student masterclass

[daidaipa]

HI Everyone,

I am throwing together a masterclass for 10 of my students. I have grouped them together particulary by age. This group is from age 8 to 12. They are mixed levels but I wanted to talk to them about performance strategies and ways to conquer stagefrights. any suggestions of specific topics or ways to get the concepts across?

henry

[lostinidlewonder]

For kids I always tell them, LISTEN TO YOURSELF PLAY. If you start thinking of the audience you will just make yourself nervous or over anxious to finish playing your piece. So before you even play, just hit a few notes just to listen to the piano. Then start when you are ready. Don't make the first note u play the peice you are playing, even play one arpeggio or something that just breaks the silence then start.

[pianowelsh]

at that age keep it fun.
Video them and have a little laugh with them about it. Get them to practice bowing to each other that way it's not specifically music and they can practise being up there in fornt of each other as a separate entity from playing their piece. Get them all to say one good thing and one criticism of each other (it's different coming from someone other than their teacher!). It's fun to get them to introduce the piece to and again if everyone does it it takes the competitive edge out of the playing because different ones will have different strengths.

[pianoannie]

Encourage them to focus on the "big picture."  Students can be so hard on themselves if they play one wrong note, yet totally forget to pay attention to the overall musicality of the piece.  Tell them to focus on the overall story or emotion that the piece is trying to convey, and that a wrong note is no reason to panic.  Just keep going, playing as expressively as possible.
Also, encourage the student to perform their pieces for neighbors or relatives, a small audience of one or two people, or even tape record themselves, just to put a little pressure on as they practice.  This will reveal any weak spots.

[ChristmasCarol]

I heard about a class at Julliard the other day that addresses stage fright.  Apparently they have the students perform and people talk over the music, drop 2x4's, and generally do everything possible to distract the performance. 

I teach my students to have an imaginary audience while they are preparing for the performance.  That way, if the audience they get isn't to their liking they can just "call up" the imaginary one.  I did this by instinct myself.  When I was a kid I used to stand on a huge rock as my stage, and sing my heart out.  I had the best audience.  Boy did they love me.  They asked for encores, were in the hundreds, etc.