The moment you’ve been waiting for is here at last!  Students arrive early, barely recognizable in suits and ties, frilly dresses, fresh haircuts and hairstyles like you’ve never seen before.  Not one is flaunting long freshly-manicured fingernails, flowing sleeves or micro-mini skirts.  Warm-up time goes smoothly.  You whisper your last minute do’s and don’ts and review proper stage decorum as you seat students in order of performance.

The Master/Mistress of Ceremonies approaches the microphone.  A few parents stand against the wall aligning themselves in the best possible position to adjust their tripods, camera lenses and phone filters to capture these treasured moments in their best light.  A hush falls over the audience as the MC reminds the audience to turn off their cell phones, refrain from close-up photos while students are playing (makes some of them more nervous), tell them where the bathroom is while reminding them of proper concert etiquette, etc. Some may want to start with a short prayer before the first student performs.

We will now begin with our first student, Pianista. She is 5 years old and has been playing piano for three months blah blah blah. She is going to play “Ode to Joy” by Ludwig van Beethoven.   You help her adjust the bench as you sit in your folding chair on her left to play the duet part.  The audience is wowed out by her playing, her outfit and her cuteness.  Next, next, next…all students have performed. Whew! You feel relaxed again- almost.  

Now it’s Your Turn!

To play or not to play? That is the question.  From teacher to teacher there are various points of view.  As a child always considered my teacher’s performance as the highlight of the recital.  I walked away amazed and inspired. The dose of musical adrenaline from the teacher’s performance was enough to keep me practicing in hopes to one day “play like THAT.”

I strive to invoke a similar feeling in my students. Performing has helped me to gain students at the recital or because of the recital.  Teacher performance seems to reinforce to the parents that their child is in “good hands.”  

Teacher performances can enlighten as well as educate and motivate your audience musically.  Practicing can be a challenge especially if you have a full studio or a full-time job plus music students.   Planning to perform is an incentive to keep your skills current.  You certainly wouldn’t want to flop and have a meltdown in front of your students!  If you like performing, play mostly classical music and you’re not Yuja Wang, there are not an abundance of performance opportunities where you can play whatever classical piece you want.  

Recently I have read that some teachers feel that recitals are an opportunity for students to shine and that teachers are “showing up” their students if they perform at recital.  I’m sure this is a valid point to be considered in some instances.  In my particular studio with over 40+ years of performing on recitals and often combining studios with another teacher who performed as well the response has always been quite positive.

If you choose to perform, know your audience. If there are a fair amount of young children in the audience, choose a short piece for yourself and limit each student to one or two pieces.  Limit your recital to roughly an hour. Preserve your sanity!! That being said,  For yourself, choose a familiar, unique or humorous piece or a piece that represents a culture or genre of music that they may not have heard aside from you exposing them to it.  Arrangements of kid-friendly pieces such as arrangements of movie theme or video game songs work well.   Jazz or popular standards, shorter classics or show pieces tend to hold the attention of the young, the old and those who may not be heavy into classical.  

Here are three examples of pieces that the audience really liked when I played them at student recitals.