

Dear Summer 2015…where did you go?!  Oh, how we enjoyed you, but I’m not exactly sure we survived you with flying colors!  We did our best.  

Four kids at home 24/7 was an eye opener for me.  I was frustrated a lot in the beginning, but I learned to simplify…and then simplify some more.  I learned to be completely okay with fruit and toast for dinner…again.  I learned that opening up our home to unexpected guests is more important than a clean house.  I learned that my little girls get along way better when they have a kitty to love.  

June is a blur to me right now, but we spent the majority of our days "completing our tallies.”  I put together a chart of 18 things the girls needed to do each day (all jobs were marked off with a tally to show completion, that’s where “completing our tallies” came from).  

I called it our “Life Skills Boot Camp.”  Pay day (for the number of tallies completed) was always on Saturday, but the stipulation was - that after following the 10/20/70 rule (10% tithing, 20% savings, 70% spending) - all spending money was to be used for school clothes at the end of summer.  Since they had the opportunity to earn up to $1 p/day, we felt like their money needed to be used towards a need rather than a want.  I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of that neon orange "Life Skills Boot Camp” chart I put together!  That thing was our baby around here!  It pretty much guided our efforts every day.  

The 18 things were (in no particular order) -

personal prayer, brush teeth, comb hair, exercise (20 minutes), 1 family job, 1 weekly job, Rosetta Stone (20 minutes), laundry job (unload dryer or fold towels), scripture study, family prayer, mormon message, piano practice, make bed, pet care, ear care (both girls got their ears pierced this summer), set table for dinner,  read (20 minutes), secret service

I just want to say that the idea of providing monetary compensation for spiritual affairs  (like prayer, scripture study, & service) is not our intention, but we also felt like it was okay to have a system of accountability in learning basic spiritual survival.  We tried to avoid any false notions by emphasizing that payment was figured on the amount of total tallies come pay day. 

Much of July was spent outside in the sun, but the highlight was how very fortunate we were to have both my family (including all four grandparents) & Jared’s family join us for AnnMarie’s baptism on July 11th.

It was such a special occasion, one I will never forget.  AnnMarie made the decision to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints long ago!  She has been learning about Jesus Christ and asking questions about her baptism for years.  I am proud of her; she is striving to develop many Christ-like qualities - compassion, forgiveness, and obedience to the commandments of God.  I am grateful for this special daughter of mine.

Afterwards we had a light luncheon there in the Relief Society room.  We served pinwheel sandwiches, watermelon, veggies, and this beautiful cupcake dress.  Isn’t it darling?  

Not to kill the ambiance of this wonderful memory, but tomorrow she’ll be getting her tonsils out.  Hooray for no more tonsillitis!  My mom is driving here now in order to help with the other kiddos during the surgery.  I’m excited to spend some time with her, it’s been a while.  With that, I’m going to call it a wrap and look forward to catching up again soon. 

Practice Expectations

Okay, so I’m excited to talk about practice expectations.  Here’s what I have in my policy:

PRACTICE:

“For most of you, practice will not be a problem. However, a practice record will be given to each student to monitor and ensure progress. I expect each student to practice at least four times each week.  This commitment will prove to your benefit and satisfaction. Parents, please make sure the student has a quality, tuned piano/keyboard to practice on, and a regular, uninterrupted time (or times) to practice. Learn to value practicing!”

Most of this speaks for itself.  I think 15-20 minutes each session is more reasonable for the young beginner, but a 30 minute session can (and should) be expected from an older student, beginning or experienced, and by older I’m thinking 8 years & up.

(I’m in the process of making some fun practice records that I’ll share with you soon).

I choose to reward those students who go the extra mile and exceed expectations.  A young student who practices more than what is expected automatically earns a prize out of the treasure box.

My older students can also earn a prize out of the treasure box, but they also have multiple goals (including the practice expectations) that if successfully accomplished throughout the year will earn them a composer statue at the end of a school year.

And YES, I have in fact terminated piano lessons before due to a student who failed to meet limited expectations.  It’s obviously important to me though, too, that I ensure progress when parents are paying for the successful music education of their child.

My Theory Pick

Short Answer: Just the Facts II by MusicBag Press.  (Don’t be confused by the II – it refers to the second version of the series.)  I love everything about this approach to theory: clean, straightforward, consistent, repetitive.  A clear description of each book is provided on their website so you’ll know exactly where to start your student (from Beginner A all the way up to Level 9).  The original Just the Facts is awesome, but it’s geared more towards the Texas State theory test.

AND it’s so nice for your student to have a different book intermingled in with all those similar-looking method books.

Long Answer: Back in my Texas days when I taught piano full-time alongside my part-time jobs to support my husband through his PhD, I learned a bucket load of tricks from the (here we go) - ‘No. 1 State for Music Teachers’ Associations Nationwide.’

Even music associations are bigger & better in Texas, too, I guess!

I joined the county association as quickly as possible, and let me tell you, I have never been a part of such an organized, serious, qualified, professional group of music teachers!  They knew their stuff, & I was proud to be a member.  Don’t worry though – not all great music associations reside in Texas…I’m pretty sure about that. ;)

* In Texas, preparation for the annual Texas State theory test is an integral part of every studio I encountered.  This annual test is deemed crucial in the music education of your student.  As a member of the local association, I had the opportunity to administer this test once to a group of Level 1 students & twice to a group of Level 3 students.  I was so impressed with the process of administration (completely non-intimidating), but even more impressed with the students’ knowledge & preparation!  I often wished I had the knowledge they portrayed when I was their age – it was amazing.  My theory instruction didn’t come until much later in my life…much later than I’d like to admit. *

Anyway, a team of teachers back in the mid-90s created a book specifically geared towards this test.  That’s when Just the Facts came along, & boy oh boy, I’m glad it did.  These books are full of treasure, and I’ve never had a student that didn’t enjoy their theory homework.  

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post – only a shout out on a product I have used & found successful.