Gratitude

Here is a tradition I started last year and plan to continue annually at our spring recital. I write a thank you note for each of my students. They are not lengthy notes -- perhaps one or two sentences long. The act of thinking and writing these notes helps me focus my attitude on the things that I find special about each student and our relationship.

For my youngest students, I might draw a note in picture language and include a few stickers:

For other students I might include a little card with one or two quotes that can be hung up in the child's bedroom or placed inside the instrument case, which is where many of my students kept them this past year. 

This "thank you" task may take a few minutes of my time, but I like the way I feel about my students, their parents, my studio, and the past teaching year after I have finished.

Thanks! Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

May Day! May Day! Studio Recital Stress!

This month seemed liked the perfect time to talk about upcoming recitals and preparation to avoid any undue stress associated with the event. There are many possibilities to structure studio activities in a way that eliminates or minimizes potential stressors. Here are a few ideas.

Weekly Observation

I actually begin this particular activity in March at the end of our spring break, but teachers can begin this activity at any time. My purpose here is to capture what I need for the recital. So I grab a small legal pad and start taking notes as I observe things that need to be done, come up with ideas for the recital, or think of things that I need to remember. My legal pad fills up rather quickly within 2 days. Here are the sorts of things I include on my list as I note them during the usual weekly lessons.

·      Recital selections: I begin noting the particular pieces that each student would likely perform well and make plans to be sure the student is ready to go by the recital date. 

·      Tools I Need at the Recital: I begin making my list of items I need to bring to  the recital, such as:

o   Piano foot stool

o   Piano cushions of varying height; I need one for myself as well

o   Suzuki piano accompaniment books (this is almost a list in itself!)

o   Other piano accompaniment books (nonSuzuki repertoire or special group class arrangements)

o   Tuner: I use a special tuner that sounds rather loudly to help me do the pre-recital violin tuning. This is a different tuner than my regular tuning app on my iPhone, so I need to remember to bring it.

o   Extra rosin, so I can rosin any bows that I find a quart low during the tuning process

o   My own instrument

o   The printed programs, which I ask students to fold for me at the recital. I also ask students to act as ushers before the recital begins.

·      Items we need for after the recital: We have a reception after the recital, and we bring refreshments for this. I do this informally rather than a sign-up sheet, and it usually works out. I do, however, bring the “extras,” as you will see listed here.

o   Napkins, plates, utensils, cups

o   Any item that would help a quick clean up after the recital, such as:

§  A dustpan and brush

§  Bottle of window cleaner

§  Roll of paper towels

o   I ask parents to discuss amongst themselves what they might bring, and possibly ask someone to be in charge of providing drinks.

Recital Preparation

I make sure that everyone has chosen his or her recital pieces with my approval by the week after spring break. This gives everyone at least a month to have any final teaching points learned and pieces memorized. I have a rule that students must have their pieces memorized by one month before the recital date. On occasion I have permitted a student to play a particularly tricky memory piece with music if there are extenuating circumstances, such as a student has been heavily involved with school performances that require a great deal of memorization. I use my discretion and sparingly, but there are times when this is the obvious solution to a difficult set of circumstances outside of my or the student’s control.

I have made sure to inform the parents before the beginning of the semester concerning the recital date, but I remind parents often again from this point on, just in case someone has forgotten to put the information on the family calendar or there is a new parent who is unfamiliar with the recital process.

I remind students weekly about the recital and the need to be ready. I think I will do a “recital countdown” sign at the studio next year, with the number of days remaining before the recital, and I will hang it on the studio door.

Countdown to the Recital

One month before the recital, I check memory issues. I have reminded students for several weeks before this date, and I have also helped memory issues along the way. Still, there needs to be a deadline, and I have chosen the one month out from the recital as the deadline for this. I usually am the accompanist for my students’ recitals, but if my students were to use someone else, then they would need to make these arrangements by this time if they had not already done so. These students must schedule accompanist rehearsals for the next few weeks.

