The Practice for the Elephants Contest begins today and runs for 4 weeks through May 27th.

What Is the Practice for the Elephants Contest?

Students practice and earn two cents for every minute practiced over the course of 4 weeks. At the end, students total up the funds they raise, which is used to foster 10 orphaned elephants, we will continue to support the elephants we began to foster last year. If there are extra funds (it’s $50 a year for each elephant) we will donate them to be used by the Trust where most needed. Printed handouts on the contest, as well as the practice sheets and contest rules, are in the studio.
These African elephants have been orphaned due to the illegal poaching of elephants for their ivory. The use of ivory for piano keys once contributed to the ivory trade. Of course, ivory is no longer used; polymers and mixtures of plastics are used instead for the key tops.

Click here for the PDF with more details on contest, and and why we do it!

Click here for more information about the The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

This contest was created by friend and fellow piano instructor, Penny Lazarus.

Want to be a matching donor for a piano student practicing for the elephants? Contact me here. If you’re part of the studio, let me know in lessons and I’ll pair you up with a young student!

Two of our baby elephants:

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I will be posting updates on the students’ progress practicing as well as about our foster elephants throughout the contest.

Piano and other teachers interested in this contest, you can contact me here.