Recognizing students for their achievements is not only a nice milestone for the students, but is also thought provoking for the teacher. It makes us think about what goals we have for students, and which ones are most important.
When I was a kid, we had to play at several small recitals each year, and one big recital at the end of the year, where we would be presented with a pin showing how many years we had studied at the music academy. It was a nice little reward, as I recall.
Do you use simple pins, certificates, and awards–or perhaps you like to use other means? It would be great to hear your thoughts and experiences in recognizing students. Just add a comment at the end of this article.
One thing I do (pretty much the only concrete award, really) is give a pin to students who have completed a year of private study. If they wear it or place it on their case, it’s nice for them to display their accomplishment and to recognize others who wear one, knowing they study with me. One teacher I know ties a red tassel to his student’s instruments after a certain period of study, which identifies his students for all to see, and spurs others to attain the red tassel.
Some rewards require careful thought. If you have a “student of the year”, for example, you might in all innocence recognize the accomplishments of someone who came a long way that year, and yet others will certainly wonder why they didn’t get the award. Perhaps a variety of awards for different accomplishments could be in order, including some with a good sense of humor, such as best or worst dressed!
The accomplishments you choose to recognize give a message about what’s important to you: effort? overcoming problems? moving to more advanced music? gaining confidence? What accomplishments in your students are most important to you?
It can give us a new and constructive perspective on a student if we stop now and then and consider which accomplishments we can identify in a student that might be worthy of an award. And if it gives us a constructive perspective, imagine what it does for the student.
