We’ve said this time and time again on our blog, but it’s worth mentioning once more… a piano recital is a teacher’s most important studio growth strategy.
We could all break the bank on online and offline advertising and still not reap the benefits that a piano recital venue that is busting at the seams provides.
But recitals are not always busting at the seams.
Kids miss recitals because of sports conflicts, school commitments, lack of interest, lack of confidence, and nerves. And while some of these absences simply cannot be avoided, many recital excuses are simply choices students and their families make.
So, given that we cannot miss out on the marketing power of piano recitals, we need to make the choice to attend an easy one.
…And this begins with our students’ parents. If parents have an active role in our recitals and our students’ recital preparations, great attendance is a slam dunk. Few parents would deny a well-prepared piano student who has been working for weeks on her recital piece the opportunity to share her performance.
In today’s post, we’re sharing an email you can send to piano parents to get them on board with their children’s recital preparations and, in turn, your recital.
How To Involve Piano Parents in Recital Preparations
Here’s the email that I send out to my piano parents. Feel free to modify it as necessary…
Dear Susan,
I’m so excited to announce that our Winter Recital has been booked for Saturday, December 17th. We have already selected the piece that Amy is going to perform and she’s really looking forward to sharing it with everyone.
The weeks leading up to a recital can provide some of the most valuable learning opportunities in a young piano student’s education. Because of this, I wanted to share some tips on how you can be involved in Amy’s recital preparations. I know she’d love for you to be a part of the process and to experience her excitement in learning to be a musician.
In the weeks leading up to our recital, you can…
1. be her “pretend audience”. Sit down regularly and enjoy some practice performances. Make sure Amy announces her piece and the composer’s name. It’s great performance practice to play for even just one set of undistracted eyes.
2. remind her to visit the piano frequently throughout the week to practice her recital piece. Regular practice is the most effective way of ensuring a successful recital performance.
3. offer lots of encouragement as she practices. Let her know just how excited you are to watch her share her music.
4. ask her to play for friends and family who stop by your home or set up opportunities for others to hear her play (invite grandparents over, have her play at her auntie’s dinner party etc). Not only does this provide great performance practice, but it also shows her how much you value her hard work.
5. find a way to mark this event as something special. Selecting a special outfit to wear to the recital, inviting family friends to attend, or buying her flowers all contribute to showing her that the performance is meaningful, important and valued. It doesn’t have to be anything grand… often simply a heart-felt note left on the piano is all it takes.
Amy is a wonderful child and gifted musician whose upcoming performance will inspire many other students at our studio. If at any point in the coming weeks you notice a change in her “musical” behaviour, increased trepidation towards the recital, or a reluctance to practice, please let me know so that I can help her through these challenges. They are not uncommon and are often part of the process.
Thank you in advance,
Andrea
Looking To Get Parents Involved Outside of Recital Season?
Increasing parent participating at home often simply means asking them to be involved! This is one of the many reasons I love having a PianoGameClub.com lending library.
Sending a theory game home with my students means piano parents have a concrete (and easy!) way to support their children’s learning. With unlimited printing rights, you can make as many lending copies of our games as you like! Find out how you can add 4 new games to your studio every month for just $8.
Thank you for sharing this letter, Andrea! I especially like #2, reminding the student to play the pieces frequently, not just during regular practice times. One thing I like to do a few weeks before the recital is design small invitations for the students to distribute to family and friends. I print 4 per page and cut them. This way, those invited have all the information on the recital in one place. It’s fun for the students to hand out as well.
I love the idea of invitations. Thank you for sharing!
What a lovely idea Denise! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You are most welcome! 🙂
This is great and perfect timing!!
You guys are always on target!
Glad to hear it Barbara!
I struggle with putting too much emphasis on recitals. I wonder if other teachers I have similar issues. If you question adults, the number one fear is public speaking but we put 5 yr olds in front of a group of strangers and then wonder why so many end up dropping out of piano. I see the value in recitals but I often feel like I am teaching for “the test,” and some students are more gifted in areas of composing, etc…. Andrea, do you have any thoughts on this?
Hi Jan – I think I feel the opposite. I think recitals for piano kids are the equivalent of football and soccer games for athletes. Piano students rarely get recognition in the same way that athletes do. A recital provides the place for our students to finally get their moment in the sun and to build those feelings of success, confidence and pride. The approach to recitals certainly has to be one of sharing the joy of music making (not a high-pressure quest for perfection) for students to find them enjoyable and valuable. My recitals are not mandatory as I know some children find it to be too threatening. However, I work really hard to create an environment in which everyone feels they are able to do their best and to prove to themselves that they CAN stand up in front of an audience and succeed. I think most adults are afraid of public speaking because they weren’t taught to do so as a child or didn’t have the opportunities to build this skill. Piano recitals give children this chance from a very young age. Like anything it’s a skill that you learn through doing it over and over again. As a parent I see how encouraging my children to do things that are out of their comfort zone then results in confident children who trust in their own abilities. In “real life” our kids will be asked to stand up in front of others at some point – and being able to call upon years of piano performances is really a gift we are giving them. The idea of “teaching to the test” is also one that I don’t always think is a bad one. There’s lots to be learned from perfecting something and working on it long-term. The “stickwithitness” that we all wish we would consistently see from our piano students is also something that has to be taught – and prepping for a piano recital is a great chance to teach this. However, every teacher has their own goals and teaching style and I say do what you feel is best for your own individual studio 🙂
I agree with you Andrea! Plus one of the biggest things I have found is how much (most) parents LOVE to see their child in the recital! As a parent myself, I know if my child does well at something or wins the spelling bee, it’s way better than having done so myself! And as far as “the test” , thoses pieces are the ones they will remember for a long time!
