A look back on my first backyard recital
How did I decide what to do?
It seems that a side effect of the pandemic is severe decision fatigue.
For weeks, I could not decide on what to do for my spring recital.
Where should it be held?
How do I celebrate my four senior students in a meaningful way?
What theme should I use that reflects how we’ve all been feeling this past year?
I covered some of the answers to these question in a recent post.
In a nutshell, most of the answers stem from a pair of Converse shoes that I thought would NEVER see the light of day again. They just seemed “too happy.”
The shoes magically
Inspired a theme: Here Comes the Sun
Determined a location: My backyard
Read more about the story here.
All the credit goes to my Size 10.5 yellow Converse
When and what to play
I held two recitals at 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, May 15th. Each recital featured two seniors who ended each show with a bang.
With the help of my husband and son, we carried my Clavinova up to our covered deck.
It was determined that rain or shine, the event would happen. If needed, we could slip the piano through the sliding glass doors and the audience could sit on the covered deck and inside in our family room area. We had two viable options and I was ready to pivot—THE BUZZ WORD of 2020 and apparently now in 2021!
The front and back cover of my program
Programs
Andrea’s lovely graphic served as a colorful addition to the event and provided the order of performers and a few other odds and ends. Here’s a PDF of both recital programs.
I’ve been using Google Forms in so many ways over the past year and then it occurred to use a form to collect information for the recital program as well! High fivin’ myself on that one! It worked like a charm.
In a Google Form, I created a questionnaire which students completed during off bench time or at home via a link in Tonara.
Besides the names of their pieces and the composers, students provided me with their
age and grade
what recital they are playing in
what order they wanted to play their pieces
if they wanted to play their pieces right in a row or between other performers
their favorite thing to do in the sun.
Once completed, the answers were automatically collected on a spreadsheet. I copied and pasted the information on to the program I made in Pages. It really helped me solidify and double check my work to make sure I had everything accurate.
Watch this tutorial I made in Loom to learn more.
Design and decor
Andrea West’s lovely recital cover generated plenty of ideas for decor.
Since “Here Comes the Sun” is a Beatles hit, the theme carried a 60s-70s vibe.
It’s been unusually cold here in Colorado and it even snowed earlier in the week of the recital so I decided against investing in outdoor flowers.
To add a pop of color to the emerald green grass, I ordered the following:
Keyboard Table Runner (this popped up in my feed and so I bought it and LOVE it!)
Food and treats
Having a table of food just didn’t seem appropriate with socially distancing protocols so I prepared grab and go snack bags for students with some yellow treats:
Smiley Face Stress Balls (ordered too many so they also served as decor!)
Twix Candy Bars
Honey Crisp Apples
Awards
Ever since Bella, my C6 Yamaha grand piano, came to reside in our living room, I name my spring recitals after her. It’s called the Bella Festival.
This year, just like the past 18 years, I gave students a Bella Festival trophy in acknowledgement of another year of piano with Ms Leila. I ordered them from Crown Awards.
After each pianist played their last piece, I stood up with them after their bow and crafted a small speech about the student. This year I choose one or two words that I felt described the student and their efforts. Usually there was a story behind the words and this gave the audience a sneak peek into the uniqueness of each pianist.
Mishaps
You can’t have a recital without something unexpected happening!
I notified the neighbors of the recital and so I guess our next door neighbors decided to leave and left their dog outside to bark during most of the 1pm recital. He settled down and then the birds began to sing—hard to complain about that!
At 3pm, our neighborhood held a parade for high school seniors so there were a some hoots and hollars for a few minutes off in the distance.
Cameron was off and running with his piece '“Safe and Sound” and we were all tapping our feet with his driving beat when he stopped cold and said,
“Wait, I need the next page!”
Mom jumped to the rescue and luckily had the book. As she was running up to the deck, I said with a smile to the crowd,
“Hang tight and stay tuned everybody!”
Of course, everyone cheered on Cameron as they waited for him to pick up where he left off.
Soon after, Cameron was back at it right where he stopped and finished the piece with flair!
Luke is a junior in high school and began lessons with me this fall. We’ve been enjoying online lessons. I never met him in person. Every time I’ve seen Luke on Zoom, he’s been seated at the piano and so I had no idea that he was 6’7” tall!
