I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe it is almost the end of June. The next week is a whirlwind of recital (tomorrow), group lesson (Monday evening) & a few individual lessons as well! On one hand, I am exhausted & looking forward to the break. (The kidlets are dragging their feet quite a bit in the mornings so I’m getting the sense they are looking forward to the break as well.) On the other hand, I’m trying to figure out how the year went by so fast because I am quite sure summer was only a few months ago.
Whether you teach throughout the year or taking a break over the summer, reflecting on the year is a great activity to celebrate our achievements & take time to figure out how to improve on those things that just didn’t quite work out. This last week, I collected the “My Music This Year” worksheets that I gave my students.
(While I would love to give you the link to where I found the worksheet, it seems to have disappeared from my computer/Evernote/search engine. If I find the link, I will be sure to include it here.)
My music this year
My students were told to look through ALL the practice pages from this year to get a reminder of what they covered. While they were reviewing, students were expected to complete the following statements:
- The best moment in piano lessons was …
- The song I most enjoyed playing was …
- My greatest success was …
- The most interesting thing I learnt in music was …
- What I found most difficult was …
- The most useful thing I learnt from my teacher was …
What I loved about these questions is that overall they were positive memories, but it didn’t shy away from the struggles either. Based on my student’s answers, it will also have an impact on the direction of my planning this summer.
How’s a girl to analyze that awesome data?
By creating a series of infographics, of course! I had never created an infographic, but a few articles on “how to make the best infographic” certainly gave me inspiration.
Below, I am including the first 2 graphics in a series I will be posting to my studio Facebook page over the summer. Why over the summer? It keeps the successes of the year fresh in the minds of my clients. It also keeps my studio in the forefront as well … even though we are in vacation mode.
Must Love Music Student Reflections (1)
Reflections on the year
Once the (good) craziness of the recital & group lesson are done, I will be filling out this worksheet myself so that I can make a plan going forward to build on my successes, as well as problem solve those areas I found difficult.
What tools or activities do you use to have students reflect on their year? Are they the same tools you use yourself?
I would love to hear from you below. Have a great weekend!