I’m SUPER excited to announce that the new practice incentive theme, A.N.T.H.E.M. has been released. This year students will be training to become musical superheroes! If you have done a superhero theme in the past, trust me, you will want to do it again as it is nothing like anything you have done before!

A.N.T.H.E.M. is a practice incentive program for music teachers. It is a teacher-licensed resource which means everything included in the A.N.T.H.E.M. program is reproducible for all your students. You can choose to print and use everything or pick and choose what you woudl like. Whether you teach piano, violin or another instrument, A.N.T.H.E.M. is very adaptable.

The focus of A.N.T.H.E.M. is Musicianship Skills with a Growth Mindset. A.N.T.H.E.M. stands for Apprentice Now Training for Heroic Effort in Music. Students will train and work on 8 mission assignments earning musical “superpowers” throughout the year.

What are the mission assignments?

The A.N.T.H.E.M. mission assignments will be related to everything that makes our music shine. (Technique, notes, rhythm, dynamics, articulations, hearing, sight-reading and performance, etc…) While each mission assignment will have a specific superpower they are working towards, how that assignment is passed is up to the teacher.

For example, the first mission assignment is to work on their super strength. As the teacher, you can determine what that means in your studio. Does it mean strong technique (proper position, playing, etc.) Or do you want them to accomplish certain scales and arpeggios?

When they pass off the first mission and receive their super strength power, they will continue applying that superpower as they are working on the 2nd mission and so on. The superpowers are building blocks towards becoming a music superhero.

The nice thing about the superpowers and missions is they are adaptable for any level. For example, beginners for Dynamic Empathy can be as simple as playing/listening for those dynamic changes. But as you know, a lot of the beginning pieces don’t have any or very little dynamics in them so I would have students add them in. Talk about the piece and different things like the title and tempo that might give them a clue what a good dynamic marking would be and have them draw it in and play it.

For the intermediate levels, this is where the empathy part will really come into play. My goal with students is to really have them FEEL that emotion of the piece, not just play it. So that would be the main goal for them. Have them create stories or ideas of what might be going on or why the composer used that particular dynamic, etc… During those 17 practice days, they are working on improving those skills. When it’s time for the final challenge, you can just take those current pieces that they haven’t passed yet (or even passed pieces from weeks before) and have them play their piece demonstrating dynamics/emotions.

Students will choose a super mentor who will encourage them along their mission. The end goal is for students to complete the A.N.T.H.E.M. training program and become a music superhero.

How long does this program last?

A.N.T.H.E.M. lasts approx. 8-9 months. I give suggestions in the Read First file if you need to have it last less or more. I personally will use it beginning mid-August through mid-April and then my awards ceremony/spring recital is in May. I like to have my programs finish a month before my recital so I have time to get awards organized.

Keep in mind, some students might finish early if they are really good practicers. The 8-9 months is averaging for 4 days of practice. I keep in mind that December is usually a month that students don’t practice as much and those occasional crazy weeks, etc…

Will this work for a teacher who travels or does online lessons?

Yes! The only thing a traveling or online teacher would probably not use is some of the decor. But remember, some of it can still be used just in a different way. #thinkoutsidethebox Everything else would work. If you are a traveling teacher, just bring those mission cards with you. If you are an online teacher, send the mission QR code cards to your students to scan.

Want an inside look?

The video below will show you exactly what you will receive with the A.N.T.H.E.M. program and a basic overview. It is about 20 minutes long but worth checking out.

Behind the Scenes of filming A.N.T.H.E.M.

I had a lot of fun putting this program together. One of my favorite things was the filming portion. My daughter, her husband and their cute dog played as the music super mentors in the A.N.T.H.E.M. program. The mentors, introduce the new mission assignments to students and encouraging them along the way. I thought it would be fun to put together a short (44 sec) “behind the scenes” video of our time together. Be sure to watch to the end!

Now let’s make a HEROIC effort in our music this year!