It was not easy for him to “fit” at the Clavinova. His legs were SO long and too tall to squeeze beneath the key bed.
As I helped with the bench height, etc, we all had a good laugh about the unexpected perils of making friends with a foreign piano.
Our deck has yet to be finished but it served well as a stage!
Weather
The forecast predicted a 40% chance of rain. At 1pm, the sun mostly hid behind clouds and by the end, there was thunder rumbling in the distance and a few drops sprinkled just as we were all departing.
It was very dark for until 2:50pm and then blue sky appeared over the roof top.
I couldn’t have planned it any better. Just as I was about to begin the recital, the clouds parted and so I opened with the words
Here comes the sun!
The sun appeared between the clouds and rumbling thunder but the rain held off!
Observations about student performances
The week of the recital, I managed to capture stellar performances of pianists playing their recital pieces on video. It’s one of the best ways to prepare for a recital. So many times during the week, I pressed the stop record button and then jumped up and down for the pianists because I was so happy for them that they nailed the piece and I caught it on video!
And yet…
Most students, though totally prepared, had glitches here and there. Because we’ve talked about the fact that performing is not about perfection but about recovery, they moved through their errors and kept going.
One of my students is a reliable practicer and has flourished with only online lessons for the past year. Yet, when he performed, he froze and had a tough time executing even though he came prior to the recital that day to practice on the Clavinova.
My theory?
Sometimes students practice too much with the brain on automatic pilot when things get “easy.” Then, the brain turns off the automation during a performance. This self-awareness turns into panic and doubt, cuts the typical flow and things fall apart. He managed his way through “Ballade” but I know it was not the performance he intended.
After that, his adorable mother joined him for a duet after his solo. They had nailed the ensemble for me during his online lessons. They also practiced on the Clavinova and yet, she, too, had a frozen moment during the recital, laughed and admitted,
“This is hard!”
The audience laughed and cheered her on showing their support.
Mom and son took a breath, rebooted started again and did much better.
This is never what I want my students to feel and experience at a recital. Yet, it happens. I know it will take a while for this young man who is always so prepared at his lessons to get over this performance. It will require some coaching, recognition that mistakes are information and a discovery of what can be applied to his preparation for his next performance.
One more thing…there were so many humans in one place. After a year of being in isolation, perhaps the gathering triggered a lot of unexpected jitters? I know I felt the same when I played for our very first live church service!
A tribute to seniors
It’s never easy saying good-bye to students, especially when they happen to be such wonderful human beings. And although I look forward to seeing them flourish in their next chapter, it feels like they are leaving a gaping hole in my life and in my studio roster. As you may know, it takes a LONG time to “grow” seniors and not many students stick it out that long.
Siena came to me a couple of years ago slightly tainted from lessons in the past. She realized that what was important to her was playing the repertoire that inspires her. She has an eclectic taste in music and has played a Haydn sonata, The Entertainer and Cristofori’s Dream to name a few. I’ve adored her smile and her maturity.
After just two short years with Aidan, his skills exploded! He mastered and memorized all three Gershwin Preludes within months of each other. I am stunned by his voracious appetite to learn new music. We were blown away by his “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Jarod Radnich—his arrangements are filled with crazy keyboard shenanigans!
Rylan started with another teacher and then headed my way in 2011 when he needed a teacher that could think outside the box a little more. In some ways, we “grew up” together as his innate creative skills kept me on my toes. His gentle soul and humility despite an enormous amount of capabilities make him absolutely charming.
He closed the 3pm recital with his original arrangement of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Lilly has been a darling student since 1st grade and she turned into a pop music fanatic and enjoys arranging her favorite tunes. She has mastered the art of finding the important notes and omitting the unnecessary. If only someone had taught me that long ago!
Lilly brought matching shades for me. I will hold her and her dear family close to my heart.
FYI: my attire was important to me that day. The bell bottom pants were borrowed from Levi’s girlfriend, the shirt was from Marie Lee as was the Key Ideas necklace she gave me as a token of appreciation for the podcast. The turtle earrings were given to me by a cousin. The shell bracelet came from a friend I met in the hospital with Carter. The only thing you don’t see is my yellow Converse!!
