Your spring piano recital is one of only a handful of times when your entire studio population is gathered under one roof. Taking full advantage of this captive audience and delivering a brilliant recital welcome speech can accelerate your studio growth and contribute to a long, full, and healthy musical career.
But what does a brilliant welcome speech look like? In today’s post, we’re sharing the six components of a “pitch-perfect” recital welcome speech, followed by an actual welcome speech transcript that you can adapt for your own recital.
How To Build The “Perfect Recital Welcome Speech”
Below I have highlighted the six building blocks that make up a “perfect piano recital welcome speech”. At the bottom of the post please share your thoughts on your own welcome speeches and add anything we may have missed.
Building Block 1 – Set The Stage
After welcoming everyone to your recital, you’ll want to immediately let people know that there will be students of many different ages, working at many different levels.
In doing this, you keep your audience’s expectations in check. Some audience members may assume that every child to grace the stage will be a mini-Mozart. But, as this may not be the reality in your studio, it’s a good idea to set the record straight in terms.
Bringing attention to the variety of students in your piano studio has a second purpose as well. It lets the parents in your audience see what their children can become and reminds them of where their children used to be. A reminder of progress does wonders for student retention and parental satisfaction.
Building Block 2 – Gush About Your Students
Next up, you’ll want to gush to about your piano students. Use this opportunity to highlight all of the accomplishments that have occurred in your studio over the course of the year. But be sure to keep this studio specific, rather than student centered. For example, you’ll want to say something like, “The children in my studio completed 357 pieces this year!” as opposed to, “Sarah earned a silver medal in her Grade 6 exam”.
Building Block 3 – Gush About Your Studio
While your gushing about your students, you’ll want to make sure that your “gushes” include references to the awesome things that have happened in your piano studio over the course of the year. People lead very busy lives these days so they can be forgiven if they don’t remember your practice incentives during the fall or your CD release parties at Christmas.
And, even if they do remember what has happened over the course of the year, listing off an array of activities in rapid fire will be impressive… and make you look awesome!
Building Block 4 – Gush About Your Studio Parents
After gushing about your students, go ahead and gush about their parents as well. Use your piano recital welcome speech to remind them of how appreciative you are of their decision to make music a part of their children’s lives; recognize their commitment to music.
This could be the most important aspect of any welcome speech because, if carefully crafted, your appreciation can be used to highlight the importance of music in the lives of children… and ensure an incredible re-registration rate.
Building Block 5 – Gush About Your Students… Again
If you want to really impress your studio parents, remind them of how proud you are of their children for simply having the courage to get up on stage and perform music for an audience.
Whenever I deliver this line at my recitals I can see genuine nods of approval in the audience. The thought of performing in public is terrifying to most adults. When you bring this to their attention, they will be that much more appreciative of the efforts your piano students are making and understanding of nervous slip-ups that might occur.
And, most importantly, they will see that music lessons can have incredible value in the lives of their children, beyond the learning of music itself… which once again, will result in more piano students coming back year after year after year.
Building Block 6 – Keep The Audience In Their Seats
After reminding your audience of the courage your piano students are about to show, it’s time to hit them with the big one, “Don’t leave this recital early!” Of course, I would never phrase it like that in a million years, but as you’ll see below, I have an effective way of communicating my point and ensuring a full recital even as the last note is played.
First impressions are important… but so are last impressions. If you’re hoping to have strong re-registration rates and a growing and thriving studio, you do not want parents to leave with an image of a half-empty concert hall. Even if it was packed to begin with, that half-empty image will be burned in their minds, making your studio seem small and not particularly popular.
A Piano Recital Welcome Speech
Below is a sample, fictitious welcome speech that you can use to guide the writing of your own speech. The recital speech below can be delivered in less than five minutes. Five minutes doesn’t seem like long but when you’re up in front of an audience time does slow down. If you do not think that your public speaking skills can engage an audience for this amount of time, chop this speech down to its absolute most important components.
Hello everyone and welcome to our spring recital. I’m so happy to see everyone here today; moms, dads, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins and friends… We have a wonderful line up of performers to entertain you.
