#114 Practice with a Hard - Working Thankful Turkey
- Christy | the Practice Pro
- Nov 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 24
By Christy | The Practicing Pro
What if your child's music practice this Thanksgiving could do more than just build skills — what if it could also build a beautiful heart?
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki believed exactly that. He famously said, "Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens, noble human beings. If a child hears fine music from the day of his birth, and learns to play it himself, he develops sensitivity, discipline and endurance. He gets a beautiful heart."
Beautiful music.
Beautiful hearts.
That's what we're really doing when we show up for practice each day, isn't it?
This Thanksgiving season, I've created a brand-new one-sheet Thankful Turkey activity that combines hard work in music with the practice of gratitude — and I can't wait to share it with you!
Beautiful Music Makes Beautiful Hearts
Dr. Suzuki's philosophy wasn't just about creating musicians. After witnessing the devastation of World War II in Japan, he dedicated his life to nurturing children who would become kind, peaceful human beings. His motto? "Character first, ability second."
He often reminded teachers and parents: "Beautiful tone, beautiful heart."
The idea is simple but profound — when your child works hard to create something beautiful on their instrument, that beauty doesn't just stay in the music. It grows inside them too.
When you combine that daily effort with intentional moments of gratitude, something magical happens. Your child begins to connect their hard work with thankfulness. They start to notice how fortunate they are to play music, to have a teacher who believes in them, to have a parent who shows up for practice every single day.
That's the heart of this activity!
Introducing the One-Sheet Hard-Working Thankful Turkey
We've designed a brand-new turkey at Practicing Pro, that makes this activity SO easy for teachers and parents alike. It's a beautiful, colourful one-sheet printable — just print and go!
Here's what makes it special:
For Teachers: No cutting, gluing, or assembling! You can colour print at home OR order colour copies from your local print shop (like Staples or Business Depot). If you have 50 students? Order 50 copies, pick them up ready to go, and you have a beautiful, professional lesson activity for the week before Thanksgiving with no prep work.
Your parents will LOVE this. They'll see the care you put into their child's lesson and feel confident that you're teaching more than just music — you're helping develop beautiful character and qualities that will last a lifetime. This IS the Suzuki philosophy in action!
For Parents: Print one turkey and work on it throughout your home practice session. Or print more and do one each day leading up to Thanksgiving!
The Power of "Hard Work" Language
Here's something I do that I want you to try: I use the words "hard work" as often as I can during practice!
When you introduce the turkey, say something like: "This is our hard-working turkey! We're going to work hard playing our song and thinking about something specific, and then we're going to fill in a hard-working feather!"
This language sets your child up to know:
They're going to work hard
It's going to be FUN to work hard
They ARE hard-working!
At the end of the lesson or practice, you can look at their turkey together and say, "WOW! You did [four] hard-working feathers today! You are SO hard-working!"
Focus on What They DID Accomplish
Here's a secret that will change your practices or lessons:
Always end by celebrating what your child accomplished — not what didn't go perfectly.
Let's say your child focused well for 10 minutes but then struggled for the last 10 minutes. That's okay! You can still end with a bow, look at their turkey with its three or four completed feathers, and say, "Wow! You did four hard-working things today. Nice job!" Put the focus on what they DID DO.
If they filled every single feather? "WOW! You filled up every feather — you were SO hard-working today!"
If they didn't finish all the feathers? Also Perfect! Here's what you say:
"Wow! You did four hard-working things today. Nice job!" You can finish the other three feathers at home! Every day you practice, fill out one more feather. Will you do that?"
(Wait for them to say yes.)
Then turn to the parent: "Will you help them do that and send me a picture when it's done?"
When both the child AND the parent say yes, something powerful happens. Your child has made a commitment they can easily keep, and the parent is on board to help them succeed. That's the Suzuki triangle working beautifully!
Creative Ways to Use Your Thankful Turkey:
For Teachers:
Create a Wall of Gratitude: Take a photo of each child holding their completed turkey or keep their turkeys fr the week and let them know they can take it home NEXT leeson. (If you do this its best to let them know at the start before you even show them the activity to set them up with that expectation and avoid disappointment) and create a huge display by Thanksgiving. When parents come in and see a room FULL of beautiful things that children are thankful for, it fills your studio with the most incredible feeling!
Clothesline Display: If you have a hallway, string up a clothesline and hang all the completed turkeys with clothespins. It's a stunning visual reminder of your students' hard work!
Instagram Reel or Carousel: Take photos or short videos of each child with their turkey and create a beautiful reel showing your studio community. Parents love to see this, and it shows the world the heart behind your teaching!
Tip: For privacy, have students write their name on the BACK of the turkey. Some of the things they share might feel really personal and special.
For Parents at Home:
One Turkey Per Day: Print seven turkeys and fill out one each day during practice (like an advent). By Thanksgiving, you'll have a whole flock!
Thanksgiving Centerpiece: Display the completed turkey as a centerpiece at your Thanksgiving table. Go around and read all the feathers — it's a beautiful conversation starter! Then invite everyone at the table to share what they're thankful for too.
Turn Your Turkey Into a Gift!
Here's one of my favourite ideas: Transform your completed turkey into a card and deliver it to a neighbour with a homemade treat!
On the back of the turkey, write:
"These are some of the things I'm thankful for — and I'm thankful for YOU too!"
"I worked hard on this turkey and I'm working hard on being thankful. Thank you for being my neighbor!"
"Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving from our hard-working family to yours!"
Pair it with:
A bag of fresh cranberries with a pretty bow on top (red, gold, or silver Christmas bows work beautifully and are in stores right now!)
Cookies your child helped bake
A small pumpkin pie
Homemade bread or muffins
Delivering these gifts teaches your child to reach outside their comfort circle. Some people live alone and might be lonely. When your child sees that they can make others happy by sharing what they've created through hard work, they grow to appreciate everything they have just a little bit more.
Three Levels of Difficulty
The new Thankful Turkey printable comes in three levels so you can choose what works best for your student or child:
Simple Version: Just fill in the feathers with words or short phrases
Intermediate Version: Write complete sentences about gratitude
Advanced Version: Reflect more deeply on WHY they're thankful and they can write the title on the feather and more details on the back.
Choose the level that's right for your player and watch them shine!
What Will Your Turkey Say?
Gratitude is a learned behavior — just like playing an instrument! Dr. Suzuki taught us that "ability can be learned," and that includes the ability to notice and appreciate the good things in our lives.
When your child fills out those feathers after working hard in their practice, they're not just building musical skills. They're building the sensitivity, discipline, and endurance that Dr. Suzuki believed would give them a beautiful heart.
And isn't that what we're really doing here? Growing musicians AND growing beautiful human beings, one hard-working feather at a time.
Download your Thankful Turkey printable below and get started today. I can't wait to see your turkeys — please send me photos!
You've got this!
DOWNLOAD YOUR THANKFUL TURKEY:
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