by Rachel | Uncategorized
Every year, I struggle with what to give my students as a token of my appreciation for their hard work when the holidays roll around. This year was no different, but as it turns out, I didn’t have to look any further than the top of my piano.
These framed signs (which I wrote about here) have been conversation pieces amongst my students since I decorated my piano with them back in June. So as my holiday gift this year, I gave my students their own “keep calm” sign in a simple frame, to be placed in their practice area. Kellan (pictured above, thanks to his mom!) and most of my other students have been happy to receive their gift, and excited to display it just as I do in my studio.
I gave different framed signs to my students, based upon whether they study piano, voice or guitar. For my music therapy students, I went a bit of a different route:
A tambourine might not be the definition of “calm” (quite the opposite, actually!) but hopefully it will inspire my students to keep making music during the holiday break.
I still have some gifts to give out this afternoon, after which my studio will officially be closed until 2012! It’s hard to believe that the first semester of the school year is coming to an end, but I’m looking forward to a fresh start in January. I’m also looking forward to lots of zen-like, well-practiced students, thanks to their “keep calm” gifts! ;)
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I love everything about the holidays: giving gifts, singing Christmas songs, the general cheeriness of the season. But putting up my Christmas tree and seeing it all lit up at night is probably what I look forward to most every year. Matthew agrees with me on that, which is why he chose to include “O Christmas Tree” in his holiday repertoire.
Although he has been taking piano lessons from me for many years (he was actually the first official Music Therapy Connections student!), Matthew only recently began taking voice lessons here at the studio as well. This 5th grader is on his way to becoming quite the musical double-threat:
There are only a few days left before my studio closes for the holiday break. I’m sure going to miss hearing my students’ sweet voices singing the sounds of the season!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I consider myself quite lucky to provide music therapy and lessons to such an amazing bunch of students. The sweet, thoughtful gifts that many of them (along with their families) give me during the holidays are completely unnecessary, but always very much appreciated. And some are just too cool not to share with you!
Take, for example, music pasta. I am so giving this to my musician friends and family as a stocking stuffer next year. What a fun gift from one of my lovely voice students, Nicolette O. I told her that it was too neat to actually cook and eat, so maybe I’ll put it on display in my kitchen for visitors to ooh-and-aah over :)
I am so digging the music-themed presents — others have included ornaments, jewelry dishes, and gift cards to my favorite local music store — but like I said earlier, I don’t need or expect anything from my students and their families, especially anything lavish. In fact, one of my favorite gifts so far this year is a fabulous drawing by Henry H. Not only are my students generous, but they are multi-talented as well!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Last year as a little holiday gift, I gave all my students music-themed ornaments. This year I’m going a different route, but I can’t reveal the details just yet since many of my students and their parents read my blog :) But I will say that I am hard at work on them this week.
Giving and receiving gifts is one of the topics Kimberly, Michelle and I will touch on this month over at Music Therapy Pro. We each have different viewpoints and issues to consider in our own practice — I think it’s obvious where I stand! But there are a few parameters I set for doing so:
- Keep it inexpensive. This is a must, not only because I have almost 50 students, but also because I don’t want my students and their families to feel obligated to give me elaborate gifts (or anything at all!).
- Keep it simple. Back when I had fewer students, I had the luxury of making crafty gifts for each student — and one year, even all of their siblings! That’s not the case anymore, so I try to stick to less work-intensive gifts.
- Be consistent. For the most part, I choose a gift that I can give all of my students no matter their age or instrument. My music therapy client gifts do sometimes differ from the gifts I give students to whom I teach lessons.
- Make it personal. Although the gifts may not be unique from student to student, I like to add a little note and gift tag to set each apart.
What is your stance on giving gifts to clients and students? And if you do go the gift-giving route, feel free to share the considerations you make for doing so, or better yet, gifts you have given. It’s never too early to start thinking about next year!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Now that Thanksgiving is over, I know what I’ll be hearing about from my students throughout the next couple of weeks: the next major holiday! Whether they celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, giving and receiving gifts is an important topic for almost all of them.
I do like to give my students a small gift before the holiday break, but I’ll save that for another post. Today I’m going to tell you about the gifts I’ve helped my students make to give to their families. I know you’ll be shocked to hear that they all involve music.
- CD containing recordings of current repertoire. This is the least labor-intensive gift, because my students (primarily those who take voice lessons) are already recording their current songs, anyway. I normally save those recordings to the students’ flash drives, but it’s super simple to create a playlist of them in iTunes and burn it to a CD. If the student is planning to give it as a gift, I’ll create a customized CD label using DiscLabel — I highly recommend this downloadable software for Mac users; for PC, I like Memorex’s exPressit Label Design Studio.
- Holiday songs or album. Let me qualify this by pointing out that as much as I love holiday music, not all of my students do; working on holiday songs is always optional. I do have many who choose to record 1-2 such songs for their families. Learning, practicing and recording an entire album (for my students, that’s 5-8 songs) of holiday songs is a huge undertaking, so only a few students have gone this route. They sure are proud of their hard work once that final product is in hand, and can’t wait to present it to their families.
- Video recording. For some of my students, especially those who receive music therapy, a video is the better option. Many of them already love to make and watch videos of themselves, so this is a fun way to let their families see their progress and new skills. (Of course, I always make sure to have full written permission before making such videos.) As far as sharing those videos go, there are two different routes I take. One is to save the video to a USB flash drive, and the other is to upload it to my Vimeo Plus account, where only those with the link can view it.
I have over 50 students, and not all of them are interested in creating musical gifts for their families. But for those who are, doing so is a fun and productive way to spend our December lessons. Do you help your students create gifts? And if so, please share the details!
