Invisible Labor

One of my favorite quotes is this gem from Victor Hugo, author of the literary classic, Les Miserables:

“A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor.”

I am always reminded of those words this time of year when I begin brainstorming for our next studio practice incentive theme. (Remember: today is the final day to get 20% off with the code SUMMER23!) My brainstorming page looks like this at the moment! But this is one of my favorite aspects of teaching and running an independent piano studio: the endless opportunity for new and creative ways to motivate my students and help them become successful musicians. A blank canvas on which to spill ideas and thoughts and dreams for the year ahead.

Here’s a snapshot of the pages last year that birthed the Redwood Resistance theme. At the bottom of the second page you can see the plethora of title ideas that were discarded on the path to the final one!

I have a compilation of all the students’ and parents’ theme suggestions that I solicited via our Year-End Evaluations, along with the various answers students gave to areas in which they want to improve, and my own ideas of areas I’d like to focus on across the board in our studio. With all of those elements in place, let the invisible labor begin!