It’s remarkable what motivation can do for someone’s success
Encouraging students to reach their goals can be easy with the right type of motivation. Of course, everyone needs the motivation to do things/complete tasks, no matter how big or small they are.
Motivation can range from something small like getting to enjoy a piece of candy or something bigger like the opportunity for a promotion or award. Regardless of what the goal is in the end, motivation can also be big or small, but motivation will always help reach that end goal.
Different Types of Motivation
When it’s time to get your students to practice more often and on their own it can be challenging, but when you motivate them in the right ways it’ll come more easily. When the student has rewards, obtainable goals, and control it’s more realistic that these are the students that will want to practice.
Let’s start at the beginning...
As the teacher, you have control of how lessons are run and what’s being practiced. Because you’re guiding and instructing the student this puts a distinctive line between the two roles. Once you let go of some of the control and let the student take a bit it will, on one hand, show them that this is their time to learn the instrument and learn from you and two show them that there are no strict roles, aka teacher and student.
When students feel that they also have control they are more likely to continue playing the instrument and even practice more often. There’s the sense of responsibility and ownership, and of course, when these two characteristics come into play kids will always want to prove to themselves, teachers, and parents that they can be trusted. But even more so they will want to feel accomplished themselves and will make sure to practice and be the best musician they can be.
Whether your student wants to feel in control they will always enjoy receiving rewards because who doesn’t like to be rewarded for their hard work? There is no person that is too old to be happy when they receive a reward. It’s because you feel accomplished and you’ve worked hard to receive this prize, no matter what it is. Prizes can be as small as candy or as big as concert tickets. Regardless, of what it is it always feels good to receive it and students will even practice more often and more efficiently if they know that there is something waiting for them on the other side. There are two wins, in this case, one is that the student will practice and continue improving and two is that the student also gets to enjoy an additional prize to the practicing. Try to think of fun and cool rewards that all your students would enjoy, it’ll make a difference in their progress!
The last type of motivation that we will focus on is setting goals, long-term and short-term, that are obtainable. The beauty of setting goals is that it encourages students to reach for the end so that they know they got to the end. A great example of goals includes perfecting a piece by the end of the month or getting ready for the end of the year recital. With both of these goals, it will encourage students to practice more at home so that they know they will be ready to show you that they are prepared and can feel accomplished.
Wrap it Up
Getting your students to practice alone can be challenging sometimes, but with the right tools and mindset, it can be as easy as 1,2,3. When you give students some control, rewards, and goals it will truly help encourage and push them to practice more at home. So why not make your job a bit easier and make their musical practice more enjoyable and worth their while.