I am in a holding pattern as far as studio size goes, so studio growth is not an issue for me. But I do like recitals for a sense of belonging and an opportunity to share. I limit my studio recitals to two per year — one at Christmas and one at the end of the year. I try to keep the event rather informal, with the emphasis on having fun. Almost all my students can’t wait for the next recital and like to take part in choosing what they will play. But if a young student is nervous, I offer to sit beside them while they play, or if they prefer, a parent can sit beside them. Then they don’t feel so isolated at the front of the room!
I keep the emphasis on participation and sharing, not on perfectionism. I don’t want anyone to feel threatened.
Sounds just lovely Sandra!
These are great tips and I plan to use them with my student parents. I wanted to share a successful strategy with my own students. Up until last Christmas, I didn’t charge entry for my concerts but pleaded for contributions at the end of the concert, to cover venue hire costs. I was lucky if I was left with £20 in my tin.
Last year I charged every adult £2.50 to include a drink and mince pie, payable on entry to the concert. At the end of the concert I had nearly £100 in my tin but more importantly, we had the biggest audience ever. Nearly every student took part, and had at least 3 people come to support each of them. It was a wonderful concert. Loads of appreciative comments afterwards.
I learned the lesson that if you want people to value what you do, you need to demonstrate that YOU value your time and your students’ hard work. Don’t be scared to ask for a reasonable contribution up front. Don’t just ask for a contribution at the end which sounds apologetic.
Thanks for sharing Jane! Congrats on the success of your recital!
I love this website! Being from the UK, we have a very structured exam system where our pupils take exams from Hear 1 to Grade 8. We don’t have the concept of the piano recital and I woukd love it if one of you could explain how the recital system works. It sounds great!!
Hi Charlotte – just making sure you saw Louise’s comment below as it sounds like she’d be really helpful. I know you don’t get notification unless it’s a directly reply to your comment so I’m hopping in 🙂
I would be happy to talk you charlotte. I could send you a private email letter? If I had an address? I don’t think there is much of a “system” with private piano teachers in the us. But I would be happy to talk about strategies that worked for me. Recitals are fabulous for building community and friendships, confident musicians, and the concepts of sharing and giving.
While I don’t make recital participation mandatory, I do strongly encourage it. As you said, it is the equivalent of a “championship” game for an athletic team, a chance for the students to “shine” and show off what they have learned. I use the Suzuki approach to piano and string teaching with some of my own modifications and teach students ranging in age from 2 to 60+ years. All are expected to participate in the recitals. For the littlest ones, sometimes their “performance” is simply rest position, playing position, and a nice bow both before and after their performance. We always have a reception of cookies and/or cupcakes and punch or juice afterwards and parents take turns providing the treats.
I have three recitals: one near Halloween where the students wear their Halloween costumes and their pieces focus on minor scales and making their “scary” piece dramatic. Memorization is not required for this one and it is lots of fun for everyone.
The second recital is in mid to late December and features Xmas music. We start learning Xmas music early in November and students are encouraged to learn as many Xmas pieces as they can in the month or so that they have before the recital. I encourage them to play “lots of Xmas music” during the holiday season – so that they, too are helping to create a holiday spirit in their household or wherever they find a piano (or take their string instrument). I assign arrangements of music that is one level below their reading level so that they can learn them easily. For every new piece that they learn, they can also play a piece that they have learned in earlier years and get credit for both. At the Xmas recital, special prizes are given for the students that have checked off the most Xmas pieces ( adjusted by the number of years of study – so lots of prizes are given) and everyone gets a prize if they learn at least one new Xmas piece.
At the recital, students get to choose which Xmas piece they wish to perform – it can even be one from a previous year, and it does not have to be memorized. Again, there is a reception afterward, and the focus is on fun and playing Xmas music that we all love to hear.
The final recital is at the end of the year – usually in June, and students are expected to pick a piece that that have worked on during the year and “polished” to performance standards. The student does have some input into choosing the piece. I require my students to keep reviewing all of the major pieces that they have already learned, so they will have several pieces to choose from by mid-June. We then spend most of May and part of June putting the finishing touches on their recital pieces while we continue to work on their regular lesson material.
This recital requires the piece to be memorized and should showcase what the student has achieved during the year. It is usually looked forward to by both students and parents.
As you said, performing in front of others is something that gets easier with practice and will benefit students in so many ways in their adult lives with self-confidence and a sense of achievement after working hard on something that takes diligence and perserverance.
Wow! This is awesome!!!!
WOW!!!! Excelent idea!! Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic advice! As usual!