Today is a celebration; it’s the very first recital for some students… and it’s the 15th recital for others! Our recital will showcase a wide variety of levels from young beginners right through to advanced students. This variety gives older students the opportunity to remember what it was like to be a beginner, and younger students the chance to see what their hard work will enable them to accomplish in the future!
I feel so fortunate to teach such a special group of students. This past year has been full of learning, progress, and accomplishments. I just added up the numbers last night, and students in this studio have completed over 300 pieces this year! Perhaps even more impressive is that every student has composed at least 4 original pieces of their own!
As you probably know, our studio was a very busy place this year – we held several fun practice incentive events including our very popular E-Fish-Ent Practice and Wild West events. Students had so much fun with weekly piano theory games and with the improv activities we introduced this year.
We also just recently completed our CD project where students recorded their favorite pieces from the year. Students can look forward to taking their own personal CD home at the last lesson before the summer break!
In addition to all of the wonderful accomplishments during lesson time, our studio has also been active beyond the studio… even helping to raise over $500 for local families. We’ve had many students complete their piano and theory exams with wonderful results. Students also participated in our local music festival and performed in their school talent shows. Each and every child here today has shown incredible growth and progress and they should feel very proud of what they have achieved.
Today, we are not only celebrating the fact that your children are learning to play the piano, but that they are willing to share this gift with others. It is not an easy task to come up here on stage and perform, and the confidence that these children are building by learning to do this from a young age is so valuable.
Finally, I’d like to take a moment to thank the parents. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to get to know your children and to work with them each and every week; they continue to amaze me with their intelligence, their energy and their sense of humor. Thank you for recognizing the value of music in the life of a child. Thank you for the time you invest in supporting your child at home… and thank you for including me as a part of your child’s musical education.
Before we begin, I’d like to remind you that students placed at the end of the recital program have worked just as hard to prepare their performances as have students placed at the start. I would ask that you remain until the end of the program to ensure that all of these wonderful children experience the supportive and full audience that they deserve.
And now we’re ready to begin!
After Delivering This Welcome Speech…
Help your teen beginners amaze the audience with the pop-rock duets from WunderKeys Rock Repertoire for Teen Beginners! Designed to motivate your teens to participate happily in your recitals, these pieces are crowd-pleasers that will get noticed! Find Books 1 and 2 on Amazon and listen to sound samples below.
Denise says
I love this post! Talking at my recitals is my least favorite thing about being a piano teacher and now I have a done for me script! All I have to do is fill opinion the blanks with my own student’s accomplishments. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Andrea says
Hi Denise – So glad it was helpful and yes, feel free to just fill in the blanks and use it as you like! 🙂
Leigh says
Thank you so much for sharing these inspiring ideas. I feel like I say the same things every year in my welcome speech and look forward to using your new ideas!
Andrea says
Hi Leigh – Funny story… my own piano teacher would read the exact same script every single recital (even written on the same piece of paper). By the time I’d been with her for 12+ years my family found it hard not to giggle 😉 Happy to provide you with some fresh ideas!
Mara Sours says
Thanks for the post. Big Help. I have no time to give thought to what is important to say in a welcome speech. Thanks.
Andrea says
Wonderful! Thanks for reading Mara!
Maggie says
I loved this article too! I would like to share how I keep my parents in their seats until the end – I give ‘recital certificates of accomplishment’ at the end and do a group photo which I put up in the studio. Which student wants to attend and then not have recognition at the end with a certificate and be part of the ‘big picture’. I have a large number of students in my studio, with three one-hour recitals each Christmastime (all on the same afternoon), and I always have everyone staying to the end of their session. I also give a very small gift (dollar store or pound store value) to those that perform and they don’t get it until they come up for their certificate of accomplishment. I have agonised over this for many years and I guess this now works for me…!
Janice says
Maggie, do you have a pre-printed certificate of accomplishment that you purchase, or do you design your own? I like the idea of a recital certificate – I haven’t done this before, but would like to do it.
