Recitals are an important part of having a piano studio. Performing is a important skill for any pianist. Despite the hard work involved, in the long run, the students find it a rewarding activity.
Benefits of having a recital include:
- Parents enjoy hearing the progress their student(s) are making under your instruction. Grandparents and parents love attending these performances and getting pictures/video recordings of their child’s performance (esp. when it’s their first). There’s something special about watching your child all dressed up and playing a special piece for an audience onstage.
- The benefits for the students are perhaps of even greater importance. It provides greater direction to their piano study. Sometimes a student loses motivation and progress becomes slow. It’s helpful to have a long-term goal to work towards, other than seemingly endless weekly lessons.
- A recital provides the teacher the opportunity to give them a more challenging piece to work on long-term, in contrast to their everyday assignments from their Lesson/Repertoire books, which often receive only 2 to 4 weeks worth of attention. It is important for a student to learn to polish their pieces and reach the point of internalization of the music.
- Because the piece is internalized, students have the opportunity to learn to memorize. In today’s world of music, it is generally expected that pianists perform by memory, especially if they wish to enter competitions or study music at the collegiate level someday. While for some students, memorizing may come easily and naturally, for others, it is difficult. It is important to develop students’ memorization skills from an early age. Assigning a recital piece is a perfect opportunity to teach the student how to approach memorization, and teach them specific methods for memorizing effectively.
- Recitals allow each student to hear their fellow students play. This is important for two reasons: a) Hearing the young beginners play reminds them how far they have progressed since their first lesson. b) Hearing the more advanced students may cause them to aspire to become better pianists. It is important for students to hear other performers play so they stay enthused and to get their creative juices flowing.
Planning a recital is well-worth the time and effort — for you and your students will be reaping the benefits for months afterwards.
Do you require all of your students to perform in the recitals?
No, I don’t require it — but I do generally assume that all non-adult students will perform at the recital unless they let me know otherwise. Students generally look forward to the recital!