by Andra Prewett
Tuesday, April 14th marked the 100th day of our practice challenge, which began on Monday, January 6th. Seven of our 39 private lesson students completed the challenge…our highest participation rate to date! To celebrate, FSA hosted a virtual “100 Days Party” via Zoom. I had promised the students a Pizza Party, so it really broke my heart that I could not deliver on this promise. We did our best to make the day feel special for our students.
In advance of the party, I had asked the parents to prepare a special treat for their child, and they really stepped it up! One student got to have pizza, some had cake, another one got to request his favorite meal for dinner: fried chicken!
To make the virtual meeting feel like a party, I transformed my living room into a party space: music-themed table decorations, a custom “100 Days” banner (inspired by John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” banner), “pizza” and “cupcakes” made from cardstock. I also made a party hat with a violin on it. This idea was inspired by a birthday party my best friend and I threw for my Cabbage Patch Kid doll, Valerie Vera, on her birthday in 1985, for which we made party hats out of construction paper and picked wild flowers from the yard.
Once everyone arrived in the Zoom meeting room, we began the Presentation of Awards ceremony. Prior to being presented with their Certificate of Achievement, each student’s private teacher said a few words about how the practice challenge had an impact on the student. From developing a stronger bond with a parent, to learning vibrato, or achieving a Suzuki milestone (passing Perpetual Motion), the practice challenge transformed each child in some way. We then cheered as each student got their certificate. Our presentation, in many ways, felt like it had the gravitas of a high school senior banquet, but with the lightheartedness of an imaginary tea party.
After the awards, each student shared a few words about how they got through the challenge. Here is what they said:
“Because it was hard for me and I didn’t want to practice, but then I remembered about the 100 Days of Practice, so I kept practicing.”
– Violinist, age 5
“We set a timer, so when the timer goes off, then we would practice at that time every day.”
– Brother & sister violinists, ages 8 & 10
“I put the sheet on a magnet, and when it ended, I got this [party]”
– Violinist, age 5
“I had a lot of activities I had to do after school every day, so I just woke up every morning and practiced in the morning instead of staying up late and doing it.”
– Violinist, age 12
“We took it one day at a time.”
– Violinist, age 6
“I got up early and practiced every morning…I brought my blanket with me [when I was tired]”
– Violinist, age 10
To conclude our celebration, we had a spontaneous dance party! It was hilarious to see the Suzuki teachers doing silly dance moves. Some of the older students were slightly embarrassed, but the ice was definitely broken once everyone started dancing with their favorite stuffed animals and/or toys. Miss Sarah’s cat, Daisy, even made an appearance!
Silliness aside, the experience made me realize how important it is to take the time to celebrate, even when the times are dark. To quote the wise words of my grandmother, “Happiness is a habit. You practice being positive every day, and after a while, you are a positive person.” I also think we can learn from our children in these times, who are particularly resilient, and who possess vivid imaginations and are wildly creative. I invited the children into this virtual, pretend party room, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I was so thrilled when the seven children happily joined in the fun, and with them, brought their parents, teachers, and siblings into this wacky world. The imagination muscle is one that I hadn’t flexed in a while, and it was a great feeling; like returning to a favorite yoga video after taking a long break. This special experience was definitely the highlight of quarantine so far, and now I have another celebration to look forward to: The next 100 Days of Practice Challenge Starts Monday, May 4th, with a celebration planned for Tuesday, August 11th. We hope you can celebrate with us next time!
