I decided to throw down the gauntlet this year and offer prizes to my students who successfully played their scales before NYSSMA. I know of a lot of teachers who offer incentives, and I was curious to see what kind of results it would get. I made the contest for high school students only, and the rules were straight-forward: all 12 scales, one octave (as per NYSSMA requirements, don’t even get me started about how silly this is!) in one breath, the scales had to be played in rapid succession (I called them out in random order) and you had one chance for each per lesson. I started the contest four weeks before NYSSMA, so students had four lessons (chances) to complete the challenge and win a prize. The results:
– I had seven students competing, and four of them did exactly as I hoped: worked hard, nailed the challenge after a try or two, and won a prize. The grand prize (a $25 itunes gift card) went to the first person in the studio to complete the challenge. The others received a $10 itunes gift card. I had other smaller prizes but they weren’t needed (see below). Someone won the grand prize the second day of the competition, which set the bar high for everyone else.
– I had three students who weren’t able to complete the challenge in the allotted time. I was really sad about this, because I thought it sent a negative message. If you can’t play your scales for me then how will you ever play your scales under pressure for a judge?
– I posted a large chart on my studio wall so I could keep track of everyone’s progress. This chart became the focal point of the room the entire month! Especially interested were my younger students – I got lots of questions about why they weren’t included yet.
– The same scales kept tripping people up, especially B and E. The strategic students studied the chart to see what they missed that week, and made sure it got extra attention in practice.
– Drilling the students each week did have the desired effect: some of them got really nervous and ended up playing under pressure. One student tried flash cards for the first time ever and found they were really effective for her. And most were able to play through all 12 much faster at the end. And even after a student completed the challenge they still had to play all 12 each week to prepare for NYSSMA. Interestingly, they never made any mistakes once they had won.
Thanks to all my students for undertaking this experiment with me. To those who finished, BRAVO! To those who didn’t, we have some work ahead of us this summer. I want those scales as beautiful as your recital pieces last weekend!