How does the Practice Reward Program work?

I am constantly trying to come up with new ideas to encourage my children to practice on a regular basis. My mom, a piano teacher who frequently awards her students with money or stuffed animals, believes that parents actually end up saving money if they reward their children for their accomplishments. If a student comes to a lesson unprepared, the lesson time becomes a practice time. The student ends up receiving little or no instruction from the teacher, and the parent still has to pay for the "lesson". This is not only frustrating for teachers who value their time with their students, it is also money that can be better spent elsewhere.

The reward does not need to be large or expensive. If you add up all the money you would have saved for all the lessons that your child was unprepared for, it is really an insignificant amount.

I have tried many different methods to make our practice regimen as peaceful an event as possible. So far I have found my Practice Reward Program to work very well. It would be helpful if you print out a copy (I use color paper so that it stands out) of my Practice Chart as I explain how the program works.

Practice Reward Program: The chart is set up for two months of practice. I feel that my children should practice a minimum of 30 minutes, hence seven squares before the "bar". The reward kicks in only after they have already accumulated 3.5 hours for that week.. The ultimate goal is to practice an average of one hour a day or a total of seven hours a week.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Fill out your child's name, months, and dates for each week (Note: I always start with Monday so there is the weekend to do 'catch-up' practice)
2. For every 1/2 hour of practice time, your child places a sticker in the appropriate square.
3. Once they reach four hours of week-to-date practice, the reward kicks in. You can decide your own reward system, whether it's money, coupons, stickers, toys, etc. You know what works best for you and your child. I use money simply because my children are old enough to appreciate it. So seven hours of practice a week means $7 in their pocket. If you choose to use coupons or tickets, they can be redeemed for toys, lollipops, etc...
4. To further encourage reaching seven hours as often as possible, I also reward my children for every two seven-hour weeks. The reward is not money and has a dollar limit (we used $5 originally, enough for a beanie baby or a pocket toy.

You may want to adjust the amount of practice time based on your child's age and level. I also allow Music Theory, Sight Reading, etc.. as part of the program - anything that promotes their piano study. You can also use similar ideas to encourage children to memorize a repertoire; my mom pays her students $1 and they feel so accomplished!

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