So, what happened after the 2nd annual studio recital?

On Sunday November 30, the studio proudly presented the 2nd annual recital studio at the studio itself. 11 students performed, one of which performed twice on both piano and violin. We had about 14 family members arrive, having about 27 people all at once in the studio, including my husband and myself. This is the largest number of visitors we had in the studio up until today. 

I was telling my husband on Sunday afternoon just about 1 hour before the recital that it’s amazing how during the week of the recital, it was clear that all of my students, and yes, all, practiced exponentially more without me having to write a practice schedule or reminding them during the lesson to practice more for the coming week. Pieces were memorized and extra lessons were taken for some students. 

When I saw the students during their lesson after the recital, I asked them:

• Did you enjoy it?

• What did you learn?

• Were you nervous?

• Was the recital too long?

• Did you find any performances memorable?

I was reflecting on my students’ performance during and after the recital. The one common trait that I noticed most students needed was to perform more (and more frequently). I shared my feedback with the parents when I saw the students for their lessons after the recital and all of them agreed. In one of my previous blogs, I also shared about the importance of performing. 

It just so happens that a few days after the studio recital, I received an email about an upcoming performance opportunity next March. Without any hesitation, I immediately shared this with the parents and most of them went onboard. This required both the students realizing and understanding the benefits of performing frequently, educating the parents about this whole idea and of course, their support. 

Feeling nervous before (and during) the performance is normal but knowing how to carry oneself in front of a group of audience, managing the nerves yet still maintaining a high level of playing is something that takes practice. 

Yes, performing does take practice. And best done regularly. 

With this, stay tuned for our 3rd annual studio recital next year!