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My spring recital is quickly approaching, this year it will be on April 1st. Each year the event is overwhelming and stressful in many ways. The logistics and planning...not to mention the social skills involved in being the M.C. and trying to remember everyone's names! I hope all of my students play well. Holy cow I think my heart just skipped a beat...Every year I am glad I do these recitals, but the lead-up can be nerve-wracking.

I may be coming down with recital madness. Any suggestions for this seasonal malady?

Well, good luck. I don't envy you for stress. I try to make things the least stressful possible because I can't stand living with the stress.

All I can say is delegate as much of the work at the recital as possible so you can just relax and enjoy listening to the students play. For example, have someone else M.C. - how about one of the parents?

I used to get really stressed even with the little few students I had when I held the recital at my house because there was the added stress of having my house clean and ready and people coming to my house and playing hostess makes me more uneasy to begin with let alone a recital. I used to think others would be judging the appearance and cleanliness of the piano teacher's house while they were at it. When I started holding it at the local university (and no food allowed so that took care of that area too), it took a ton of stress off my shoulders.

I think in general, for me, the less you have to personally do on the recital day, the more enjoyable and less stressful. Do parents and students help with the logistics?

One time a parent offered to print the list of what all the students were playing and in what order and it came out even more professional than what I could do. I had a student who liked to design things on computer and I asked her if she would like to type some things for me. She typed a thank you letter to the facility that let us use their building at no charge.

Well, have fun!

Best wishes on a great recital!!!@

Look at the happy faces in the pics from last year's recital. Think good thoughts about how much your continuing students have improved!

Make plans for what to do the day after!

The nerve racking stress can be the mind and body's way of gearing up.

The stress before public presentations used to really bother me--until-- I had the same physiological systems before running a marathon. There I was in a crowd of 15,000 plus, no chance of winning, no chance of being singled out or embarassed-no real chance of failure except possibly against some goal I set.

Anyhow, it was a bit of a revelation for me. I take advantage (harness) of the energy to prepare better and accomplish more in the "getting ready" phase. I find that the key to success is really in the preparation (mind, body and organization). If you count on that, and keep going, the chances of exceeding your expectations are great. (at least in my opinion).

Have a great recital. I look so forward to my kids recitals-- and its really all the kids playing is all that I focus on and remember.

It was actually a great relief for me to read your thread, Hobie. I am always so focused on the anxiety of the performers that it never occurred to me that the teacher might be feeling anxious, too!

Thanks for everyone's responses, it is nice to hear some support in this crazy season called spring.

Sarabande...good advice. i feel like delegating the little things will be a real help. I have already started a refreshment list of who will be bringing what. I have it divided into beverages, healty snacks, chips/dips, desert items and cups/plates/cutlery.

I am thinking that next year I should try to do 2 recitals because trying to fit everyone in one afternoon is too hard. As it is it takes 2 and a half hours with an intermission.

Dorrie: The day after! I just have to make it the next week until spring break and then I'll have 2 weeks to just relax.

Fathertopianist: Thanks for your advice...I totally agree about the preparation. I have even made little notes about each student so I won't just introduce them, I'll have a quick something to say, too. It is so funny how I get amnesia each year after the recital. I am so releived that I say, "oh that was great! I can't wait for the next one" What was I thinking?

Monica: Performers and teacher alike have a love hate thing going with recitals.

Thanks for everyones responses...keep 'em comin'. I'm feeling better already.

I look at the dvd from my previous recitals to get into the mood of recital giving.

I also find a new outfit goes a long way to being confident in front of people. Go shopping!

Hobie, where is it written that you have to be MC? I generally welcome the audience to the recital, ask them to put their cell phones on stun, if they are medical/emergency personel, otherwise off; point out that the kids have had a great year, that they're going to hear some great music, and then start the recital.

The program booklet has been on my computer for a decade now, so I just update the students & selections. I figure the audience can read, so I don't need to introduce each student.

My students are in another room, off stage, and the last performer is tasked with being the hustler, getting each performer ready to move on stage as the previous student is ending their selection.

At the end of the recital, I have a table set up where I have awards sitting, ready to hand out. We do photos, and then, we're out of there!

I'm with John on this one. Each year I used to go through the madness of a big Christmas concert. I arranged ensembles which needed weeks of rehearsals and also provided refreshments in the interval. Every student was announced, some of them with a little background history. The event was very stressful.

Last week I held a much simpler, streamlined recital. Most of my students performed (unless they really didn't want to) solos and piano duets. I introduced the recital and then we ran the programme without any interruptions. No interval, no refreshments, the whole thing was done and dusted in an hour. Everyone played well and parents have commented on how great it was that it didn't drag on for hours like these recitals sometimes can!

As this recital was so easy to plan and run (and I even made a small profit on ticket sales) I will run one at the end of each term rather than just once a year. I think this is better for the students as they get more performing experience on a regular basis. And it's certainly better for my nerves!

Recitals are stressful no matter how you slice it. Although playing the role of MC might add stress, I think it would be kind of fun for you and everyone too.

Outside of providing the performance experience for students, my number one objective for holding recitals is to provide students motivation to practice harder. There's nothing like announcing a recital that gets students practicing a lot more. So when the recital day comes, my goal is already complete before the students even start playing.

Although, I hope they all play well for the own sake or parent's sake, I don't worry or get stressed about how well they do (although they always do better than at lessons which never ceases to amaze me) since the whole purpose for me is just to get them to practice more.

I've noticed when I have been super stressed in the past then parents, friends, and relatives show up really relaxed there to support their child and just have fun. (They're are probably trying to keep a relaxed attitude for their child's sake.) The parents and other audience members relaxed attitudes have been a tremendous help in helping me feel more at ease at the recitals.

