Recitals

[keyofc]

Hello there,
I am planning my first recital.
Can anyone give me tips on what to do and not to do?
Do you usually send out invitations or give a few to each student so they can also send them out?
I was planning on charging them for an extra lesson as I will be spending most of my day with them.  Is this common?
I do encouarge them to learn by memorization, but not all are as good as others.  Do you let your students bring the writtien music up to the piano with them?
Do you turn the pages for them?
Any ideas are welcome!
thanks,

[m1469]

I think that having recitals for your students is one of the best things you can do for them.  I find that they sincerely look forward to the event, even though they are a little nervous leading up to it.  I will say that at this point, my student's recitals are fairly informal.  The focus is definitely on that of providing students with an opportunity to just be in front of a group of people while making music, and to "have fun" while they do it.

My students normally memorize their music, though I do not really push this. I just encourage it. I DO require that they bring their music with them to the recital. We spend ample time in preparation for the recital and several lessons before the actual event, we go through the exact motions that they will go through during the performance.  They bow before and after and when they are rehearsing with me in our lessons, I do not let them stop in the middle of a piece, they must keep going at all costs.

I do not charge my students for my time at the recital.  However, in the past I have charged them each a small fee for the use of the space as well as request them to bring some kind of refreshment to share for a "reception" following the music.

As far as the music itself goes, I have a pretty big variety.  Sometimes there are duets between family members, sometimes I have done duets with my students, and often a number of my students will include in their performance, a composition they have created.  I have also played a composition which one of my students composed and had asked if I would play.

One of the most important things in my opinion, and this is common performance practice, is to leave the audience wanting more.  Also, they always remember the last performance.  I do strategically plan out what order my students are going to perform in, sometimes based on age and sometimes based on age AND repertoire, etc.  For example, since I have all of my students perform in the same recital and I do not separate out the adults from the kids, I will sometimes put a couple of adults back to back to ease any pressure that they may be feeling as a result of being an adult learner amongst a number of kids.

So far, the recitals have always seemed to provide a very positive experience for my students and it certainly helps to give the studio a concrete focus.   I will admit it can seem a little crazy organzing it, but it is always worth it and the parents are as grateful as could be expected.


m1469

[keyofc]

Thanks m1469,
Great ideas !
I'm having each student do three pieces of music - would they do it all at once or would you give them a breather in between their pieces and call them up three separate times?  .
I

[m1469]

Well, I also have my students do about 3 pieces each, sometimes more or less, depeding on the size of the pieces and so on.  I actually make a very simple program for them (and they like to keep that for memorabilia) and I have each student perform all of their pieces in one sitting.  I do this for their sake, actually, as I want them to get through their nerves and reach a point of enjoyment.  If they go up separately for each piece, they may have to experience the nerves somewhat freshly each time, and while that may have some benefit, experiencing nerves is not really the desired function of these recitals.   

Plus, I think it helps the rhythm of the recital overall, the less getting up and down and bowing and applauding, the better (well, the applause is great for them, but you know what I mean).

And, I don't call them up (that's just how I choose to do it), they go up on their own when it comes time, unless there is some kind of situation that means we have to change the order all around.  Then I will call them up.  But generally, after I make my cheesy announcements at the beginning, I want the recital and focus of it to be solely theirs.



m1469 

[gaer]

Just an idea. I don't normally do recitals, but not because they can't be a very good thing. However, the last time I did it, it was really successful, and I tried something totally different. I did a duet with each student.

The plan had been for the students to play first, playing with me second, but I asked each, "How do you feel? Do you feel nervous? Would you like to start with the duet?" Everyone said: "Yes."

If I did another recital, I would do the same thing. After doing the duets, I stayed right there with the little ones, ready to turn pages, etc. I will not allow students to play from memory unless I have checked them very carefully, making them start from countless places from memory, to make sure that they don't get scared and have a bad experience.

Gary

[cora]

It must be exciting for you to do your first recital. It's good to set a precedent with it. Anyways, I'd suggest to keep it under an hour. The food afterwards should be really good and donated by the students' parents. I charged the students $3 one time but in retrospect, it was a mistake. It's much better to absorb the cost yourself. I'd make sure the students are organized by degree of difficulty, starting with the beginners. Sometimes an older beginner can be placed later than their abilities would warrant. At the end, make sure you play something. I love the idea of duets. It can also be nice to have one student accompany a singer or drummer.