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Writer's pictureMegan Schraer

Are You Recital Ready?

This year's Harvest Recital Series is just 7 short days away! As this day comes closer and closer (or any recital or performance you are preparing for), you may find yourself feeling nervous. Feeling nervous is actually a GOOD thing! This shows that you truly care about how you perform-- and caring is a really GREAT thing! Now, what you do with your nerves is crucial and will totally change how you perform. Take a look at these 5 P's to get yourself ready to rock this recital!


The 1st P-- Practice! Each day from now until the recital, practice your recital songs! Keep your song fresh in your fingers. By now, you should have your song learned and mastered.

  • For 6+ days before the recital, you should be taking this time to smooth out any little trouble spots that may pop up.

  • For the last 3 days before the recital, you don't want to "over play" your pieces. Only play your recital songs about 3 times per day on these last 3 days.

  • For the day of the recital, you should only play your piece once before getting in the car to come to the recital. You have prepared well and are ready to perform!

The 2nd P-- Put you sheet music into a black 3-ring binder! This is very important to do as soon as possible! You want to get into the habit of practicing your recital pieces in the binder. If you have page turns, be sure to practice these just as much as the actual notes on the page. Page turns tend to be a last minute thought-- but they are very important and can really put a "dent" in your performance if you don't prepare yourself for turning pages during your practice time. Having a designated black, 3-ring binder for any and all recital songs will be a very valuable tool and will make you look very professional.


The 3rd P-- Play your recital pieces in your recital attire! (before the recital) This is something I cannot stress enough! You don't want to get to the performance to find out that your pants/skirt makes you slide right off the bench! Or that your shirt is too tight that you can't lift you hands to the keys. Yikes! This would definitely be a problem to encounter at the actual performance. Oh, and your shoes! Girls, I highly recommend NOT wearing high heels or shoes with any kind of heel more than one inch. This will change your posture at the piano and the way you will be able to reach the pedals. Please practice your pieces often with the shoes you plan to wear to the recital.


The 4th P-- Perform your recital pieces for 3 people! Parents, this is a BIG one. Please create opportunities for your student(s) to perform in front of other people before the day of their recital. Most students on their own will would not offer to play for other people. It is completely normal for your student to get nervous before a performance of any magnitude. Growing up, my mom would randomly invite neighbors over for my sister and I to play for them. We. Hated. It. You can even ask my sister! Despite our embarrassment, it made us into the strong and confident musicians we are today. I can tell you with full confidence that this kind of experience changed me in a tremendous way as a child and has followed me and my sister both into adulthood for the better! This kind of confident goes way beyond the realm of music into nearly every aspect of developing into a confident person. (This is a topic for an entirely different blog post I may write sometime in the future).


The 5th and final P-- Positivity! You are going to do great! You have come this far! You have practiced, gotten your music into your recital binder, practiced with your recital attire and shoes on, performed for others... now is the time for the mental-game side of this entire experience. How you talk to yourself about the way you think you will perform will have a huge impact on your actual performance. You have all the tools you need in your tool belt and are ready to rock this recital! Stay positive and know that this will probably not be your last performance. If something does't go as planned during the recital, so what! If you play a wrong note during your performance, so what! If you trip on your way back to your seat, guess what? So what! Everyone (including me) will be so happy for you that you mustered up your courage to get up in front of an audience and play for them! That alone is a HUGE accomplishment! I'm sure people in the audience will come up to you and say "Great job!" When you hear this, simply say "thank you!" There is no need to talk about how you think you messed up or anything. Be thankful for their encouragement and be proud that you performed!


Friends, I am so excited for this opportunity for music to be shared. Recitals can be scary, I know that first hand. But, what you do with your nervous feelings makes all the difference! I know you will do an amazing job. And as my mom would always say to me, "Play for an audience of One!"


Fall Blessings,

Mrs. Megan


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