Two weeks before I begin typing up the program. I take my recital piece selections list and begin entering it in the computer. If I have any issues, I take care of them in these last two weeks:

• I verify the correct spelling of my students’ names and their accompanists.
• I like to add the child’s age to the program, so I verify my students’ current ages at the time of the recital.
• If I have time, I like to include a sentence or two about the children’s other interests, such as black belt in karate, tennis competitor, ice skater, artist, and so forth.
• I adjust the order of the program to fit whatever direction I determine is appropriate for this time. I often go in order of the book songs, with a tweak here and there to avoid repetition of the same pieces (more than one performance of a piece does not bother me at all, and I think it should not bother the parents and students either). The program could also go in order of children’s ages, and that would provide lots of variety. Sometimes I have even ordered the program by listing a piece from each book and rotating. There are many possibilities here.

One week before the recital, I do these things:

• Finalize the program and print out the final version
• Get the program printed. This is as simple as running colored paper through a copy machine, but I have also had office supply stores or copy centers print the copies for me.
• Send a final email reminder to parents about the recital.
• Date and time
• Location, address, and directions if needed or a GPS link
• Any other special information or instructions, such as
• Remember to bring items for the reception
• Be there early for tuning or to help younger students tune
• Help to set up for the reception
• Watch out for any anticipated traffic issues (this is prom and commencement season, so there are days that have heavier traffic surprises on occasion)
• Check the state of recital preparation one last time
• Remind students to do extra listening and practice in this remaining week.

Whew! This article turned out longer than I thought! I am glad that I started writing this out, because now I have my own checklist to follow for recital preparation. I feel better already and less stressed because I now have a list to guide me. In future articles, I intend to list things that need to be done at the recital, so be sure to add your comments below so we can add your ideas to the checklist!

Let me know if you have any other items to suggest to the list.

Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

Simple Things to Help Your Child Prepare for a Recital

This is the time of year when studios prepare to give spring recitals. As I prepare my own students for their performances, I thought of a few things that parents could do at home to help their student prepare for this big event.

• Make sure that the student listens regularly to the piece that the student will perform. Extra solid listening will help the student to feel more confident during the performance. 

• Make sure that the student has learned the correct notes of the song that he or she will play. 

• Make sure that the student has learned the correct bowing.

• Make sure that the student has memorized the piece and help him or her to complete this important part of learning a song well. I prefer that students complete final memorization one month before the performance.

• Make sure that the student plays the recital piece daily in the last month before the performance. Please do not neglect this task as it is key to the child performing confidently under any circumstances.

• Make sure that the student practices recital etiquette -- the formal bow before and after the performance, the steps to get ready for proper playing position, and how to negotiate any special clothing (make sure in advance that recital clothes do not hamper proper movement while playing, shoes are not uncomfortable, and neckties do not get in the way performance posture).

Simple advice, right? I think this advice is common sense. Still, I found this past month that for some of my students, I have had to resort to practice plans that ask my students to play their pieces a certain number of times each day in order to be sure that the pieces were learned thoroughly and well. I had to resort to this type of assignment -- which I do not generally like because it does not require much thought on the student's or parent's part -- because some of my students and their parents had neglected some or many of the above points. I begin the final preparations for my studio recital around mid-March, after the winter/spring break, so that my students have ample time to be prepared. Still, I find that in some cases I need to resort to more elementary assignments in order to ensure my students' performance success.

Remember that the best goal for your student's recital performance is to have a resounding success! Think about what you need to do to create the perfect environment for a resounding success, and then make sure that you follow your plan.

Monday Morning Check In: Celebrate Milestones

Written by Paula E. Bird ©2013

Yesterday was my studio's spring recital. We discovered several things.

First, the studio has grown to the point that we have outgrown the venue we used yesterday. Although I enjoy using the community room of our local library (they maintain a grand piano in very good condition for the room), there are not enough chairs and space to accommodate all of the students and their guests, especially considering that not all the students were even able to participate. So, we will begin looking for more commodious space for next year.

