Traditional piano lessons can be a lonely experience. I mean, think about it from a kid's point of view.
Going to a one-on-one lesson with the teacher once a week.
Practice at home during the week between lessons.
Lesson, home, lesson, home, lesson, home.
Compare this to children's other activities where they're always with other kids. Whether it's in school or just about any other extracurricular activity.
If you had to drop an activity, which one would it be?
This is why at SSPS we've gone to great lengths to give our students every social opportunity possible. Why we hold two recitals a month, workshops, community challenges, and more.
When the lockdown began, I fully credit our commitment to community as being the sole reason we didn't take much of a hit in enrollment.
While many organizations were just trying to survive, we decided to swing the other direction and do something crazy.
We told our students, "We won't be having live recitals every month anymore. Instead, we're going to do virtual recitals every two weeks."
Ironically, students became more connected than ever through the power of the internet. And their piano experience during COVID became so meaningful, they will remember it for the rest of their lives.
(Or at least we hope that's the case for most of them!)
The lonesome lesson experience is no longer sustainable. Not for students, not for teachers, not for organizations, and not for the field of music.
But it's going to be replaced by innovative, magical things yet to be seen.
Things students can be excited about.
And things that will give them music for life.