We’ve developed a tradition of gift giving for the first week of school.

I want families to receive as much value from being in our studio as possible. A gift is an easy way for me to add disproportionate value (low time, low cost, high reward).

Here is what we included in our Back To School gifts this year.

I used manilla envelopes as the gift bag. Their name and stickers written on the outside.

I wrote and signed a welcome letter. Folded in a copy of our Studio Handbook and recent Transparency Report.

We put in 2 HB Black pencils with great erasers. My favorite pen: Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine. And an assortment of stickers.

There were two crown jewels!

1. I designed a studio calendar which contains every day of the school year (hard to find). The goal is for every child to circle the days they practice. We’ll count up how many circles we have as an entire studio at the end of the year!

I’m keeping my practice calendar (pictured below) up on the bulletin board outside of the studio.

2. A collection of musical themed Croc charms (REALLY hard to find)! There is only one set with a violin in it which I’ll link here. We’re up to 90% croc wearing in the studio so it something affordable they can enjoy. It also reinforces their musical identity. For those who don’t wear Crocs I gave a few alternative suggestions for how to use the charms.

I will keep this gift tradition going for many years to come. We ask for so much from families and it feels great to give them a gift to support the launch of their year.