Susan says
Hi Janice I’m not too computer savvy so I order my piano certificates on line. Musical Treasures has some or Schaum piano has some too. They’re reasonably priced. I also give everyone an award ribbon that says performance or achievement on it. I list what number recital it is for each student.
and give them out at the end and have students come up by year of recital. Any seniors in HS get special recognition and special gift. Keyboard/piano necktie for boys, piano keychain etc.
Andrea says
Janice we have a set of free ones that you receive when you subscribe to TeachPianoToday.com! If you are already a subscriber just email me and I’ll get them to you 🙂
Kirsti says
I also have a group photo at the end of the recital. I’m always amazed at the number of parents lining up with their cameras! I display this photo in frame in my studio all year long. Students love to look for themselves in the photo. It’s also nice for prospective parents to see when they come for a first interview. I think it helps for the students to feel like they are all part of something bigger, similar to being on a sports team!
Dawn Elliott says
Kristi, I love the idea of displaying the group photo!!!! Every year we take them but I just put them in with the years activities in a folder and there they sit. And I’m a photographer……….Why I didn’t think to do this is crazy! Thank you, Thank you!!!!!!I
One year at our Spring recital I took pictures of the students playing, edited them, added the date, framed them ($1 store frames) and that was their year end gift.
They were a hit!
Andrea says
A group photo is a great way to “keep ’em in their seats” until the last performer too! Thanks for sharing Maggie!
Anna says
Maggie and Kirsti, how does it work with the younger children to do a group photo at the end? I like this idea, but I have always done a group photo before the recital (have them arrive 15 minutes early) because I’m afraid that the younger children will be too tired by the end that the picture won’t come out nicely.
natalie whittington says
I used to feel very frazzled trying to talk and be the “host” for the evening while simultaneously the backstage organizer and accompanist. My last recital I “employed” a new MC–my awesome hubby, an Air Force Colonel who is very comfortable commanding an audience. I wrote out exactly what I wanted to say and when, and he did such a great job. That took the pressure off me so I was able to concentrate on my students! I also “employed” a couple of my teen students to help keep my little Wunderkeys students in step. Delegating some responsibility was my best choice ever and I will never go back!
Andrea says
Great idea Natalie – it’s always a good plan to eliminate what’s not working for you or not making you happy – thanks for sharing your solution!
sabrina says
I really like your ideas! However, I , personally, think the speech is a bit long to open a recital. I dont say anything at the beginning.. lights go down and the show begins! I have a big Finale that includes several students, so I rarely have anyone leave early. I do talk at the conclusion and include a lot of what you said. I also present awards at the conclusion.
Andrea says
Hi Sabrina – Thanks for sharing your take! I’ve always liked to open with something so people have a chance to settle into the occasion (quiet their smaller children, stop shuffling programs etc.) This speech takes about 3-4 minutes so it might seem longer written out than it does to listen to it 🙂
Jean says
I appreciate what you’ve written and also this comment. I keep my intro very very short and sweet. However, I have a very long program in at the beginning of the program I write most of what you’ve written here for people to read. At the moment everyone is so caught up in what’s about to happen, that they might not hear what you’re saying. However, they take the program home and they may read later what you’ve written.
Emily says
I am in the “short & sweet” speech opener camp, too! But I’ve worked on projecting my voice and looking/sounding very confident. Sometimes I think they just remember the overall tone & impression the most. And I always appreciate when I am attending something and the intro speech is not long-winded, too!
Maria says
Once again you have hit it out of the park! I often feel like you are both on my staff of my studio because the reality is that you would be exactly who I would hire to work full time for me! Thank you so very much for your passion, innovation and willingness to share it all!
Andrea says
You’re so sweet Maria – thank you! Happy to be on your “staff” 😉
LadyD says
What a warm and encouraging greeting to kick-start a recital! Mine are called “Family Gatherings” and these opening guidelines are just what I needed. Thanks, Trevor and Andrea!
Andrea says
I like to create that atmosphere too Diana – glad you can use it!
