One thing I'm noticing myself asking a lot lately is "Are there any notes you need to write for yourself so you can practice this week?" I'm also happy to report that many of my students are saying yes and writing in things that are helping them...whether it's the name of a note that took them a while to figure out in the lesson, a reminder that both hands play that section, or finger numbers for a tricky spot. This has been super helpful because it is helping them determine what information they need to have in front of them to be able to successfully practice the song. It also means I am more confident that they will play correctly. So, what steps have I been taking to get them into the habit of writing notes but only the notes they need? Here are a few steps.
1) Make sure there is a pencil available. For in person lessons, I have a pencil on the piano and they can grab it any time they need to take notes. For online students, I ask "Do you have a pencil handy?" If not, they need to grab one. I'll wait.
2) The method books I use always gives hand position clues at the beginning on the song in the form of finger number on ____? So everyone fills in the name of the first note for each hand. Hey, our first note before we even started learning the song!
3) I tell them exactly what to write. I point to a note in the music and tell them "Write 'B' next to this note" or "Circle these notes that are played at the same time." Once they have been told a few times, they normally are able to catch on and start asking if they can write in a note here and there. The answer is yes. You can. This also allows them to verify with me that they are thinking correctly and it seems less intimidating when it's just part of prepping for practice for the week.
4) I give guidelines for making notes in practice. Things like "If you keep having to stop to figure out a note, write it's name in." It's simple, but it works. I don't think many are in the habit of doing that yet, but I am training them to be good note writers, and they are getting good at catching what things they will have questions on during practice and preemptively writing the note or asking the question before their lesson ends.
Are my students' pages filled with notes? No. But I also want them to realize there is no shame in having a few helpful reminders written in. It's not like I'm shy about still writing in the names of notes that have lots of ledger lines...
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