What is my Playathon?....

Well, it's like a readathon, where you read lots of books and for each book read a little money is raised. For my Playathon, however, instead of books my students complete musical Challenges. These can be for theory lessons completed, technical achievements small and big, performances, small and large pieces learnt, memory work, aural work, sight reading etc. These Challenges are specific to each student, encourage their weaknesses and strengths alike, and are recorded on a special sheet. We work out goals at the beginning of the year and then work hard as a team to stick to them. Every Challenge is added on the list by the student-they can feel their sense of accomplishment every time they write one down.

I have found that breaking the year into many smaller goals and recording them in one list that they continually make longer is amazing for their confidence, pride and sense of achievement. Wanting to write the next one down pushes them to finish it! I often leave it up to them as to whether they are finished with a piece or not and have found that they very rarely cut corners. I feel that the Playathons make my students much more honest and aware of their playing.

The best thing? That while my students are learning like crazy and staying pumped with their own music, each Challenge they achieve raises a little money to go towards children who don't get the opportunity to have music in their life. It also sparks conversations and thoughts from the students themselves about how lucky they are to have the opportunity to have music as a part of their lives.

Where and why did it start?....

I had been thinking for many years about how learning the piano, though an absolutely awesome instrument, is extremely isolating.  Unlike a violin that can play with orchestras and chamber groups, a piano can really only ever be played by the student by themselves, with a parent, or with me.  I wanted to organise something that brought my students and their families together. I wanted to start something that made my families and myself feel more like a community. That though we were off doing our own thing we were still together somehow. 

I had been reading about Elissa Milne's awesome 40 Piece Challenge around this time and was in the shower one day when the Playathon thought occurred to me (isn't that where all great ideas happen?!!?). I loved the idea of raising money to help others of course but the following thought was the most exciting and really got me going-- that each student could be practising away at home on their own, improving themselves, improving their music AND at the same time they would know that their hard work was helping other Australian kids of a similar agehave music in their lives.

What do I do to keep momentum going?

• I make a big deal of  each Challenge achieved. We might have a little celebration-run round the room together, raise our arms in the air, take a bow to each other etc!!
• I get the student to write it on the list themselves....always. They own the list- it is theirs.
• I look ahead into the next week or 2 with the student and we discuss how many challenges are close to being written down.
• In order to look ahead with my student, however, I need to have already thought ahead a few weeks. I get smaller pieces ready and set up a few weeks of Challenges in advance. The discussions I have with my student need to be very clear so that the student is clear on their direction.
• If momentum is slowing or a students has been sick or away for a while,  I'll pop a few easier challenges in(e.g. smaller pieces that can be learnt in a week) to get the motivation going again.
• I get the students to ask themselves whether they think the Challenge is ready to be marked off. They have the power! They learn how to be honest with themselves (there's no one else to beat in this but themselves!) and they learn to be more aware of their playing. Very very rarely do they cut corners.
• I say again ( perhaps because it is most important!) I give them heaps of praise and enthusiasm when a Challenge gets marked off--each one is a celebration! And I make sure that parents know about their child's achievements in front of the child.
• I organise certificates for all students who raised money (every student completes Challenges but not every student raises money--it is not compulsory) and present them at my end of year concert.
• It is important to remember that it is not about the money! It is about the process. About the achievements and the emotions felt completing Challenge after Challenge. Focussing on the process and the achievements actually helps the amount raised in the end.
• I do not care if my students raise 50 cents or 10 dollars a piece, and I say this over and over to the students and parents, who I know are always pulled in a million fundraising directions throughout the year. 
• I am always super grateful and overwhelmed when kids proudly hand me their money raised. At that moment, when you see how proud they are of themselves with their faces shining with happiness, it really doesn't matter how much it is. Their achievement is just amazing -- full of hard work, positivity, rough patches, high points, and everything in between.

There have been 2 Playathons so far....

2015- was a year long Playathon and 14 of my students raised enough money to send a whole classroom of disadvantaged children to a musical 6-month long workshop!

2016- was a 6 month long Playathon and 10 of my students raised enough money to send a whole classroom of children to a show at the Arts Centre, including the bus ride there and back. This was through The Art's Centre's First Call Fund.

What a great and inspiring groups of kids!!