What should you do in the lesson that immediately follows your recital?
For piano teachers who have spent months preparing for this big event, the tendency is often to “move on” to new material and fun activities… putting the recital in the past.
But what if we told you there was a fabulous way of encouraging self-reflection after a performance that was both new AND fun?!
Today we’re sharing an after-recital printable that you can use to encourage your piano students to consider their recent piano performance and to discover what went well, what they’d like to improve upon, and how their preparations directly contributed to their recital experience.
Because asking children to self-reflect can be a difficult task, we’ve wrapped it up in a package of fun that will have them grinning ear-to-ear!
The Reviews Are In! This Recital Reflection Activity Is Tops…
In the lesson following your recital, sit down with your piano students and complete this little activity. Not only will it encourage your students to truly reflect on their performances, but it will also provide you with some valuable insights into how your piano students are feeling about their recital experiences.
Our Recital Reflection Mad Lib: How It Works
Print out the activity found here. Have your students answer the 5 questions on the first page and then use their answers to complete the Recital Reflection Mad Lib. Read it over with your students and keep it in their piano lesson binders as both a keepsake and as a resource you can refer to before future performances.
Click on the image below to see a sample of a completed Recital Reflection Mad Lib:
Post-Recital Review Complete? Now Have Some Fun!
So your piano recital is all wrapped up, you’ve completed the Recital Reflection Mad Lib and now there are still lessons before you break for the summer. Wondering how to keep your students’ attention while hammering home some serious piano knowledge?
Check out the VU Library where every book is packed with fun music, theory games, sight-reading, technical exercises, and more! With adorable themes and loveable characters, they make a great “summer project” book!
Amy Reiff says
Perfect timing; our Spring recital was on April 24th!
Thanks for all you do!
Patti Dooley says
Do you think of EVERYTHING? My recital is May 14, and this will be a fun lesson for the next week.
Andrea says
Hi Patti – lovely 🙂 Best of luck at your upcoming recital!
Linda H. says
I truly love this idea! My recital is May 1. I always reflect with my students about their performance/experience, but this is just PERFECT! Even the teens will get a kick out of it and make them actually think in real terms about it all….not just that vague feeling of how they did. It will put everything into perspective! Thanks so much! This will be the next thing I print out–after my recital programs! 🙂
Kristin says
Thank you, Andrea! This is brilliant! My recitals are May 14th & May 22nd 🙂
Do you possibly have a Mad Gab final page that is separate for boys and girls? That way, the articles of he/she will already be sorted, and then I would just print the quantity needed of each? 🙂
Your ideas are always brilliant!
Andrea says
Hi Kristin! Good luck in your upcoming recitals! We opted for a “one size fits all” form as we know that organizing papers in a studio can be a bit crazy – this way everything is all in one spot, simple and easy. You can either circle the articles that apply to your individual student or simply just choose which one is correct to use when you read it aloud. Feel free to adapt it for your own studio too – you can use our wording and ideas to make it work for you 🙂
Morgan Weisenburger says
Super cute! Our recital is next Monday, and I’ve been wondering what to do for the lessons following! Thank you!
Shelley says
Andrea, how do I get this to print out without the text in parentheses? I can type text into some of the boxes, but not all of them. Also the text prints in red. Help!
Awesome idea. You and Trevor are VERY creative. Thank you for sharing!
Andrea says
Hi Shelley – the one you are likely looking at is a just preview that is already filled in as an example. The link to download the pdf comes with very faint grey “add this here” instructions that you simply write on top of. Red pen works great 🙂
Drema says
Oh this is super fun, Trevor!
What a great idea~ =)
Check out the Recital Compliment Exchange Idea by Swan Kiezebrink too! Wendy Stevens shared this on her blog.
Andrea says
Thanks Drema! Yes, those “warm fuzzies” are a great idea. We had actually shared this “recital warm fuzzies” idea on our blog in 2013 along with other ideas for giving your recital that personal touch. Here’s the link if anyone is looking for more ideas 🙂 https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2013/11/20/create-the-coolest-christmas-recital-ever/
Kimberley W says
Perfect timing! My recital was just last night! It was a huge success! And as always your ideas and resources are an asset!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!!
Andrea says
So glad to hear your recital was a success Kimberly! 🙂 Glad you can use this!
Debra says
This is perfect! I have been looking for a good way to follow up to recitals. Just going on with lessons seems anti-climactic and critiquing doesn’t seem exactly right either. This is the perfect opportunity for a little self reflection resulting in a lot of fun.
Andrea says
I know exactly what you mean – the lesson immediately after seems like … “So what do we do now??”… I’ve been using this activity all week (my recital was Sunday) and it’s been the perfect way to close the “Recital Chapter” and move on 🙂
Eric says
This is great! I love that this exercise encourages reflection on their recital performance in a fun way. I will definitely be using this for my upcoming recital.
Swan says
Ah, perfect for the last lesson before recital! Thank you!
Anita says
This is awesome! My recital was this past Sunday. This week each student is watching a video of their performance and then doing this activity. Thank you for all your great ideas!!!!
LadyD says
Just what I needed! Thank you!! Our recital is May 20th. Afterward, my students will be so surprised to receive this cute activity. This is so amazing! You guys are awesome!
Andrea says
Hi LadyD – thrilled you can use it 🙂 Good luck this weekend at your recital!
Carol says
Andrea, your ideas are adorable. My recital is May 23 and I’m planning on implementing your super creativity in my lessons on the 30th. Thank you!
Andrea says
Glad to hear you’ll be able to use it, Carol! 🙂