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This is for us folks with upcoming recitals...a place to face your fears and share your tears. Come on, its just a recital, its not the end of the world. Life will go on no matter what happens.

Reasons to be positive:

I'm not a total rookie, this is my third one of these things.

I've already had MY disaster once, no need to prove to myself what it is like again

Shoot, who cares what a bunch of kids and their families think of your playing.

A month after the recital no one will remember it but you.

People actually applaud whether you do well or not

Think of the stories you can tell someone who doesn't play or understand this stuff

I want to get in touch with the child in me.. I know he's in there somewhere. He is fearless and unconcerned about outcomes or consequences. He relishes new experiences. He likes to show off for an audience. He wants to try everything.

I know he's still in there somewhere.

There is nothing so earth shattering about a little recital that requires keeping the kid in me bottled up.

Chirp, chirp, nuthin but crickets.....

No, I'll join in. I have a recital on June 1st. Kids and me. As usual. I'm not all that concerned about that. I just want to play well. Well for me, not compared to anyone else.

The big issue this recital will be to memorize or not. I'm trying. Memorizing is very slow going for me. It is what it is. It's like I have a block preventing the notes getting from short term to long term memory. But you know what? It's not going to matter if I play from music. I told my teacher not to expect pieces from memory. I told her this right up front when we started lessons.

Anyway, the piece is learned I played it at the yearly evaluation last weekend. I'm good to go. I hope some more people join in over here. None of us really "enjoy" performing. But there is satisfaction in doing it. I'd rather try and do than be so fearful I stay home and never share my music with anyone.

I would get in touch with my inner child, but he has crap taste in music

I used to take classical lessons as a kid, and played lots of recitals. Now, as an adult, I take jazz lessons and have my annual "recital" coming up. I wonder which is more nerve wracking: knowing you're going to try to play every note correctly on a technically demanding classical piece, or knowing that there is a section of your jazz piece where you have no idea what you are going to play (the improvised part)?

It's also interesting that I love performing at a jazz gig, whereas recitals are more just work. I do the jazz recital because it's a good motivator to get me to really study a piece. The problem with the recital is you get one shot at something, and you're trying to impress a teacher. At a jazz gig, you screw up one tune, no biggie, you'll also have some great tunes in your set.

Mine is scheduled for Saturday.
I'm excited; I think it will be fun.

I opted out of the school recital since there aren't any adults participating and the oldest kid is only 14..... Just not my cup of tea.

However, I do like all that you've said Jim - especially the part about letting your inner child have a good time with the event!

I think I'm looking at the upcoming European Piano Party as a bit of a recital.... less formal for sure, but it will be the first time I've performed for anyone outside my home (or my lesson) in a couple of years.
I can't imagine a more supportive audience than a group of PW members

I also like the thought of "expressing the inner child" in recitals. I actually envy those who have the opportunity for recitals as adults. We all work so hard on our music, it would be nice to perform once in a while. I am part high achiever, part masochist, I guess.

Casinitaly - I also see the the European Piano Party as a recital! I am looking forward to it! And, you are right, I think it will be a very supportive audience. It will be the first time I have played for anyone other than my husband and family as an adult. My last recital was when I was 11 years old.

I don't have recitals, but I do perform in church now and then. I like to think of it as an opportunity to share my love of the music. I like JimF's reasons to be positive.

Anyway, I doubt that it takes a whole month for everyone other than you to forget what you did (especially if you mess up). A week? a day?

I opt out of mine, also... there's 30-40 kids, and a random adult. I don't know about the spring recitals, but I know that at the Christmas recital I was in, there were multiple Good King Wenceslas and Jingle Bells. It was very repetitive. It was still nerve racking, for some reason, and I crashed and burned. And I wasn't the only one.

But in retrospect, I'm thinking the parents only really paid attention to their own kids, and really didn't think much of the rest of it. Most of them were young. If that was your kid, wouldn't you be too wrapped up in what they accomplished to even care about what some adult did? They might even admire your guts if they even thought about it

If anyone wants to have fun with a Christmas recital.
I wrote a song when we were snowed in for Christmas. yes it's true

All you have to do is volunteer to do the melody: I'll be home for Christmas.

Then... I have the words...
loves his snowblower that runs out of fuel...
Then gets buried trying to shovel his way out...

It ends with:
If I get out for Christmas...
It's....
Only....
In...
My....
Dreams!....

It's sure to be a big hit at a Christmas recital.

Oh...I forgot...you have to sing also...

My 1st recital is this Saturday. I'm nervous but excited too! We're allowed only one song because of the large number of students. I started playing in November and now a recital!! Oh boy...

Good luck warlock214 - what piece/song are you going to play?

Happy Birthday, Jim

Earlofmar - Thanks! I will be playing Beethoven's Shepherd's Song.

Warlock - Good luck today Saturday. The first time is scariest. Just try to remember a wrong note or two doesn't matter, 90% of the audience doesn't know how your piece goes anyway. If u can, try to go early and do a scale or any little thing other than your piece on the actual recital instrument. That familiarity really helps.

Have fun. The result doesn't matter!!

Thanks a bunch, Bobpickle. The big six-oh = OMG when did I get this old?

For my upcoming recital I'm about an eight year-old, which suits me just fine.

Happy birthday JimF! Don't worry, you start subtracting years at 60. Next year you will be 59.