Recital Prep for Parents



 I feel like I've done a million of these. 

   And if your child has been taking piano for longer than four months, you have undoubtedly read  at least one of these before. 

   Nevertheless, because there have been new students since January, and because review never hurt anyone, here we go again:

  •      I know you're probably going to think this is obvious... but please make sure your child is practicing. Especially if they're doing a duet. It's not going to help their confidence if they lollygag about practice until the week before the recital. It's one of those times when it's perfectly OK to be the mean mom (or dad). Trust me, it will be worth it. 
  •     Make sure you and your family arrive at the church on time (a few minutes before 3:00 P.M.). Check the address ahead of time, so you know where you're going! 
  •      Please be respectful of church property while we are there, and remind your children not to run in the sanctuary, play with things in the church, etc.
  •      Also please sanitize your hands upon entering. 
  •      Help your child feel relaxed before the recital. Many children get very nervous before a recital, which doesn't help them play their best! All your children are prepared for this. And, much as we'd like it if everything went perfectly, mistakes do happen and they're not a big deal. Remind them of these things. They will be fine! 
  •      Please clap for each student when they finish playing. All of them have put their best effort into this!
  •      I'm encouraging your children to compliment each other after the recital, so if you could also encourage this mentality, that would be great.
  •      Feel free to invite grandparents and other family members! But if they can't come, I will be videoing the whole recital and sharing the video with you, my piano families, later. And speaking of videos...
  •      If you can't make it live to the recital (especially for health reasons), please give me as much advance notice as you can. Then, so your child's hard work doesn't go to waste, please send me a video of your child playing their piece within the following week, and I will add this video to the main recital video. If you do video, they should wear casual-dressy clothes, say their piece names, play, and then bow, just like they would in-person! 
  •      After the recital, we will be having some snacks and a time to visit. This is a great time for you to connect with other families like yours! Please bring a plate of snack finger food. 
        Stay tuned next week to read important prep tips for students that your budding musicians need to know! 

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