Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Speaking of performance opportunities . . .

I have a lovely young lady (6th grader) who now has a repertoire of ten pieces which she plays quite musically and of course, completely from memory. A couple of Bach dances, a Playel minuet, Beethoven Bagatelle, Schumann's First Sorrow, Tchaikovsky's Dolls Funeral, Ivan Sings, something by Bartok and Shostikovich. I would like her to play her program at a retirement home and perhaps one or two other venues, but she is resisting. There would be a couple of other students performing as well.

Any motivational suggestions or general ideas? How have you solved such problems with your students?

Try pointing out the benefit that the retired people will get from listening to her music.

Explain how performing for a crowd will further
her performance skills.

Mabey a tip jar?

If you can find out what her objections are...
then just overcome them, and identify her motivation.

good luck

Mr. B

A tip jar! I like that!

I agree with Brownlow's point about trying to understand her motivation.

If she's done Guild, she's gone through the hoops, but performing for a judge who may or may not ask you to play complete pieces is different from getting up in front of an audience and putting on a complete show. How comfortable is she in performance environments?

She doesn't seem uncomfortable at various recitals through the year. We'll be talking more about it next week at lesson time.

Darn Double Post again

John

What is interesting is that she is not resistant to performing in other recitals, but yet she is in a retirement home. I would think if it was strictly a matter of stage fright, she would be resistant no matter where she performed. Maybe she has a fear of retirement homes?! Could she have a relative in one?

I think Brownlow and PianoDad are right...I think you need to get to the bottom of where this is coming from by discussing it further.
Good luck!!

How about a senior community center? However, do they typically have pianos? Another idea might be a daycare in the summer when your students are out of school. I just thought of this and was tossing it out there as I was just trying to think of a "non-intimidating" audience. Some daycares are ran in churches so they would be likely to have a decent piano.

Or YOU could give a recital at any of the places you are thinking and have your students open the recital as "guest artists".

On the recitals, has she played as many pieces?

p.s. I like the idea pianobuff gave on the thread of mine in regard to having one student give their own personal recital and that is to have a party for that student where she would play all her pieces and it be a celebration of her overall musical accomplishment.

sarabande, that's the direction I am trying to go. I would like all my students who have mastered and performed a repertoire of 10 or more pieces (or even 7 for that matter) have a house recital where they show case their accomplishments for friends and families. I started on this last year. You would not believe the resistance I am encountering. Parents don't want to commit to the time and energy required, students, of course, as self-conscious about their talents and accomplishments. It's like pulling hen's teeth.

How about having her play some (or all) of the pieces as prelude music at her church? I often have piano students play at church, especially (but not only) at Christmas time. And a bonus is that many churches have well-maintained grand pianos, while retirement center pianos are hit-or-miss, in my experience!

Playing music for prelude and postlude at church is a wonderful way to gain performance experience in a less intimidating setting. Because so much activity is going on it isn't quite as scary as a recital. Also, one of my favorite ways to practice sight reading was to play along with the piano and choir during hymns. I'm sure it depends on the church, but some of them have the most welcoming musical atmopheres.

It doesn't sound like performance anxiety to me.

It may be some sort of geriatric phobia.

Good luck. John, and let us know what happens.

Mr. B

I usually do my spring recital in my church, but do my Christmas recital at an assisted-living center. I have found that the students do tend to be fearful of some of the seniors. To a child, the sight of adults drooling or speaking in an incomprehensible way is pretty intimidating. I like to take the students there a week or so early to "practice" and then I introduce them to a few of the seniors that I know. That seems to calm some fears. They have come to look forward to seeing specific people. Of course, I have a small studio so this might not be workable for you. Hope this helps.

Oh yes -- I have never had any luck with the tip jar but one of the residents did put a cookie in my hair once!

Thanks for all your suggestions. Wunderkind doesn't have her lesson until Thursday, and I'm not pushing hard at this point, because I'm up to my eyeballs in other work. I will talk with her about it a bit. She's been with me for 3 or 4 years now, and is very, very quiet. I've just recently been able to get an actual conversation going with her - a conversation with more than monosyllabic answers on her part.

Update - the fear of elderly seemed surreal to me, but when discussing the recital yesterday, I learned that it actually is a major driver in her reluctance to play. So we discussed this for a bit, then I let it rest. By the way, this yound lady loves track, so I may nickname her JJ from now on (for Jackie Joyner). Anyway, I think we'll be able to manage a wonderful recital now. Thanks everyone.

I find it interesting that there wasn't a single mention of the girls parents (I don't know if JvdB's mention of "parents not wanting to take the time" was a reference to this girls parents or not. It seems that the parents should be a major resource in helping you and her with this decision. Then again, if your above reference _is_ to this girls parents, then nevermind

Well, not to go into too much detail, but her parents are supportive, but pretty much leave her to her own devices. Mom works mids as a nurse at a local hospital, dad is working 12 hr days some where not too close. She's usually transported here by a relative. Dad is somewhat more involved in her lessons than mom. She has long hours of no supervision at home and has become rather independent. I read her thoughts on her myspace page, and some of them can be a bit dark. I have almost, but not yet, brought them to the attention of her parents, who by the way, are immigrants and not as English fluent as the daughter.

well, if you have only been able to carry out an actual conversation after 3 or 4 years, it means probably that she's really really shy. Actually, it was the same for me when i 1st switched teachers it took me a really long time for me to be able to carry out a conversation with her haha... If you have a shy student just keep on giving them encouragement eventually and that will help the student to be able to perform in front of others after more exposure

maybe because her parents pay too little attention to her...