I try to throw some unconventional things into the event to make it a little less formal and stuffy too. It takes some stress off of me if I don't have to feel so formal about things. Once at a Christmas recital, some students played while we had a sing-a-long. Once I handed out tickets when everyone arrived for a door prize drawing. Any little thing to make it more just plain fun helps me.

At a local piano teacher's meeting I went to this week, one of the teachers in charge of the meetings made some funny comments like, "I hope everyone's still alive after all the spring performance events for our students!"

We'll be thinking of you on April 1 - hope none your students don't have some April fools tricks up their sleeve!

I do M.C. my recitals -- I do like each student to be introduced, and the young ones would be overwhelmed by having to talk. For me, speaking in public is much easier than performing! What helps me is just remembering that this is about the students; no one there is thinking about me or what I say! I try to keep it as low key as possible -- to find that balance between making it a special occasion and yet non-threatening for the little ones. Like John, my program is in the computer; I just update it for each recital. I used to think I should make the graphics different -- make it look new; now I realize we have a "look," and go with that.

Thankfully, my husband always comes and helps out. He takes over refreshments, and won't even let me help him with them!

Relax and enjoy the special day you have created for your students and their families! We'll all be thinking of you on the day.

Celia, I agree - the parents and friends are there to hear the students, not me. I'll just add that most parents are not used to sitting through long concerts that many classically oriented audiences would expect or tolerate. While I was teaching in Germany, I found that my recitals could run 2 hrs, and the audience would hang around and socialize for an hour after that. Here, I can see the boring meter start to rise after 30 minutes. I try to get my recitals done quickly. Very short intermission.

Thus, my students don't introduce themselve nor their selections. They simply walk on stage, stand by the piano, nod or bow to the audience(I make sure the applause start by applauding myself), sit down, count to ten while thinking about what they are about to perform, then play. Then stand up on the right side of the piano, smile big, make a deep bow to acknowledge applause (where by saying 'thank you' to the audience for listening, and finally exit the stage with good posture.

I'm even toying with the idea of having two recitals, 45 min each, so I can keep each audience captivated.

With my recitals, and in the past only having a handful of students to start with, they usually only last a whopping 30 minutes (and that's with most beginners playing 5 pieces and above beginners playing at least 2 pieces). It seems a little on the short side (like done in the blink of an eye) so 45 min. minutes wouldn't be a lot longer than that and I wonder if would seem short also. Have you ever tried it?

Once, I tried to give a little talk on something afterwards to make the recital longer with not many students. I figured why not provide a little music education while we're at it. But although I don't normally mind talking in front of people, I feel all eyes are eagerly glued on me when it's parents, friends, and relatives of my students.

The last 2 recitals were so enjoyable for me as all I had to do was show up, laid the programs on the table for everyone to pick up themselves, announce the start of the recital and sit back as though an audience member and enjoy the students' playing.

In talking about stressors on teachers of recitals, one thing that always stresses me out beforehand and at the recital is who is to go first. It seems no one wants to be first and at the recital, I always feel a little uneasy and "the bad guy" regarding the student who has to be first.

Oh, yes and speaking of stress, one time on recital day, there was predicted possible tornado warnings for earlier in the day and there were some tornado warnings just an hour or so before the recital. I envisioned everyone having to head to the basement of the building during the recital. I hated to reschedule it after all the work and booking the place way in advance and all the students prepared. The warnings were suppose to end by the recital time but I strongly debated canceling.

With 19 students performing, I ended up with an audience of close to 100 people! I couldn't believe the turn out of family and friends, school teachers, etc. there to support the students. It was fantastic, but talk about nerve wrecking! speaking in front of my students is one thing, but if I had known how many people would be in the audience I would have practiced my opening and closing speach.

I had all of my students play two songs, and I think the recital was over with in about 35 minutes. No talking in-between students, just announcing them by name. I am adding student duets to our spring recital plus the two solo pieces. I am planning on keeping it 1 hour or less, but personally I felt like 35 minutes was a little on the short side.

With recital order, I like just starting with beginners and ending with the most advanced students. That way nobody has to follow someone who is more advanced and no one complains.

I solved the problem of who goes first by having the recital begin with a patriotic song, often as a duet.

good idea! (now why didn't I think of that :rolleyes: ).

That's why we have this forum. I've picked up plenty of ideas, too!

I actually like to switch up the levels and abilities of the performers. Nothing is worse for a teenage "late bloomer" than to be forced to play with the little kids in a recital ordered by level. Although, I always begin and end the recital with a strong performer, regardless of the level. My students seem to enjoy the mystery of the recital order, for they don't know until they arrive and see the printed program.

I hold 4-5 recitals a year, in addition to other performance opportunities, so my students perform a lot. This really helps students to overcome anxiety as well as getting to know each other. Also, recitals aren't a big stress for me, either. I have a program already on my computer, which takes less than 20 min. to update. I then print enough copies for all and head to the recital hall. Not much stress. Occassionally I'll do refreshments, but keep it simple to cookies and bottled water.

cranky woman - your input reminded me that actually, I do the same thing. My student recital is broken down into musical periods, with baroque leading off, after the patriotic song, followed by a duet or two, then the classical period and intermission. The 2nd half picks up with romantic, more duets, and finally, contemporary. Last year, I ended with a dazzler duet, student & myself.

Within the grouping, I went from elementary to advanced and back to elementary. That helped lead into the duets, because they are usually easier numbers.

Great ideas everyone...

I admit to having loosely organized recitals according to abilty/age in the past, but after reading Cranky's post I'll opt for the random surprise approach this year.

I am reading and appreciating everyone's help. I wish I had more time to post back!

Thanks.

Hobie