I've been giving out Christmas music for the past month, it's a great break from the lesson books and give a chance to sightread on a theme. A few short stories behind some Christmas carols. 
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" was first copyrighted on August 24, 1943. Then it was revised and re-copyrighted on September 27, 1943, it was the 2nd version that was made famous by Crosby. The song comes from a homesick college student named Ram. Soldiers from WWII quickly picked up the song, and turned it into their sentiments, being away from home for the holidays. It quickly became a hit, and was requested frequently at U.S.O. shows.

Jingle Bells was written by James Pierpont as a Thanksgiving song in 1850 titled "One Horse Open Sleigh." It was inspired by the Massachusetts town's sleigh races.  Have you heard this verse of Jingle Bells before? "A day or two ago, The story I must tell, I went out on the snow, And on my back I fell, A gent was riding by, In a one-horse open sleigh, He laughed as there I sprawling lie, But quickly drove away."


Good King Wenceslas By John Neale 1853. The song is based on a legend about a Duke named Wenceslas in Bohemia who was known for his actions of giving to the poor. He gave so much to those in need that he was know not as royalty but as a "father to the wretched."

Sources: wikipedia, "Christ in the Carols"

One of the biggest at assets for any young student is the parents. I love when a student comes to lessons having taken a sudden leap in the level of preparedness, because mom or dad sat down and listened or encouraged them in playing. One of my past students used to teach her dad the songs she was learning. Was he really interested in learning piano? Probably not, but he was interested in learning what she was working on and spending time with his child. The parents who ask the student to play the song again saying “I enjoyed listening to it” from the other room are also taking time to encourage that student. A simple question the parents can ask the student if they seem to have rushed through practice is “did you do your best?” It’s not whether the parents knows a thing about the music, it’s if the parent is interested in what the child is doing.

Another important step for development is modeling good practice during the lesson time. When a student plays something wrong at the lesson it is imperative to correct it, not just circle the problem, but to really work with the student until they can do it correctly 90% of the time. Then to point out that I expect that type of practicing to be done at home. When the student doesn’t have 30-60 minutes each day, taking time to focus on problem areas is much better than playing a piece through 10 times. Check out http://www.practicespot.com/article.phtml?id=105&t=7 to find ways to make repetition fun. As the lesson is concluding, it’s also helpful to do a quick review asking the student how they are going to practice and what is going to be there focus when they are at home. This helps keep the at-home practice productive and fruitful without needing hours of time.


   Sometimes it seems as if students play the same songs for a long time and they always sounds the same, when in reality most weeks the pieces are progressing to a more polished form. It’s hard for students to know what’s changed from week to week. Sometimes it’s helpful to record a student playing a song the first week and again every week or so then they can hear the changes themselves. I’ve also taken the last lesson of the school year to review what that student has learned this year or in the past years. Reviewing old materials in progression, this gives the student a chance to hear and see how much growing musically they have done over the course of there study.  Putting this in front of them can be encouraging and motivating as they get a sense of accomplishment