Plan a Holiday Workshop

Every year my piano studio takes a brief diversion from the Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms and everyone chooses a non-classical solo or duet piece for the annual Holiday Workshop.  Students play Christmas pieces, Hanukkah pieces, or rock and roll pieces for our December workshop.  I am always surprised that most of my younger piano students recognize only three or four holiday pieces:   Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Deck the Halls, and of course, Jingle Bells.  Public schools are now so worried about offending anyone from the various religions, that most school holiday programs now feature music and themes that don’t include Christmas or Hanukkah music!  This makes my Holiday Workshop as important as any of my classical piano workshops!

Get everyone involved, including the parents!

During the year, I usually provide two monthly performance workshops a month, with about 25 kids up through middle school into the earlier one, and about 8 high school and adult students into the later one.   I bring my entire studio together for the holiday workshop and encourage students to play shorter pieces for this  75 minute program.  Students  can play solo or duet pieces and if the students or parents play an instrument other than the piano, they can perform on that instrument also!  This is a great time to get the musically inclined parents involved in the fun!  I’ve had entire family ensembles, with some parents playing the triangle or sleigh bells!  This year, one of the parents is going to bring in his mandolin, and my niece that sings like an angel will sing some Les Miserable and Sound of Music songs.

Food Brings Everyone Together

To celebrate the diversity of our piano studio, each family brings a dessert or appetizer from their ethnic background.  We are also going to try something new this year with all of the students:  A three-piano, 5-hands-ensemble of Heart and Soul, with the students rotating from the secondo to primo part, and rotating to the different pianos, in the style of Victor Borge.  It may turn into musical mayhem, but I know that we will get a smile and a laugh from every student and parent as we celebrate the joy of making music together.

Sneak in the Sight Reading

The day after the workshop, the students return to the serious business of preparing for their Certificate of Merit theory, technique, and performance exams.  They probably won’t even realize that they’ve all just worked on two weeks of sight reading with their holiday pieces!

Take the time to help the students celebrate the holidays by learning Christmas or Hanukkah pieces, or even Linus and Lucy!  Pass on the tradition of Christmas Carols and Hanukkah songs so that the younger generations associate the joy of music with the spirit of the holidays.

Here is a link to some of our favorite holiday piano pieces from Wenjen Piano Studios

Enjoy and Happy Holidays from Wenjen Piano Studios!