Studio Challenges
September through April
There are three Studio Challenges held each year. These goals are available for students who wish to push their progress further. Students who complete a challenge are awarded a prize at the Spring Recital and a written acknowledgement in the program.
30 Songs Challenge
To complete this challenge, students need to learn thirty pieces by the end of April: five hard pieces, ten medium pieces, and fifteen easy pieces. In addition to the musicianship involved, success depends on the student's ability to create and follow a long-term plan.
The Room with Many Doors Challenge
This challenge focuses on reading, responding, and performing. There is a project for each section of the studio’s Room with Many Doors Library. Students have an opportunity to explore different cultural musical styles, composing, arranging, music theory, financial education for artists, helping other students, and performing outside the studio community.
Prizes for these two challenges are picked for the individual and have included hardback copies of "The Neverending Story", sparkle pens, stickers, stuffies of favorite animals, tickets to ride the Seattle Great Wheel, and other wonderful items. Students who complete the 30 Songs Challenge on studio anniversary years get a customized poster with their thirty song titles forming the image of a piano.
Ultimate Student Challenge
This meta-achievement is for students who complete both the 30 Songs Challenge and the Room with Many Doors Challenge in the same year. This is a massive accomplishment and often requires several years of preparation before a student is ready to embark.
The prize is an engraved crystal award by Barone Crystal.
Studio challenges continued in spite of the pandemic. Students earned these awards through independent study and self-motivation during an isolating time. The prizes within reflect their monumental efforts.