Violin Studio (west side)

Violin Studio (east side)

 Second, there are several good reasons to celebrate our achievements with a big recital event at the end of the school year. The recital is a big milestone for most families, as it represents the end of a school year's worth of practice and lessons, and the recital presents an opportunity to pull everything learned throughout the year together for the final recital of the season.

Touchstones

The recital is one touchstone to measure students' progress. For example, as my students performed, I found myself recalling the students' performances in the recital from last year. One student was in the last half of book 4, and in this recital she was now solidly in book 5. Another student performed last year in book 5 and now was solidly in book 6 with one of the best "La Folia" presentations I have ever witnessed. Another student played the first song in book 5 last year and presented the last song in book 6 this year. While each student performed, I mentally created placeholders in my mind to help me remember the students' lines of progress for next year's recital.

Piano Studio

Messages

The recital provides parents with reassuring messages that all the hard work that parents have put into the students' practices and lessons during the school year have paid off. The students really did make progress. The hard work really mattered, parents think, as they witness their children performing with self-confidence and assurance and take their final bows with smiles to celebrate their success.

Reality Check

The recital provides parents (and sometimes students) a reality check that success results from the formula of:

• daily practice (discipline, perseverance, memory, concentration and focus, parental involvement)
• listening to reference recordings (environment, memory, role modeling)
• consistent attendance at learning events (lessons and group classes, environment, memory, role modeling, parental involvement)

Skimp on any one of these areas, and parents and students may pay the price later in a recital situation. Students may find that they have fallen behind other students who began lessons at the same time. Although I never advocate that parents and students compare themselves with others, the reality check is that parents and students will be mindful of where they stack up in the scheme of things. If parents make this comparison in order to remind themselves to keep to the plan and do the work that is required, then this aspect of the recital is a good thing, as it will benefit the students in the long run to have the parents recommit to being engaged in their children's lessons. Neglect any aspect of the successful learning program, however, and parents and students may sadly discover that the students are unable to perform and participate with the level of self-confidence necessary to experience a successful recital event.

Community

High Schoolers!

The recital event also allows the studio community to pull together for a common purpose. Most of my parents and students arrived early to help me set up the venue. We moved chairs, set up the piano, and readied the reception tables for our after-recital fellowship. Several advanced students volunteered to help the younger students check tuning, store cases out of the way of the audience, and set up the physical accoutrements needed for the performance (music stand, foot stools, bench cushions for the piano, piano accompaniment books, and several mothers displayed bunches of flowers). During the recital, one student stepped up to assume the role of stage manager; he consistently set up the music stand when needed and moved it out of the way after use.

After the recital, parents arranged the food table to accommodate the students and other guests. The students and their families and guests shared congratulations on successful performances, and everyone joined in the picture-taking. We all pitched in to clear the venue of chairs and piano so that we could restore the venue to its original empty room state. And, of course, everyone was eager to take home all the leftovers!

Commitment

The recital also provides parents, students, and their teacher an opportunity to renew a commitment to continue the work that we have been doing. In some cases, students graduate and move on to the next phase of their life, and music will play a role in some way for that student. For the parents, they will have the strong bond and relationship forged by the effort that the parents have put into their child's music learning program. For parents whose students are still in school for another year or more, the recital reminds the families of the valuable lessons that music study provides for the family and its members. Parents and students alike renew their commitment to continue lessons. It was all worth it, and what will come in the future remains to be seen, but it is worth the effort to travel down that road and find out.

My graduating senior!

As the students grow up, it is important for us to provide these opportunities to celebrate the milestones along the way. These momentary snapshots will serve as important memories when these students move on to the next stages of their lives.

I am so proud of my students and their families! The recital milestone is important for me to recognize how much work my students and their families accomplished and be assured of the high the level of commitment that everyone has given to the program. I am pleased beyond words to share this momentous milestone with my studio family!