Recital participation or lack thereof can be stressful. There is a lot of work that goes into planning a recital from music selection to programs and sometimes decor…not to mention those hours at the recitals themselves.
To make things less stressful, we can change our expectations of events or change the environment. What we cannot do is influence our studio families’ schedules or motivation to perform.
Manage Expectations
The most important things to us may not align with our students’ priorities. And often during the Christmas season, families are struggling with multiple family members having commitments that conflict. In my own studio, I have a parent who is a ballet teacher whose large Christmas event conflicts and various children in huge productions with multiple time commitments like the Nutcracker. I even have a student pulling from the recital at the last minute for a swim meet because his starting time is 12:30 instead of his normal 8:30. When did they find this out? 3 days before the meet/recital. Why is this important to him? He is close to getting a state time. This meet trumps the recital, and I totally get that. I hope he nails it.
Let’s try not to forget why we provide recitals. These are opportunities for performance practice for the students. If they choose not to participate, it is not a personal affront to us as teachers. Flexibility is really the key to our sanity here.
Change the environment
Here are 3 ways we can change up our recitals to encourage more participations.
First, if you have a large studio, have multiple small recitals. These are more manageable on a busy day, and they will help minimize families leaving in the middle of a recital. I like 2:00, 3:30, and 5:00 options, but these can be changed based on local schedules.
Second, if you are a smaller studio consider hosting a come and go Christmas party. Have students bring snacks so that they can eat and then visit with one another and provide musical entertainment. These are super informal and are really fun if students are in the same peer group. If you have students who are inexperienced with performing this can be a life saver. I even let them play their music more than once. If the piano was free, it was fair game. I really do miss those days.
Lastly, if your studio is smaller and schedules are just not meshing, consider an online recital. This can be in person through zoom or just pre-recorded music through YouTube. It’s also a great add-on recital for people who are not able to make it to an in-person event or if you have a number of virtual students.
Stress-Free Details
During the holiday season, things are likely to change at a moment’s notice. Minimize stress by printing your programs last minute. It is currently 2 days before my 2024 recital, and I am about to get my programs printed. Be a procrastinator. It will serve you well.
Another option is to ditch printed programs altogether and use a power point display. This is by far the cheapest option and really has a lot more creative potential.
Lastly, don’t feel compelled to host a reception. Unless you live in a more rural area and/or have a team to help you, this is a lot of work. Many families will head out to a restaurant with their families afterward anyway, and you have probably spent an extra 20+ hours the week before on other preparations. Let it go, especially if you have a larger studio with multiple recitals and are just one person.
Closing thoughts
I generally have about 70% participation in my recitals. They are note required in my studio for one reason. Music is not about performance for every person. For some people, it is personal. Is it encouraged? Yes, but I’m not a teacher who wants to put everyone in the same box.
If students need to play and leave…even during the middle of a recital…I let them leave. If I’m flexible, they get that performance practice. If I’m not, they miss out on a major learning opportunity. I want them to be better musicians, so my decisions are always going to prioritize those goals.
