Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Piano Recitals bore me

First of all, this is a great topic. I had never thought about doing them before, but I love the idea of themed recitals. Does anyone have any more suggestions?

I have a studio that is half adult students and half children. Do you all think certificates are appropriate for both age groups? What incentives would be appropriate for adult students? I hate the idea that you have to take the fun out of things just to seem more "mature".

To galex: How does one have a hundred appendectomies?

To the topic: Recitals are tricky. I knew of a teacher (she was a bad teacher, just a bad teacher, but this was a good idea) who had her students each play two pieces, but not one after the other--she mixed them up so that parents couldn't leave right after their kid. It was clever but she had too many students for it to work, and also they were quite terrible.

My piano teacher does great recitals! She always has a reception afterwards and she is terrific at keeping the students relaxed--I've been playing for nearly eleven years now and I don't think I've ever seen one of her students choke. I think the setting has a lot to do with it--they are usually in a small chapel or an area where the students are very close to the audience so they don't feel as isolated.

As for themed recitals, every Christmas she sends the better students to the local nursing home and we play Christmas songs for the old folks. They absolutely love it and it really takes pressure off the kids.

I think galex is referring to surgeons who perform appendectomies, and he's right, surgeons get tired of them after awhile.

I have postponed my studio's spring recital until I can come up with an idea to make it more interesting.

At the fall studio recital, I made the mistake of putting everybody in one program, and it ran way too long. The experienced students have become blase about recitals, and they didn't even bother memorizing their pieces. It was such a disaster, it made me re-think my approach to recitals: not as a "dressed rehearsal" to bigger events like festivals and competitions, but as an important concert event in which playing well and being well-prepared matters!!

I need to tell students that recitals are serious events. These events demonstrate to people how much they've progressed since the last recital.

This year I'm trying a themed recital program....all contemporary music (jazz, rags, blues, boogies, rock) The students are really excited about their pieces. I also announce the awards at the end, and we have a reception following.

Surendipity--

I'd want my child to study with you!

What enthusiasm and spirit you have.

One of the best recitals I put on was when I had a section where another member of the student's family also participated with them. (Part of the getting the whole family to enjoy music, not just a kid taking piano lessons)

One father sang while child played. Aunt played flute and student piano. A couple of piano duets. One whole family sang while student acc. etc. This was just one section of the recital. It was not only to involve those in preparation of the recital, but to encourage other families in the audience to also become involved.

Another great recital was when I taught a semester of early composition. This was to very young students but they had to have experienced lessons for at least one year. It was one of my favorite projects and I continued it for several years (for beginners). Students learned things like how many measures make up phrases. Question and Answer phrases. Form (ABA etc). Improve on chords I IV V etc. They then 'composed' several songs and we picked the best for playing. Each composition also had to be written out, which of course involved music notation, and all the pieces were on display.

Recitals can be fun!

Rebekah:

I used to have these massive piano recitals, where I'd rent out city halls...you know the ones, that go on for 3 hours and that's just the performances!..and then there are photos and food after!

Never again...I tried something out last year and it went down a treat with everyone, so I'm doing it this year and probably forever.

I have 2 recitals per term, that's 8 per year. Sounds exhausting but it's not...it's easier than throwing a dinner party for mates.

As I live in a big house and I teach out of my lounge room (living room for you Northerners) which is my version of a very small concert hall (12ft high ceilings, size being, 11 by 9 metres), I hold the recitals there. I have 'themed' recitals...various ages, levels, composers, etc...For example, in May, I'm having a recital containing only the piano music of Yiruma, a South Korean composer who many of my students love. In June, I'm having a recital for '10years and under' piano students. In August, I'm having a 'Young Virtuouso' recital for my advanced and dedicated students. You get the idea.

Only 10 students max, are 'invited' to perform at any one recital, and I do stress 'invited' to all, as I like the students and parents to believe that it is a privelege to perform and not a strenuous labour to do so or to attend (every student gets at least one 'invite' per year, many, two or more) Therefore, total playing time lasts no more than 40 minutes (often, less time)...And after the piano playing, everyone moves into another room and we have a bit of a party...wine, soft drinks and food...where everyone is able to chat intimately and get to know each other, rather than feeling overwhelmed by mass crowds...this, I've witnessed has resulted in many friendships amongst the students and the parents. The whole recital is over in just over an hour. It's been a winner amongst everyone. It's not so much a recital as it is a 'piano soiree'. People like the idea...It's kind of an 'old world' concept and works really well today.

What a great bunch of ideas. I've done recitals for 30+ years and yet, some really great things here I'm itching to try.

Has anyone figured out an easy way to print out threads?

Cut and paste several messages to Word.
then print!

I often even copy/paste to a new email message and save/print.

Yes, but it would be neat if there were a "Reformat to print" option. Maybe someday . . .

John,

Select "Email Post," enter your email address, and select "Entire Thread." You will receive an email version of the entire thread.

Rich

One idea no one has mentioned yet is a costume recital. This idea came from a commenter here a few years ago. I do this every year for my ensemble recital. The students love it! I thought parents might find it a bit too silly, but as long as the costumes are very simple, they're always perfectly happy.

Most years, I also do an outdoor Christmas in July recital. Many students like this performance opportunity best because they can wear whatever they want. And even the older teens enjoy the special visit from a bermuda-shorts-and-sunglasses-wearing Santa.

