Recital: How does it work anyways?

These tips will help to show/explain how exactly the recital works and runs.  (I have or will be discussing each of these with every student at our lessons and we will practice going over them, but it is always helpful for parents to go over them with the child as well.)

1.  When you arrive at the church you will get a program with the order of who is playing when.  Please keep track of where you are in the program.  To help keep the recital moving along is no emcee and no announcing of names of students or pieces.

2.  Choose any seat you wish.  Students and families can all sit together.

3.  When it is your turn please walk up to the piano, stand beside the bench, turn to face the audience and BOW - don't forget to smile!  (Audience claps here)

4.  Sit down, adjust the bench if you need to, get your music in order, find your hand position, Take a Deep Breath, and play.  (do not rush any of these items.  Rushing can lead to more nerves and possibly more mistakes)  Remember if you make a mistake, it's ok!  Try your best not to stop and fix it but just keep playing.

5.  After you play your last notes, put your hands in your lap, then stand up, get your music, face the audience and BOW - don't forget to smile! (Audience claps here)

6. Walk back to your seat, the next person walks up.

When everyone has finished performing, I will usually say a few closing words which are followed by the reception of goodies and drinks.

Recital Tips 2

So How Does it Work Anyway?

Everyone knows that you play your song at the recital and that you will be watching other people play as well, but how exactly does it work?  What do we do besides play?

These tips will help to show/explain how exactly the recital works and runs.  (I have or will be discussing each of these with every student at our lessons and we will practice going over them, but it is always helpful for parents to go over them with the child as well.)

1.  When you arrive at the church you will get a program with the order of who is playing when.  Please keep track of where you are in the program.  To help keep the recital moving along is no emcee and no announcing of names of students or pieces.

2.  Choose any seat you wish.  Students and families can all sit together.

3.  When it is your turn please walk up to the piano, stand beside the bench, turn to face the audience and BOW.  (Audience claps here)

4.  Sit down, adjust the bench if you need to, get your music in order, find your hand position, Take a Deep Breath, and play.  (do not rush any of these items.  Rushing can lead to more nerves and possibly more mistakes)

5.  After you play your last notes, put your hands in your lap, then stand up, get your music, face the audience and BOW. (Audience claps here)

6. Walk back to your seat, the next person walks up.

When everyone has finished performing, I will usually say a few closing words which are followed by the reception of goodies and drinks.

Recital Tips

Each week leading up to the Christmas Recital on December 8, to help students and family prepare for the recital, I will be posting a number of tips.  Each will focus on a different subject pertaining to recitals.

Recital Tips 1: Prep

Each student has now chosen their recital piece and has been working on it for a few weeks already.   It is important to remember for everyone that students are expected to practice their piece everyday leading up to the recital.

Practice your piece everyday.  Hands separate, hands together, slowly, in small sections.

Once you can play through your piece HT,  perform it for whoever will listen!  Mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, mailman!  Also playing it in various locations - does your neighbour have a piano you can play it on? school? grandmas?  The more you perform your song for people on various pianos, the more it will help you feel comfortable on recital day.

As the recital nears, please practice in the outfit and shoes that you plan on wearing at the recital.  You will want to know if there are any parts of the outfit that might distract you (like long sleeves), but most importantly is the shoes, especially if you are playing a piece with a pedal.

Recital Tips 3

So How Does it Work Anyway?

Everyone knows that you play your song at the recital and that you will be watching other people play as well, but how exactly does it work?  What do we do besides play?

These tips will help to show/explain how exactly the recital works and runs.  (I have or will be discussing each of these with every student at our lessons and we will practice going over them, but it is always helpful for parents to go over them with the child as well.)

1.  When you arrive at the church you will get a program with the order of who is playing when.  Please keep track of where you are in the program.  To help keep the recital moving along is no emcee and no announcing of names of students or pieces.

2.  Choose any seat you wish.  Students and families can all sit together.

3.  When it is your turn please walk up to the piano, stand beside the bench, turn to face the audience and BOW.  (Audience claps here)

4.  Sit down, adjust the bench if you need to, get your music in order, find your hand position, Take a Deep Breath, and play.  (do not rush any of these items.  Rushing can lead to more nerves and possibly more mistakes)

5.  After you play your last notes, put your hands in your lap, then stand up, get your music, face the audience and BOW. (Audience claps here)

6. Walk back to your seat, the next person walks up.

When everyone has finished performing, I will usually say a few closing words which are followed by the reception of goodies and drinks.