Karen says
I LOVE this! This year, I have delegated a student who is accomplished at oral interpretation to start the show with the story of “The Pop Waltz Prophecy.” That will be the theme of the show, with narratives all the way through. Three students will be performing pieces from the book, while others will perform a variety of works that we will weave into the narrative. We always have cake and socialization afterward, with parents participating in bringing food, helping with set-up and clean-up, etc. I’m going to add elements from your opening speech this year! Thanks for all the great ideas.
Andrea says
Hi Karen! We’ve heard of Nuts About Note Reading, Fearless Fortissimo and Mutterwump recitals but not yet a PopWaltz one! A world-premiere event 🙂 Sounds amazing. We’d love to see pictures/videos if you get a chance.
Andrea West says
This is perfect – thank you! You’ve added several elements that I have overlooked in my standard welcome speech. I use the post recital speech to recognize each student Individually, and point out their personal accomplishments, which is another opportunity to gush about them and illustrate what I’ve taught.
Andrea says
Happy to hear it Andrea (and great name by the way 😉 ) Yes, a post-recital speech is also a great way to recognize individuals, hand out awards etc. The more you can show when you have a captive audience the better!
Benita says
This June I will be giving my first music recital at my studio…!! This is exactly what I needed to know for my intro/ welcome speech! Thanks for your all beneficial blogs!
Andrea says
Yippee! A first recital 🙂
Linda says
This is wonderful and my piano recital is this Sunday. Perfect. I have been searching for something to say but this is the best. I hate talking at the recitals and never know what to say.
Brecklyn says
Speaking at the beginning of the recital is my LEAST favorite thing to do. I never knew what to say! Now I do! Thanks so much!
Andrea says
Happy to make it a bit easier for you Brecklyn – not everyone likes public speaking but having a solid plan (and even a script) really does help 🙂
Michelle charles says
Hey everyone! I’ve been teaching for 37 years and my least favorite part of the year is the opening recital speech. Haha! I will tell you, it does get easier. Keep pressing on!
I have a printout of everything I want to say but only glance at it every little bit to make sure I don’t leave out anything important. Before each performance I do talk about ALL student accomplishments throughout the year whether it’s accomplishments in the studio, band, school, other interests, pets, camps & vacations. I think it helps the audience connect with the students and look forward the their performance instead of staring at their watches and waiting for “their child to perform”. Many, many parents have told me over the years how much they enjoy hearing about the student and their interests and accomplishments before they play. This introduction also allows the student to place their music and get comfortable on the piano bench or at the music stand without everyone staring at them in silence.
Also, my students dress smart-casual to dressy. I want them to feel like this is a special moment! But, at the same time, we laugh and have a great time during recital. Don’t be “too stiff” or “too formal”. Enjoy this time with your students and their parents!!
At the end we present trophies. As they receive their trophy I tell them where to stand (which I have thought about beforehand). I have the older students come up first and put them on the top of the stairs, then I have the younger/shorter students stand on the stair steps in front of them. When we’re finished handing out trophies, everyone is already positioned for a great group shot. I stand top/center and then we all smile (or sometimes laugh) for about a minute while all the parents take their snapshots! It’s great!!
Best of luck to everyone on your recitals!
Andrea says
Lovely comments Michelle! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Linda Kirkconnell says
I was so grateful to receive this! I held a recital last
Sunday and my opening welcome was lacking… I was trying to keep it short. Another group of my students will perform this Sunday and I’ll be incorporating several of these points into my welcome. Thank you much!
Andrea says
You’re so welcome Linda! Best of luck on Sunday 🙂
Patsy Clark says
This is SPOT ON! Love the suggestions. I have delivered about a million pre-recital and post- recital speeches, but will be drawing from these suggestions this year. Thank you!
Andrea says
You’re a seasoned pro Patsy! Hope this adds a little something different to what I’m sure you’ve already perfected 🙂
Debbie says
What a great post! This gives me even more positive things to say than my standard, “Thanks for coming” speech. I’d like to add another idea which you guys suggested some time back. I love to give away a gift basket at the end of my recital, donated by a local business! This also helps to keep families until the end! I just approach a couple of local businesses and ask if they would like to provide a giveaway for my event, and this adds even more excitement to my recitals!