These are fun, but I also strongly believe in a formal, dress-up recital at least once a year. But formal doesn't have to mean stuffy or boring.

For printing, there's a Topic Options button at the top of the thread. One of the options is "print topic" - it will give you a preview that you can then print with the (what looks to me like a kleenex box but is the) printer icon on your computer

Rich - the e-mail option is really clever.

Cathy

Great ideas everyone! Betty, I was initially reffering to solo recitals and that itself was laborious to me as many people in the audience would look away or somewhere else, I did enquire about student recitals though as it was interesting to me to see how teachers responded to recitals.

Lotus, the city hall thing sounds familiar. I would agree that its not really that tricky to organise piano recitals oppossed to dinner with your mates. Many piano teachers I know confess that you work with the student before the recital but when it comes you just leave them on stage and relax, there is no need to chase ensemble members, nor is there a need to worry about a sound system set up.

Thanks for your home recital ideas its had me thinking now ...

I think the idea of theming it is fun, thats happened in the past but some people have complained of not being 'comfy.'

These ideas are great as I am planning a quartet recital in a month's time, only this time I am planning to have it with a pianist /accompanist, a flautist and 2 vocalists. (4 people performing but a singer is doubling as a pianist). (10 - 15 audience members) I was thinking of a small setting (in my house) with really comfy seats (the couch and people lying on the rug - with cushions on the rug). I was thinking dim lights to make it atmospheric amd candles (one of the singers will sing the 'music of the night' aria from phantom. Also having cocktail food passed around as the performances go on or maybe afterwards when people mingle, I might not bother with a program as its really informal. The emceeing style I hope to achieve is something with wit but at the same time informative, little anecdotes here and there of bloopers during recital or other silly (yet related) instances. Any crticisms? Or comments? I'm always interested to improve the recital set up so the audience will get maximum enjoyment.

Thanks, Rich. Just what I was looking for. A bit oblique, but what works, works!

I have found this thread interesting and am only jumping in to strongly refute the contention proposed by Galex and seconded by Kreisler, that surgeons should find their work boring simply because they do a lot of it.
I cannot speak for a general surgeon performing an appendicectomy, since I am not a general surgeon and I have never performed an appendicectomy – interestingly Mrs W once did when she was a junior doctor, the appendix was normal, because it transpired the patient (a prisoner) had been faking his symptoms to get admitted to hospital from where it had apparently been planned that his accomplices would spring him to freedom.
Unluckily for the prisoner he had faked his symptoms too well, and Mrs W, only a few months out of medical school, got to him before his fellow felons could. He certainly wasn’t going anywhere once she’d been let loose on his appendix. Anyway like Mr Brook with his infernal printing, I digress.
In my particular field I have performed several thousand of the same operation, and have not tired of performing it yet. I have discussed this very point with colleagues (some of whom perform a great deal more of the same operation than me) and we all agree it never get’s boring. Indeed if one gets too casual about this particular procedure you start getting complications. And there’s nothing more boring than a pissed off patient who has had a poor surgical result.
Returning to pianos, and recitals in particular. Over a 40 year career, one teacher may put on perhaps 150 recitals at most – how could this possibly be considered boring on the grounds of repetition? Particularly when spread over such a long time frame. The chorus girl of a long running Broadway musical doesn’t get bored of performing a similar number of shows over a much shorter time frame, let alone the lead actor.
If a teacher considers recitals boring perhaps they shouldn’t put them on.
Personally I would rather let Mrs W loose on my appendix than have to attend a piano recital in fancy dress, or even dress the little W’s up.
Rebeccah, whilst I’m sure that you are a witty and humerous individual, I would much rather my daughters teacher didn’t do a Victor Borge at her recital. If the teacher was good at it, it would detract from the playing and take the limelight away from the real stars (my daughter!), and if, like most piano teachers, you were n’t very good at it, it would be utterly cringe making and put me off going again.
We have now had the same teacher for 6 years and I love going to my daughters teacher’s recitals. I love watching the other children perform – especially the good one’s and I love watching other peoples children progress over the years from elementary pieces to more advanced repetoire, I also thoroughly enjoy having a glass of wine provided by my teacher and nattering to other parents afterwards.
Fortunately I’ve never been called on to perform yet. I know I’d be embarrassingly hopeless!

Thanks Cathy, but I wonder if it would cause problems with the server if someone printed the Chopin Thread?

Rich

I don't know about the server, but one might run out of kleenex -

Cathy

That is something I really miss about teaching in Germany - and our recitals. The local city civic center, aka Kongresshalle, not only had a fantastic Steinway C of recent vintage, you could actually imbibe a bit of wine during intermission. None of my parents complained of longer recitals, especially after a glass of bubbly.

* While one little boy played the star wars theme, two other little boys did a light saber sword fight in their Jedi Costumes.

*Some of my students do puppet shows while other students accompany on the piano....Kind of like the muppet show....

*I keep the recital to no more than 60 minutes

*Some of my students improvise their piece AT the recital.

*Some of my students write their own original pieces

*I pick one student to "design" the program art-work.

*I allow them to play on the grand piano and a digital piano with interesting sounds.

I suppose my recitals can also be called shows.

Ah cha, cha, cha!