In this practice paper, I discuss the role of ritual building as seen in an informal music/piano learning setting. Drawing on two specific examples from my piano studio, I examine how child-driven rituals can operate in the lesson setting and what they can do for the developing musical learner. I discuss the similar but differing purposes of routine and ritual, where routine is seen as a means of efficiency and ritual is seen as a symbolic process of meaning-making among the members of a group. I suggest that the development of ritual in music learning settings allows for 1) communication of what children value out of their unique personality, 2) a sense of belonging and safety, 3) making something known through narrative mediation, 4) bonding with the material, 5) coming to a space of self-knowledge and identity, 6) making their learning beautiful and their ability possible, and 7) integrating their worlds. The use of ritual forges a space where children can grapple with elements of their musical culture and establish themselves within it. The focus of the paper is not on the informal setting per se, but on the importance and purpose of ritual in learning contexts which the informal setting allows for.