Hi Teachers,

I was wondering if you hold seperate recitals for adults and children, or do you have single recital for everyone in the studio?

How many of you "require" adults to participate in recitals? If so, how often?

My teacher as well as couple local teachers I talked to say they is having hard time convincing adults participate in recitals. Is this your experience too? Personally, I don't mind partcipating in one as long there many adult students, but I am uncomfortable performing in group of predominantly children.

Hi PianoStudent1 - I'm an adult student too, not a teacher - but I'm really glad you're asking this, and curious as to how it works for others...

My teacher does a combined recital with his wife (who teaches mainly voice, and a couple beginning piano students). Between the two of them they have a huge studio, and they schedule the recitals over THREE nights.

They do recitals at least twice a year (after fall and spring semesters), sometimes a third time after summer.

And they completely mix in adults with kids. There's no separate recital. As far as I can tell, the order people go is based on level/competency with the best performers going towards the end.

I've only been studying piano about a year (will be a year in June) - and have no desire to be in a recital, for lots of reasons. I thought I had cleared this up with my teacher last time around (he said he wasn't going to pressure me!) but since they're doing recitals this week, he's been asking me a bunch if I want to be in it (nope!).

I *do* think he has trouble getting the adults to participate, because last time I was able to make it to 2 of the 3 nights to watch, and only saw... maybe 2 or 3 adults total? And he's complained to me that it's hard to get people to do things in general

I've tried explaining to him the concept of a low-key, adults-only, "piano party" where everyone chitchats, relaxes, and plays for fun rather than "performs" as a way to get his adults doing stuff in front of people and socializing - but he doesn't seem to have any interest in anything like that. Something like that would be much more fun for me, as an adult, than having to deal with the huge stage, little kids that play circles around me , and potential humiliation of completely forgetting my piece mid-way-through and feeling like I can never show my face in front of these people again! :p

I think there was a teacher here on the forums that does something similar - a "coffeehouse" type event that they hold regularly. It sounds fun!

I offer all students the opportunity to participate in studio performances (formal recitals and informal "coffeehouses"). Many adult students do choose to play or sing--but some decline for various reasons. Some adults have had unpleasant experiences in the past, and some just don't care to get up in front of others. I respect their decision and invite them to come and listen; sometimes they choose to participate in the next recital.

Another option I offer is to play a duet with a student as a way of "easing" them into playing in public. Playing with another (middle-aged) adult can make them less self-conscious about being part of a "kiddie" event.

Most of my adults choose to come and listen. I do have one that plays in them regularly; usually a solo as well as a duet with her daughter, also my student. For the kids, recitals are strongly encouraged; for the adults, I offer the opportunity.

I personally do not hold a separate recital for my adults, and in the past I've always left that as an option for them to participate in the recitals. My piano teacher, however, has enough adult students so we can hold our own recital. We usually do this once a semester and have a potluck luncheon afterwards. It's really enjoyable to hear how the other students are progressing.

We just had our adult student recital two days ago. There were four of us and our teacher -- with one student unable to attend at the last minute. Student skill levels ranged from book 1 to advanced.

Our teacher chose to play a very nice piece during the program -- perhaps because there were few of us and it tended to round things out a little.

I am a senior citizen. There were two other senior citizens, and one twenty-something.

I am reluctant to support the poster who categorically refuses to participate in any recitals. Two of the people at this recital -- although adults -- had been playing less than a year and were just at the book 1 level. Because the teacher is very charming, and handled it beautifully, everyone seemed comfortable -- including the book 1 people.

Let me add, as a senior citizen I really would not take the stage along with small children. So for me, and many like me, it would either be an adult recital or . . . forget it.

A good item to post!

As an adult beginner, I do a recital every single Sunday at 9:00 AM!

Last time I traveled I picked up a music magazine in the hotel gym. It was oriented towards recreational music, not classical performance on any instrument. There was a long article on a recreational piano program, done as a group and much more of a social activity than a classical or academic performance based one. I didn't know there was such a thing for piano, though wind instruments have lots of community band programs.

I'm an adult student with 17 months under my belt. My teacher will be holding her spring recital at the end of May. It is mostly students who are under 18. The ordering is done by drawing numbers with some minor modifications made by her if need be (e.g. if a small child who is playing a primer piece draws the last number, the student will be moved up in order).

She has told me on several occasions that most of her adult students won't perform in her recitals for various reasons. She was really excited when I said I would participate without any reservations. I think only three adults (counting myself) will be participating. She said I would be an inspiration to her other adult students to perform in her recitals and to other adults in the audience who have mulled about taking lessons but think they can't do it.

I must say that I didn't feel too nervous about the recital until she said that.

I'm an adult student, also (well, taking a break now, but I was) and I had a teacher a couple years ago who did have recitals just for adult students. Now he and his wife both taught piano lessons, and they mainly taught to adults, not children, I think. I like to participate in recitals, not only to perform myself, but to hear others and talk with them about music and lessons. They have no trouble getting students to perform.

As an adult I wouldn't really be that interested in being in a recital with children for several reasons. First, if it were just a couple children, and they were older or advanced, sure I probably would enjoy it (I listen to From the Top on NPR regularly and really enjoy it). Other than that, I wouldn't want to spend me time listening to a bunch of children play little pieces, sorry, but I wouldn't. A lot of adults don't have that kind of time to waste. Their parents have parental pride and family interest, of course.

