Time To Rock! A Step-By-Step For Recital Prep

Our next guitar and piano recital is coming up on Saturday, February 23rd, at the Feed And Seed! While recital participation is completely optional, we highly recommend that students under 18 utilize this opportunity for performance practice.

Why do we practice performing? To get better at it, of course! Live performance is another set of skills just like scales or arpeggios. We practice the art of playing our instruments in a live setting to become masters of our nerves. This isn't just a skill that helps us in music, but will help with any sort of public speaking or performance that we have in the future. It also gives us an opportunity to show our progress on piano or guitar and get positive feedback and reinforcement.

Recitals also give us a deadline to meet with our musical goals. If we know that we have a performance scheduled in 6 months and want to learn a challenging piece of music for that performance, we've got a bit more motivation to kick that practicing up a notch, even if we're tired or "not feeling it" some days.

It's also very rewarding to see younger students working at a level you remember yourself being at, and exciting to hear more advanced students playing at a level you'd like to work up to. It gives a sense of perspective and reminds all of us that this is a process!

For parents, this is an excellent time to have a quality bonding experience with your children. Once the recital performance is done, you can praise their performance heartily and treat them to ice cream or a tasty meal. Congratulations are in order for a performance well done, and for some, for conquering stage fright!

Here are a few things you'll want to make sure you're doing in advance of a recital to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible:

1. A few months before the recital, speak with your private lessons instructor about selecting a piece that you're excited to learn and present at the recital.

2. Once the piece has been selected, break it into small bits (even a few measures at a time) and make it a goal to master each section as you go, rather than trying to master the whole thing at once.

3. In the month leading up to the recital, work on polishing the piece with your piano teacher or guitar instructor. Ensure that all your fingerings are correct, your phrasing is accurate, your dynamics and expression are appropriate, your tone is as clear and beautiful as it can be. Work toward turning the notes in the piece into glorious music!

4. Record yourself playing in the weeks before the recital so you can notice if you're rushing or slowing down in certain sections, or if some passages need a little more finessing.

5. The week of the recital, pick out your clothes, Google directions to the venue, and make sure you have all the details of where you'll be performing. When should you arrive? Where should you park? Will there be a warmup time on the stage?

6. The day before the recital, resist the urge to burn yourself out by practicing for 10 hours. Get plenty of sleep, eat a good meal, and relax!

7. The day of the recital, be sure to get that blood flowing by warming up with your favorite technical exercises. Maybe run a passage or two of the piece. Strap on your comfortable shoes and hit the stage!

Do you have any tips on making every recital a successful one? We'd love to hear them. Drop us a line!

If you'd like to get started with your first FREE lesson, contact us today and reserve your time. We would love to have you!