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For what it's worth, I'm with you on this. NOT everyone wants to perform for other people, and I agree that they shouldn't have to. I had to as a kid. I hated it. Did it help me in ANY way? I think not.

Sometimes I cook just because I'm hungry and I need to eat.
More often I love to cook and prepare something tasty, be it for myself, for my husband and me, or for friends.

There are times when I will go to great length to prepare something pretty spectucular - because it is really fun, and when I do so , I really love to share it with people I care about, and people I know will enjoy it.

With my music, I love to play, just for myself. I enjoy playing for my husband (my biggest supporter!). and I enjoy playing for my friends.

I am not sure that I'd want to play for strangers, but if I did end up doing so, I'd want to be good enough to serve up something special - something that would be worth their time.

What I would have trouble with would be being pushed, coerced or nagged into performing in public.

I know the OP was talking about teen-agers, but as the topic shifted to provide some adult perspectives (and I couldn't resist the lovely food analogy)... I thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

That was my point. It easily works in favor of both arguments.

And I agree with you - I don't really understand why teachers insist on one or the other, except in the case of young students, many of whom will insist they don't want to perform, yet when they do, become very interested and comfortable with the idea. (Plus, it's often a very good motivator and educational experience. There are many, many fields which require adherence to a deadline and communicating with an audience, so the educational value, at least for younger students, reaches far beyond the musical realm.)

Everyone should try it a few times, especially when younger, but I see no reason it has to be mandatory.

I would argue that there are many many opportunities for adherence to a deadline and communication with a "public" that a youngster encounters quite early in life, for educational purposes. Starting with homework and class presentations.. Being forced to play in a recital does not necessarily translate into excellent communication skills or improved social aptitude. It may even lead to the opposite, arguably. I think that when it comes to music, the main educational value should be to develop joy, love and longing for music. Mostly for oneself or at least, not necessarily for others.

Mind you I am not a warm and fuzzy type and I value the pragmatic just as much as the beautiful. But I find that "piano education" is often ridden with cliches that get transmitted unadulterated, from teacher to student. Respecting a deadline is a somewhat overrated "value". Navigating deadlines is an art that most adults learn on the go. No piano recital necessary. By the way, even adults, piano teachers included, (mostly) respond to deadlines out of concern for consequences and not willingly!

Just to add - it's probably pretty clear I am not in favor of recitals being mandatory (or really at all) but there does need to be something to replace them. Two examples are;

-Recordings - I have used this method for years. Students love recording themselves during the lesson. Then they can share it with family and friends if they want to. And also, they are not getting up in front of a crowd just before or after dozens of other performances. Recordings really make it something special for each student. They can share their music completely separately from other students and without so much pressure. They put them on their iPods, make CDs and email them to friends.

-Master Class - This is a little more along the lines of what Canonie was talking about. It's a little more social, less formal, less pressure and encourages group participation. Instead of "go up on stage and show us what you've got" it's "let's voluntarily take turns playing and learning from eachother".

I think as teachers we should focus on what we're really excited about doing. If you get excited about recitals and love the planning and the atmosphere then YES by all means do them, they are for you. I for one do not get excited one bit about the thought of doing a recital.

YOur Master Class sounds enjoyable danshure, but I should clarify that my concerts are not master classes - that would imply the presence of a master! They are informal concerts.

Something is definitely different though because ALL my young students are dying to play in the next concert. I frame it differently; as an exciting chance to play this wonderful piece for all the Grown Ups. We discuss how the GrownUps will like it, the child often invents "improvements" to the piece (they may have only had 8 lessons, so cocky ), sometimes theatrical embellishments are required.

My goal is to ensure that everyone who starts will still be involved in making music throughout life. My job is to get them to fall permanently in love with making music. The role of music in society is part of this: performing for the pleasure of others, listening with pleasure to the performance of others. Of course my very first job is to make sure they don't drop out!

I create a buzz of anticipation prior to the concert.. "wait 'til you hear H play The Simpsons - you'll love it! M has written a very cool piece... ". They like to ask what others are playing, they gradually get to know most of the other students - it's very social.

One thing that's helped this particular model is putting the main emphasis on choosing a really good piece, rather than perfect execution. I think this helps the child feel comfortable and confident. What "really good" means is ultimately up to the student (I feed them lots of useful pieces I hope). I love it when 6 or 7 years olds gravely declare that "this would make a good concert piece" quite early in the term. I laugh inside and think "Ha! my plan is working!".

