Why use a Practice Incentive?

I've used Practice Incentives with my students for many years.    Guess what?  They work!  I've had great success with using them to the point that I started developing my own based on listening to my students ideas and interests.  So here's a look at why I think they're valuable...

*  It's FUN for your students!
*  It's MOTIVATING if you have the right one!
*  It creates PARENTS who pay on time!
*  It's a great MARKETING TOOL!
*  It keeps you FOCUSED as a teacher!
*  It yields SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS!
*  It helps with RETENTION!

Let's elaborate a bit more...
FUN - If you want your students to be excited to come to lessons to the point that when they arrive, they immediately run into your studio, choose a practice incentive!  Why not make happy students before they even start to play for you!

MOTIVATING - If you want your students (and I mean the majority of them!) to come to lessons well-prepared, choose a practice incentive!  If you have the right one, it will excite them to practice!

HAPPY PARENTS - If you want your parents to be almost as happy as your students to the point that they are happy to pay you, choose a practice incentive!  Since I've started using them, I have almost NO trouble collecting monthly tuition - even with rate increases!

MARKETING TOOL - If you want to market your studio without putting out a ton of money, choose a practice incentive!  Let your parents AND your students do the work for you!  When they're excited and happy, they'll be sure to tell others!

FOCUSED TEACHING - If you want to stay focused on your plan for the year, choose a practice incentive!  Once you've figured out what you want your students to learn during the year, a practice incentive can help you implement that!

SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS - If you want your students to succeed through great practicing, choose a practice incentive!  It works, folks!

RETENTION - If you want to retain your students year after year, choose a practice incentive!  My students can't wait to see what the incentive is for the new year!  Why would they go anywhere else?

So....how do you choose one?  What should it include?  Here's a few points that I think are important:
1.  A practice incentive should APPEAL TO A LARGE AGE RANGE & SKILL LEVEL.  Practice incentives can sometimes appeal only to elementary age students, but if you choose the right one, it can appeal to even your high school students!
2.  A practice incentive should be FLEXIBLE, both in length and implementation.  You need to have the ability to make it work for you!
3.  A practice incentive should be COLORFUL & EYE-CATCHING!  When your students walk in your studio, they should immediately feel the excitement your trying to portray!
4.  A practice incentive should INCLUDE EVERYTHING YOU NEED.  Why spend the money on a practice incentive if you have to add more costs and time to add more items to make it work.

SO....What's keeping you from taking the plunge?

* COST to purchase or to print?
Pass those costs on to your students!  Include them in your enrollment fee, book fee, etc.  Believe me, once parents see what you're doing, they're happy to pay it!
* TIME to put together and implement?
If using a practice incentive adds retention,helps you market your studio and the cost is covered, isn't it worth it?  If you can implement it weekly in the first couple of minutes of a lesson, aren't happy, excited, motivated and successful students worth it?
* TOO MUCH WORK for you during lessons?
If you choose the right one and prepare it ahead of time, the work is done for you!  AND...it keeps you focused!

SO....TAKE THE PLUNGE!  Here at Birds of a Feather, we're excited to offer several practice incentives that we have "tested" with our own students!  We know they work!  They are all teacher and kid-approved!  And we're continuing to add more!  Just click on the Teaching Resources & Camps tab above to see the incentives we have to offer.

THE BEST PART...for the entire month of June, all of our practice incentives and Incentive/Camp bundles are on SALE!  Choose one that you're excited about and watch the magic happen in your studio!!