A teacher having a recital with every student would take too long, also, I don't think most people want to sit through that (if you're talking about six or more children along with six or more adults. Much better to split it up for everyone concerned.

Now my more recent teacher did have more piano soirees at someone's home for the adults and that was really nice and everyone enjoyed those. They are really the same as a recital, only no one calls them that. I guess the difference is that anyone can play and call it a "work in progress" rather than the idea that this is your top level. I always try to play at my peak level, anyway, for those events.

All of the adult students I've known under several teachers and a music school all enjoyed playing in these "recitals" or piano soirees or whatever you call them. I can't imagine a teacher forcing someone to play in a recital, or what the purpose would be of that. It's the student's money and time and hobby, so to speak, if they don't want to, that's their business and choice. I would quit any teacher who tried to require or force me to do anything that really wasn't any of their business when it was my money and time. Just too coercive and egotistical for a teacher to do that. It doesn't sound like a personality I would want to be around or have for a teacher. Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to take piano lessons, and the teacher should be there to help them reach those goals, whatever they are -- and for some people, their goals may not be to play in public in front of others, but just to play privately for their own enjoyment. It's a value judgment to say that should not be allowed as a preference.

Some of the things someone said above don't have to be true of recitals, that is just a rule a teacher makes up (eg, requiring one to memorize a piece). I think I did memorize little pieces when I was a child, they were a lot shorter and easier, but no teacher has required any student to memorize a piece for a recital in the adult recitals or events I've been to. Again, it shouldn't be a teacher's job to require that, as far as I'm concerned. Some people don't place a high value on memorizing pieces, I don't myself, and simply don't have the time to spend on that when I can be spending it on other things I want to do. Some students do and want to memorize their pieces, and that's their choice. Others do not. There isn't really any difference in the adult recitals I've been to and the piano soirees -- some adults have memorized their music for those, although most do not.

A lot of adults simply don't have the time to memorize a lot of repertoire, it's hard enough to fit the lessons and practicing in to work and other obligations. IF a teacher requires you to memorize a piece to participate in a recital, I wouldn't do it either because I play at a level where that would take quite a bit of time as my pieces aren't that short or simple.

As far as being embarrassed about little kids playing better than you -- I can see that, I guess, but just generally don't think a lot of adults would want to partcipate in recitals with little kids for lots of reasons.

It is a good idea to say what you, personally like, or what many adults like, but not what "adults" like. Nor do six children with six sets of parents constitute a lot of children. I like playing in mixed groups. Not all adults dislike playing among children, or find the children boring.

My teacher combines his recitals with another teacher of another instrument, and they split these recitals into two concerts that run back to back, with a potlach dinner in between. Some families stay for both sets of recitals, and some stay for only one. I have never counted, but I would imagine that there are at least 50 participants spread between the two sets of recitals. Sometimes a special number may be played by the same person or people in both. Last year I performed in both concerts.

We come up by grade level, and as such, ages are naturally mixed. Usually there is an opening number which is more of a performance: maybe a mix of musicians, and I seem to remember something close to a skit. The lowest grade level would also tend to include the youngest age, so you'll probably see the little three and four year olds come on first. They get tired fast, so it's good for them to do so. A beginner adult would tend to play with the beginner kids, but there's nothing really dreadful about that. They are both playing the same kinds of pieces at the same level that matches their abilities, though the adult will tend to put more sophistication in.

The first time I learned that kids are supposed to play better than adults, and that adults are supposed to have some kind of handicap, was when I started visiting forums. Everybody advances at his own pace, and pieces go with grade level goes with what you can do. So an adult playing at a grade 3 level and a child playing at a grade 3 level would both be playing with the same kind of ability. However, our teacher expects more from adults and believes they are capable of more because they have a greater attention span and more musical experience as listeners of music. What he might still find acceptable in a child's rendition will not be be acceptable for the adult.

Maybe I have turned a few notions topsy turvy in writing that.

I do not find listening to beginner pieces boring: not when an adult plays it, nor when a child plays it. I often notice things that we were taught in the beginning which I didn't catch the first time around, some of these things start having more meaning now that I have more experience. I anticipate the growth that this beginner will be on, can appreciate the journey I was set on with greater appreciation. It is fascinating.

Last year one of the students of the teacher of the other instrument, piano, played his own composition. She (also being my accompanist) had told me of having a student who seemed to be gifted. The boys must have been 9 or 10 years old and what he played was astounding. As music it could be called a sound-scape, an interplay of moods and patterns that ebbed and swelled. He used every inch of the keyboard, so that his little body centred in the middle of the piano bench stretched out to the far corners of bass and treble as he undulated along his composition.

In the intermission as new sets of family and performers come in, and the old ones have their meal and go home, students and families intermingle at the table. Often someone will come up to you and say something. What touched me last year was the woman who told me that the next time I played in the second half, she intended to close her eyes. She could not have said anything better than that.

i just hold one concert, i only have about 4 adult students, and they are all beginers, so having a concert just for them would be too much extra work, you know? and i never force any of my students, no matter the age to participate.