When do you start teaching Christmas music? I have already passed out books to students. I think there are only 6 lessons left until Christmas. I take off a full week at Thanksgiving. So, I bring out the Christmas books right after Halloween.

I just started this week.

Some of my students are getting Christmas music this week most will get it next week. I like them to learn one or two pieces which they can play at home; the rest they can learn as the spirit moves them.

What I love about Christmas music is how well you can teach form and scales with them and rhythm patterns - there is a wealth of opportunity there so I give copious Christmas assignments and it's likely that most students will have completed 8 - 15 different songs - sacred, secular, folk and pop. Most books have between 11 and 15 songs.

The 5 finger books are great for beginners with a teacher duet making for big keyboard sounds at recitals:Frosty, Rudolph, Here Comes Santa Claus, Holly Jolly Christmas, etc.

For elementary students of two handed ability the LH 2 note chordals of Up on the Housetop, Jingle Bells, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Deck the Halls are easy choices.

Then for fun rhythms at elementary level, I Saw Three Ships has the galloping feeling with quarter/half note repetition, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Over the River and Through the Woods.

For the late elementary, some of my favorites to teach are: Sing We Now of Christmas, Pat-a-Pan, 12 Days of Christmas.

The intermediate level and above have so much representation with arrangements by my favorite music education composers. Many are absolutely artistic but not that hard to play.

The joy of Christmas music is that with a student who has been studying for several years, they are going to be building a repertoire that serves them well, since songs from last year fit into review and get added to the overall collection of songs for their holiday playing.

I made Christmas music recitals very important music events in my studio over the years because of the festivities, colors, decorations where we play, and cookie exchanges have been fun and filling for students, parents, grandparents and friends.

Usually our playing dates have started the first week of December, so I usually give Christmas music assignments in early October, this year it was Halloween week before I got them out into play.

It's just a good time of year and it's so easy to add Autumn, Thanksgiving, New Years, and Winter song themes to the mix of the Christmas recitals - it all works well. And with good planning, you don't have to listen to repeated pieces in the recitals. That doesn't mean that several kids aren't working on the same piece, it's just that there's enough in the number of assignments that everyone gets to present their own choices for performance.

My students start their Christmas music during the last week of October, seems early, but we do a holiday program in early December and it comes upon us quickly.

Do we teach using Christmas music or do we give the students the music to develop on their own according to their interests?

Do we find Christmas music valuable to our teaching programs, or do you consider Christmas music to be more of a social and supplemental focus for your students.

I love the Christmas music arrangements by Robert Dumm, Lynn Freeman Olson, Robert Vandall, and many of the other music education composers who could be listed here.

I wonder if maybe the best teaching arrangements aren't from these composers because they are written for artisty in sound, but ease in playing at any of the levels. They are written for quality piano solo performances and I think they weave magic for the student pianist and the audiences. There are contrasts between the quietude of spirit, joyful voices, and rhythmic antics of the fun songs - something for everyone in the contents of their Christmas albums for pianists.

I gave my students their Christmas pieces last week in preparation for the Christmas Recital. All the children will be playing on Christmas song and one or two other pieces. Most of our Christmas pieces are learned by ear and are fun. But the more advanced students are playing beautiful arrangements of Christmas music.
The Christmas recital is on Dec 13th and I'm starting to get a little nervous that some students wont have enough time to prepare both pieces for the recital. But, most are good practicers and will get through the material. I take a week off for Thanksgiving as well, but I am offering an workshop for students that need extra help on their pieces.

In our household, Christmas music practice usually starts after Guy Fawkes's night. It's not long enough, but there's a limit to how soon we can reasonably start the Christmas season

My students got their solos and duets last week. Parents have already comment how much they are practicing!

I have two young students in my studio whose fathers are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and these kids are avidly working on their Christmas assignment to complete videos for mailing to their dad's at the end of November.

Early mailing requires the early date of completing the music. However the music turns out is the way it will be sent as this is not the time to be concerned about the "perfecting" of a piece but sending the joy and anticipation of the holidays and for Dad's to see their children's musical work in progress.

These two, (boy, 8, 1st year, and girl, 9, 3rd year), are working big time on getting their Christmas songs together because they are really inspired for making the video. I'm thrilled that these kids were already planning this on their own having had their fathers deployed before for about a year at a time.

This is a significant thing for our piano students to do for their Mom's and Dad's in the military. I know my two students think of their music as sending a gift of love to their Dad's!

I'm not doing a Christmas recital this year. Too many kids out with illness (including at least one confirmed case of H1N1) and most of them simplay aren't ready to present anything by December.

In the past, I assign the Christmas pieces in August. Unless the student is still in method books, I usually like them to play a fancy arrangement of a familiar carol, or play duets with each other. FJH has a series of In Recital Christmas music that have very tasteful arrangements for duets.

Our local MTA reserves time at a local mall and teachers can sign up for time slots for their students to play holiday music. It's free and the shoppers really seem to like it. They have a special place at one end of the mall where there is some seating. I've never participated in it before, but I plan on doing it this year.

I started my students on their Christmas Songs as soon as their Fall recital the third week of Oct. was over. They love it. They wish the Christmas Season and songs lasted even longer. I have never had a student or parent complain that I started the Christmas songs too early. Of course with a Christmas recital you do have to start perhaps earlier then some that don't but then again perhaps not. Students, parents and friends love the Christmas music and seem to dig in and practice more.

That's a great idea! Will have to start doing that!
If you don't mind me asking, but do the students actually practice them in the summer?