Andrea says
This is a very cool idea Debbie! Thanks for sharing.
Anita E Kohli says
Thanks for this wonderful article! This is one thing I struggle with, and generally muddle through, and reading this will really help me, the next time my students have a recital.
Andrea says
Happy to hear it Anita! We piano teachers wear many hats and they aren’t always ones we like to wear! Public speaking can really be a challenge for some, but I’ve always found that having a solid plan of what to say really helps 🙂
L. Warren says
I love all the ideas and thought going into this speech; I too, keep mine a bit shorter but it is inspired by the same ideology.
One thing that I do that I have found effective is to have all my students stand at the beginning (they are seated in the front of the auditorium in performance order), I have them stand and turn around to face the audience and ask for thunderous applause for all their hard work throughout the year emphasizing that they are already successful because they are here and they deserve congratulations before they play. 🙂
It goes over well!!!
Andrea says
Love this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jean says
Awesome idea!
Janelle says
I’m curious if other teachers perform solos at their recitals. I taught at a studio where we were expected to perform a piece at at least one recital each year…..
Leanne says
In addition to my teaching “hat”, I also wear a “collaborative pianist” hat, so in my recitals, I always invite a guest artist in and we perform something together. I am fortunate to have quite a few musician parents in my studio, so it’s been fun to include them as the guest artist. I think it’s also important for my students to see me playing piano – something I love – and to discover that collaborating with other musicians is an excellent aspect of being a pianist! In fact, at my spring recital, I’m inviting my students themselves to be the guest artists. Many of my students play a band instrument as well, so my more advanced students will be learning the art of collaborating with them.
Abigail says
To make my piano recitals entertaining (and memorable) for families and students, I play a ragtime piano piece on the piano while my brother juggles up to 5 balls in the middle of the recital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDAEYw-wXco&list=PLQugnKCF3WINetfIgNQcjBhW0MNjfl1P9&index=1
I also try to get siblings who may play a different instrument involved to incorporate other instruments into the spring recital, plus I write a few original compositions for the recital each year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_THCBf4_D5Y&list=PLQugnKCF3WINetfIgNQcjBhW0MNjfl1P9&index=2
Gaylinn says
I’ve never had trouble keeping families around for the entire recital. They know it’s expected. Also, I often mix up the order of performances so that no one knows exactly when they will be performing. In 2 weeks, my recital is called Musical Movies! There will be a box of trivia questions about each of the 34 movie themes. As the questions are drawn and answered, the student with the song matching that trivia question will perform.
I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful and generous help. It has transformed the way I teach. Thanks a million!
Andrea says
Hi Gaylinn – Have fun at your upcoming recital it sounds like an awesome theme!
Bonnie A says
Wonderful ideas from all of you! Thank you! I like the idea of breaking the tension with applause before the Recital begins. I will have them stand and share their combined total of pieces they’ve learned since the last spring recital. At the end of my recitals I too, have all of my students come forward for a group photo, a gift from me, which is always a large Symphony candy bar then a final grand group bow, with roaring applause! I agree, they need their “team” photo and glory moment.
Ellen says
This is so helpful! Thank you!
Lisa says
Thanks for this! My recital’s tomorrow and I also hate the pre-recital speech. This helps so much!
And…side note. We’re performing The Mutterwump Masterpiece tomorrow. Each student is playing one piece from the book. We pre-recorded them reading the poems which I turned into a video to be played using a projector so we can all see it. The students are also bringing food for the reception that represents the characters in their poems that they learned. Fun!
Andrea says
Hi Lisa – good luck tomorrow! That’s so cool that you’re performing the Mutterwump Masterpiece. We’ve heard of other teachers doing this too and it’s been a smashing success 🙂 I love your idea of using a projetor and of matching food to the character (can’t wait to hear what the Schlopizoodle food is LOL!) Would LOVE to see pictures if you get the chance. Have fun!
Judith says
Ooooh that sounds wonderful! I’d love to see pics too:))
Jennifer Keeney says
Thank you for sharing all this valuable knowledge! I will defiantly be using your guidance to help me write a great speech this spring.