Recital Tips 2

Each week leading up to the Christmas Recital on December 3, to help students and family prepare for the recital, I will be posting a number of tips.  Each will focus on a different subject pertaining to recitals.

In the weeks leading up to our recital, you can…

1. be their “pretend audience”. Sit down regularly and enjoy some practice performances. Make sure they add their bow before and after they play. It’s great performance practice to play for even just one set of undistracted eyes.

2. remind them to visit the piano frequently throughout the week to practice their recital piece. Regular practice is the most effective way of ensuring a successful recital performance.

3. offer lots of encouragement as they practice. Let your child know just how excited you are to watch them share their music. 

4. ask your child to play for friends and family who stop by your home or set up opportunities for others to hear them play (invite grandparents over, play at auntie’s dinner party etc). Not only does this provide great performance practice, but it also shows how much you value all of their hard work.

5. find a way to mark this event as something special. Selecting a special outfit to wear to the recital, inviting family friends to attend, or buying your child flowers all contribute to showing them that the performance is meaningful, important and valued. It doesn’t have to be anything grand… often simply a heart-felt note left on the piano is all it takes.

Check back in the upcoming weeks for more recital tips.

Recital Tips 1

Each week leading up to the Christmas Recital on December 3, to help students and family prepare for the recital, I will be posting a number of tips.  Each will focus on a different subject pertaining to recitals.

Recital Tips 1: Prep

Each student has now chosen their recital piece and will begin in the next few weeks.  It is important to remember for everyone that students are expected to practice their piece for the entire month leading up to the recital.

Practice your piece everyday.  Hands separate, hands together, slowly, in small sections.

Once you can play through your piece HT,  perform it for whoever will listen!  Mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, mailman!  Also playing it in various locations - does your neighbour have a piano you can play it on? school? grandmas?  The more you perform your song for people on various pianos, the more it will help you feel comfortable on recital day.

As the recital nears, please practice in the outfit and shoes that you plan on wearing at the recital.  You will want to know if there are any parts of the outfit that might distract you (like long sleeves), but most importantly is the shoes, especially if you are playing a piece with a pedal.

Recital Tip Tuesday

In the upcoming weeks to help students and family prepare for the Christmas Recital I will be posting a number of recital tips.  Each will focus on a different subject pertaining to recitals.

Recital Tips 1: Prep

Each student has now chosen their recital piece and has begun it or will begin it this week.  It is important to remember for everyone, students and parents, that students are expected to practice their piece for the entire month leading up to the recital.

Practice your piece everyday.  Hands separate, hands together, slowly, in small sections.

Once you can play through your piece HT,  perform it for whoever will listen!  Mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, mailman!  Also playing it in various locations - does your neighbour have a piano you can play it on? school? grandmas?  The more you perform your song for people on various pianos, the more it will help you feel comfortable on recital day.

As the recital nears, please practice in the outfit and shoes that you plan on wearing at the recital.  You will want to know if there are any parts of the outfit that might distract you, but most importantly is the shoes, especially if you are playing a piece with a pedal.

Recital Tips

I'm so about our upcoming Christmas Recital.  All of the student have selected the piece that they are going to perform and I know each student is really looking forward to sharing it with everyone.

The weeks leading up to a recital can provide some of the most valuable learning opportunities in a young piano student’s education. Because of this, I wanted to share some tips on how you can be involved in your child's recital preparations. 

In the weeks leading up to our recital, you can…

1. be their “pretend audience”. Sit down regularly and enjoy some practice performances. Make sure they add their bow before and after they play. It’s great performance practice to play for even just one set of undistracted eyes.

2. remind them to visit the piano frequently throughout the week to practice their recital piece. Regular practice is the most effective way of ensuring a successful recital performance.

3. offer lots of encouragement as they practice. Let your child know just how excited you are to watch them share their music. 

4. ask your child to play for friends and family who stop by your home or set up opportunities for others to hear them play (invite grandparents over, play at auntie’s dinner party etc). Not only does this provide great performance practice, but it also shows how much you value all of their hard work.

5. find a way to mark this event as something special. Selecting a special outfit to wear to the recital, inviting family friends to attend, or buying your child flowers all contribute to showing them that the performance is meaningful, important and valued. It doesn’t have to be anything grand… often simply a heart-felt note left on the piano is all it takes.

Check back in the upcoming weeks for more recital tips.