Music Master will wake your students up

Music Master is one of my favourite things I've ever done with my students.

Not only does it stop clock-watches' eyes drifting to check the time every few minutes, it also sparks a practice revolution.

What is Music Master?

It's a studio-wide competition that rewards

- Creativity

- Effort

- Hard work

You don't have to be the best musician in order to win.

In fact, the student I thought would do well because they're my highest-level student placed near the bottom.

Whereas a beginner did very well because she excelled at thinking outside-the-box.

I still haven't told you what it is.

It's

- A series of musical challenges

- A set of questions

- Practice incentive

Let me unpack it:

PRACTICE INCENTIVE

Students have a Practice Ducks sheet.

Every time they practice during the week, they colour in a duck.

Each duck is worth 1 point.

So, the more they practice, the more points they get.

But, of course, you can't just take their word for it.

They have to play what they've been practicing to prove it and earn their points.

You could even require video evidence or practice during the week - or this could be a chance for bonus points!

QUESTIONS

These questions will not be what you're thinking.

They're not musical questions. They're questions about music.

A couple of months ago I asked a few students about the music they listen to.

"Dunno."

"Whatever Alexa plays."

"Taylor Swift. Only Taylor Swift."

Only a couple could reel off a festival line-up of artists they listen to regularly.

It made me want to encourage my students to think about music - not just playing it, but listening to it.

Side note: It always baffles me when students don't listen to music.

It's like being a chef in a 4-star restaurant but all you ever eat is McDonalds!

CHALLENGES

This is where the creative out-of-the-box thinking comes into play.

6 challenges that test:

- Theory

- Practical skills

- Improv

I'll give an overview of each one:

IF ROUTINE

A series of musical symbols, true/false statements, and instructions.

Work out the answers to perform the correct actions for the routine.

INTRIGUING STORY

Use the notes on the sheet to write an intriguing story.

YUM

Read the notes on the sheet.

But rather than letters, say them as food or drink beginning with that letter.

DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE

Here's a cheerful piece. Your task is to play it in the most dramatic way.

NOW PLAY IT

Use the notes on the sheet to answer questions.

Your answers will give you the title of a piece you will now improvise.

V1 AND V2

Spot as many differences as you can between these two pieces.

BONUS POINTS

After the first week, I discovered that my students were point hungry.

So I introduced bonus points.

Side note: YOU are the Music Master. That means you can bend and make rules whenever you please.

One week, I told students that whoever sent me a video of them performing their piece that I could share on our socials would get 10 bonus points.

Another week I gave points to the one student who impressed me the most.

WHY IT'S BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL

Students love to win.

That's basically it.

Even my students who I didn't think would be that bothered admitted to checking the weekly scoreboard I posted on our socials!

It gives a gentle nudge of encouragement to students who are a bit, well, lazy.

And it rewards students who are already putting effort and hard work in.

My students loved it so much, we've just started Music Master Series 2!