There’s always something nostalgic and appealing about play-money, isn’t there? I grew up playing Monopoly and LIFE, and I remember loving a nice stack of pastel-colored cash. It felt so empowering to earn and spend my money, making grown-up types of deals with high dollar values. I bet you could tell me the color of the $500 bill in Monopoly, right? That’s how impactful these kinds of games are to us as kids!
This month, I wanted to create that feeling for my students. The download contains printable Composer Cash, featuring a different composer on the various bills, as well as a reward chart. But the rest of the challenge is up to you, and provides a great opportunity for you to connect with your student in a meaningful way to discuss not only their piano goals, but also what kinds of incentives mean the most to them.
After you print and cut apart the Composer Cash, sit down with your student and fill in the reward chart. Start with asking what they might like to earn this month. Maybe it’s a trip to the park or the swimming pool, maybe it’s a popsicle out of the freezer, or maybe it’s a bit more screen time. Let them take the lead on suggesting various rewards to which you can assign various dollar values.
Then, you can brainstorm how your student can earn those rewards. How much Composer Cash can they earn for practicing, for learning a whole song, or for doing a pre-dinner performance for the family? Your student will be more likely to feel incentivized to earn Composer Cash if you set the dollar values such that some of the rewards feel easy to earn.
We at Busy Kids Do Piano never want practicing to become boring or feel like work. Creating and playing music ought to feel rewarding for both the student and the listener. That’s why I am constantly trying to keep things interesting for you and your students, particularly when it comes to practicing.
If you’re a member of BKDP, you’ll be able to access this Music Challenge Monthly activity in the “Printables and Worksheets” section of the website.