Andrea says
Wonderful Jennifer! Best of luck at your recital 🙂
Louise says
At the beginning of the recital, I can barely stand up, and say good afternoon, welcome, before I start to cry. I hardly have to look at those faces that I love and hardly have to think about how proud of them I am before I start to cry; despite all the times I practice my welcome speech in the shower. A terrible handicap…that I just can’t fight.
So, I just try to communicate all that important stuff another way. And At the end of the recital, a family member will speak for me, and she always adds something spontaneous and unexpected when she speaks directly to the students.
All of my students play at least three pieces, and they are each interspersed throughout the program. This prevents too much restlessness and they can’t possibly leave until the whole thing is over.
I think it’s important to communicate high expectation of audience behavior.
Andrea says
That’s so sweet Louise! I have the same reaction when I can finally sit back and watch the kids perform 🙂
Louise Hullinger says
Thank you so much for all these very helpful ideas. I took a short break from teaching, instead I made two
CD’s with a singer. I have my ad going in the local paper and can’t wait to give my first recital.
Lori says
Thank you so much for this post! I always feel awkward talking at my recitals and never seem to know what to say. Thanks again!
Judith says
I love this speech Andrea! It has been more and more challenging for me to come up with something engaging and different every year. Thanks for sharing:)
Andrea says
So glad it was helpful Judith! 🙂
Barbara says
Every year I spend quite a bit of time in a flurry to create a speech. Thank you for taking the time to post this. With some tweaking to my own studio, it’s perfect! One less thing to prepare!
Bernadette says
Hi, Andrea!
Thank you so much for your post!
It is so well written that I don’t think I can add anything more to it. So spot on!
God bless you and all the best!
Jen says
I almost always host a small reception after the recital. If you feed them, they will stay!
Rhonda says
Thank you for helping me to organize my thoughts for my very first piano recital speech! I love the content you share.
Andrea says
Glad you found it helpful Rhonda 🙂
Annette says
In order to remind people to turn off their cell phones, I have my cell phone ring with the ringtone “hail to the chief”. I then answer and ask the “president” not to call during my recital. Then I remind everyone to turn off their phones. Everyone always thinks it’s funny and now I can’t leave that part out. It has become tradition!
Kathryn says
Oh, my gosh, Annette, what a hoot! I may give this a try at my upcoming Christmas recital. My speeches are usually short and sweet, but a little “object lesson” is the perfect addition.
Mia says
So lucky that I’ve found your post just one day before my students recital. Thank you so much. I feel so much better after reading it. I hope I won’t be to nervous tmrw. Wish me luck. God bless
Andrea says
Best of luck, Mia! 🙂
Hope says
My piano recitals are unique. Two years ago I came in as Darth Vader with a light saber and pretended to attack everyone while a student played the Darth Vader theme, last year the kids marched into La La Land as I was playing it, and this year I was thinking of doing a TV show, where I am the moderator….like a takeoff on America’s Got Talent. So I don’t do “the speech” anymore. When I did in the past, the parents thought it was too long. I praise the kids all year and I am in contact with all the parents,
Caroline says
I have come back to this page for the last several recitals including the upcoming one. Thanks so much! Who doesnt like to feel appreciated? I also wouldnt mind a copy of the Certificates as I believe Im a subscriber:)
Michelle C says
I love the ideas for the opening speech. I feel mine has gotten kind of tired and needs a little pep. I will be incorporating some of these ideas.
One thing that I’ve included for many years when students are coming to the stage to present their piece…I share a little about the student so all eyes are taken off them and they can take that time to set up their music, adjust their stand, move the bench, take a deep breath. I collect info from their parents about the students other interest, pets they have, special school awards, fun trips they’ve had during the year, hobbies, etc. This does 2 things: takes eyes off the student, which helps them relax a bit and get into place before performing, and it helps the audience to feel more connected to the student and builds anticipation for their performance. I’ve received many compliments on including this in the recital!!
Andrea says
Great tip, Michelle! I love this idea 🙂