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Organizing a Recital Concert #1: First Recital
Are you a music teacher? Are you organizing your first music recital? Whether you’re doing a classical recital, Christmas piano recital, a mini recital, or a chamber music recital, these musical recitals will all be organized basically the same way with just a few variations. Read more to answer the question, “How do I organize a recital concert?”
There are tons of different types of music recitals. Here is a short list of some of the most common ones:
- Piano recital
- Guitar recital
- Violin recital
- Solo singing recital
- Choir recital
- Orchestra recital
- Recorder recital
- Clarinet recital
- Saxophone recital
- Classical guitar recital
- And more…
If you don’t see your instrument on the list, don’t worry. You’ll still find the following tips helpful.
Organizing a Recital Concert #2: Basic Setup for Piano, Violin, Choir, and Other Music Recitals
“How do I organize a recital concert?” Here’s some tips for the basic setup for your orchestra recital, piano recital, choir recital, violin recital, etc.
Location:
Find a local venue to perform in, such as a library, school, church, or bookstore.
- This allows you to set your date and time, so you can start signing up your students.
- It also sets your biggest cost so you can figure out your fee.
- If you want to have refreshments, you’ll have to find out if the venue allows it.
Length:
In my music recitals, I have each student do two songs. I estimate that each student takes about 5 minutes.
- The young kids take less time while the older kids take longer.
- However, it averages out, so the formula still stands.
- That means if ten kids participate, you’ll have a 50 minute or so recital with opening and closing remarks.
I’ve found that 45 minutes will be about as short as you want to go. However, an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes will be about the longest you can get away with before you need to break them into two groups. (This rule of thumb also works for chorus, band, or orchestra, but instead of groups you would have two sets with an intermission.)
- Nobody complains at an hour and 10 minutes.
- At an hour and 20 minutes people start to grumble.
- At an hour and a half everybody is grumbling.
Let’s face it, all the parents are there to see their own kids perform, and many are ready to go after their kids have finished performing.
Organizing a Recital Concert #3: Tips for the Day of Your Piano, Violin, Choir, or Other Music Recital
“How do I organize a recital concert?” Here are tips for the day of your guitar recital, violin recital, choir recital, piano recital, etc.
Programs:
I suggest you have programs. It creates memories for the students’ families.
I use the formula of 2.3 programs per student.
- Take the answer and round it to the nearest whole number.
- This’ll get you close to the right number.
- Sometimes you’ll have some left over, and sometimes you won’t.
Program Order:
For the student performance order, I use a mix of:
- Lesson book level
- How well they’re performing
- Age
- Height (I had a student who complained when I put him with the “babies”)
For chorus, band, or orchestra the performance order will be the order of your pieces.
Performance Traffic Flow:
I have students sit in the front row in the order of the program.
- This makes it efficient to call students up.
- If they sit with their parents, it takes them longer to get to the front of the hall.
- This interrupts the flow of the program, which you don’t want.
Depending on the space – band, orchestra, and chorus directors will also need to think about and rehearse traffic flow.
Photos:
Take pictures of each group for your website or social media posts. After you’re done taking your photos, the parents can take theirs. That way the kids will all have their eyes focused on you for your shot.
Performance Prep:
I’ve provided links for you about overcoming performance anxiety that’ll help prep your students for your performance:
Organizing a Recital Concert #4: A Tip Just for Piano Recitals
“How do I organize a recital concert?” Piano recitals are different from saxophone recitals, violin recitals, guitar recitals, choir recitals, etc., because the students won’t be able to bring their own instruments to perform on.
- I don’t have anything against a good quality digital or upright piano when used for lessons.
- However, playing on a grand piano will add a boost to your students’ performances at your music recital.
- It’s not even piano vs keyboard, but grand piano vs everything else.
One year I had to use an upright piano, because of a last-minute cancelation.
- To use an analogy, the grand piano from past years sounded like a chocolate covered Dove Bar, while the upright sounded like a fat-free, sugar-free fudgesicle.
- There’s no comparison, a grand piano will lift up a student’s performance.
- Conversely, an upright piano will suck the life out of a student’s playing.
Organizing a Recital Concert #5: Final Thoughts on Piano, Violin, Choir, and Other Music Recitals
Here’s a summary of How Do I Organize a Recital Concert?
- Start with renting the venue for your choir, violin, piano, or other music recital.
- Figure out the length of your music recital.
- Work out the number of programs you’ll need, design them, and get them printed.
- Figure out your traffic flow and performance order. Make sure you always end with your strongest student/piece.
- Take photos for your website and social media posts.
- Teach your students how to deal with stage fright.
- Decide whether or not you want to give each student a small, inexpensive gift.
Don’t forget to advertise your recital, and especially don’t forget to have fun!
Related Posts
- What Do People Mean by the Term Interpretation in Classical Music?
- Why is Classical Music Interpreted Differently from Pop Music?
- D’you Want Some Music Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Over the Years?
© 2023 Geoffrey Keith
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