Every December, we have a recital. It's September, so recital preparations are already under way. In fact, by now, I have requested the date at the recital facility, decided if we will do a Christmas or Winter theme or no theme at all, and started thinking through options for students to play. So why is it Christmas in September?
First, I want to make sure to give families plenty of time to plan to be available for the recital. I recognize that December is a busy time and taking a couple hours out of a Saturday at the last minute is not reasonable, so I want the recital to be one of the first things on their calendar.
Second, students need time to prepare. I like to give students a few weeks to decide on their song, and then have plenty of time to learn and polish their song...and be ready to play it a few weeks before the recital. That way, if it ends up being more challenging than we thought or if someone gets sick, etc. there isn't a last minute panic to prepare the song.
Third, recitals are a good experience when you are prepared and know you can play your song well. The last thing you should be worried about when you are going to perform is if you can play the right notes. Being prepared well in advance means that you can confidently play the piece and only be stressed about the fact that a bunch of people are now listening to you.
So, that's why September is when recital prep really starts.
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