I agree with Andromaque. I attended my recital last year. It was my first one and I didn't want to disappoint my teacher. I was very nervous. I played two songs. Did good on the first, but messed up pretty badly on the second. It was humiliating and disappointing for me. I thought about it for several days after. I'll probably go to the next recital because I would like to concur me fear of playing in public. However, I can definitely see someone decided that they no longer want to go to recitals after the experience I had. I’m worried that if I bomb at the next recital that I may give up on recitals.
I don’t’ really play the piano to perform for others, I play for myself. The way I see it I'm 31 years old, I pay for my lessons, and its my right to decide whether or not I will be attending the recital.

My take on this is that music students need experience (and success!) in public performance, just as they need experience and success in counting the beats and learning correct fingering. If former students choose not to continue public performance after they stop studying, that's up to them - in the same way that those who are no longer students sometimes choose to take a little break from scale practice.

I don't think a teacher can get around this by substituting other things. I think public performance itself is what counts, not just putting in an additional experience of some kind. Without performance experience, one of the main parts of music education is gone.

Why? What more could I be adding to my happy lonely household performances by playing publicly? If a person is happy to play alone and happy with their progress what more do they need from their lessons?

The reason being??




Not sure I follow ..



the goal being??

Should we deny "music education" to those who do not want to perform?

We get complaints and questions on this board pretty frequently, from teachers who got a transfer student who can't read, wondering what to do. Those students have been seriously shortchanged by their teachers.

I feel the same way about students who have never performed - that their teachers have seriously shortchanged them, that the essentials have been omitted. That's the best way to describe it.

Edited to add that just as a beginner who isn't ready to read music is not expected to be reading already, I don't expect a beginner who isn't ready to perform yet to have done so.

I'm in total agreement with you.

It reminds me of a conversation many, many years ago. Parents to little Johnny while visiting friends - "Play something for everyone."

Johnny replies, "Sorry, I can't; I don't have my music." (I'll leave out the repetitions, pleas, anguish, embarrassed comments, etc.)

What it boils down to is: if you cannot play something on command, can you really play the piano (violin, clarinet, etc.)? I suspect most people would conclude you really cannot play.

That is why I have my students maintain repertoire, and it's why we have monthly performance class at the studio, and why students perform publicly 3 or more times a year.

In 30 years, I've lost one student because of this practice, and she was actually a transfer student, and I suspect that there were other issues involved beyond the memory work required.

BTW, yesterday was our monthly performance class, and students averaged performing 4 pieces each. They did well, and I feel they provided each other moral support to boot.
And probably the pizza afterwords added some comfort to the event.

I find that my teaching seems "refreshed" after hosting a recital. One year I had to cancel my Winter Recital due to the Southern CA wildfires. My whole teaching year seemed thrown off somehow.

That being said, I have a couple of students who do not perform. I don't push them and they don't seem the worse for wear. For me...the jury is still out on whether it is absolutely necessary or not. And I have argued both sides of this before. This topic must be artistic since I am so torn with it at times....

This December should be interesting...my venue where I usually have my recitals shut down. One of my students offered to host a "backyard" recital which is a kind offer but seems complicated.

I may need to charge a recital fee this year for the first time ever....as the venue I am currently considering charges more than the last place.

On a personal note I have had magical moments of my own playing at performances AND alone.. That's why I try to be overall encouraging more than scary.

I want to make room for the muse...it can happen at any moment.

In total agreement! What about those students who play the piano purely for personal enjoyment? Is this not deemed valuable? For some, the prospect of performing is horrifying - why should there be anything forced on those who are not destined for a professional career in music? I find it odd that the connection is not often made between pervading difficulties keeping teens interested/problems with retention and the practice of forcing our clients to adhere to strict rules. A little flexibility and empathy goes a long way. Hopefully our main goal as piano teachers is to keep our students playing. Anything done to potentially jeopardize this seems self-defeating. Obviously if your studio is full of students who are gearing up for a career on the concert stage, then yes...performing would be a must. However, the majority of us have studios full of students who will most likely choose a non-musical career. I strongly feel that we have to create relevance for these students too - how are they best served in situations such as these?

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