In the past, I have made bigger productions to honor my seniors. It just didn’t seem a viable option this year and I have to admit, my energy level for big “to-dos” is limited.
My longstanding tradition to give seniors a piano music box continued this year and they all received one that looks very similar to “my Bella” that they’ve all come to adore.
Included with my favorite pop-up cards (which I can’t find any more) was a note from me and a QR code sticker. When scanned, the QR code takes the students to their YouTube playlist which I’ve updated over the years. The first video on the playlist is one from me saying “hey” and “so long” that I created in Loom.
I generated the QR codes here and also here.
I can’t thank you enough for Rylan’s gifts. You had me in tears! Everything was so perfect and thoughtful, from the wrapping paper, the unique note card and heartfelt message (both written and videotaped), the amazing Bella music box and the QR code to Ry’s collection of music…a lifetime of wonderful memories and a forever treasure!
-Rylan’s mom
I printed a QR code on a sticker and then adhered it to the card.
What would I do again?
1. GOOGLE FORM QUESTIONNAIRE—this was a golden wait to collect information in one place and I will make that a priority for all upcoming recitals. To see how I created my questionnaire, click here.
2. I would like to host more than one backyard recital a year! They’re casual, the venue is free, kids can get up and move and sit in cool lawn chairs and one of my students took her special knitting tool to keep her occupied. Parents can stand to get the best video of their kid. There’s really not a bad seat in the house!
If you play soccer, you have a weekly game. You get a chance to mess up in a game, regroup and try again in the next game. Pianists should have a weekly game as well! Think of how improved their performance skills would be if they practiced them every week.
Two big hurdles to over come for more backyard recitals?
Talking my son and husband into moving the Clavinova.
Choosing dates and times that guarantee perfect weather.
3. Ask family members to join their pianists in a duet. This was such a great way to involve family and their rehearsals could be held at home. No need to coordinate schedules with other pianists!
It also allowed my students to take the lead in the performance. I watched them coach their duet partners—on-the-job training!
4. The QR code sticker in the card was a hit and I’ve got some ideas on how to use those again—stay tuned!
What do I wish I would have done?
I wish I would have mentioned the accomplishments of students either during my mini-speeches or better yet on the program.
For example:
who completed the 40 piece challenge
who participated in the the Masterworks Festival
who participated in the National Federation of Music Clubs festival
who showed up on the leader on the Tonara leader board the most
I did make these certificates for those who conquered the 40 piece challenge and awarded them at the recital.
My friend Reneé—it’s her voice you hear reading the bios on my Key Ideas Podcast—had such clever awards for her students who powered through a year of Zoom lessons.
“Since most students have had their lessons on Zoom since March of 2020 I dreamt up the idea of the Zoom-ie Awards ~ a ginormous chocolate bar.”
1st Zoom-ie went to the squirmiest and plays the entire lesson, especially when I’m talking
2nd Zoom-ie went to the most entertaining, he dances, bootie shakes, speaks to me in Spanish (I don’t speak Spanish) & tells me stories and calls me Sister (because I call him brother)
3rd Zoom-ie went to the biggest procrastinator/waits til THE last minute but does great in competitions.
4th Zoom-ie to the most improved.
-Reneé Holliman
What could I have done better?
Two recitals with ten performers each seemed reasonable and something that could fit within my ideal recital time frame of 60 minutes.
I caved and let students play 3 pieces instead of 2 because I invited family members to play duets with students. This added quite a bit of time. And, my seniors played longer pieces and I wasn’t about to cut them short!
It’s always a goal of mine to keep the speeches for each student short and succinct and yet that did add minutes to the program.
All that being said, I’m still glad that everyone played at least 2 or 3 pieces. That way if one performance didn’t go as planned, they could focus and celebrate the ones that went well.
My son Levi was my designated photographer but I should have thought ahead and given him a list of photos that I wanted throughout the day.
How did I end it?
Over the past couple of months, I’ve helped our son Carter turn his colored pencil fish drawings into stickers. I had “seconds” and so my students were welcomed to choose some to take home.
You can see and purchase his stickers here. All proceeds go to Loggerhead Marine Life Center aquariums.
Sharing the stickers gave me a chance to let families know that Carter is living independently and doing quite well after the accident that took his right arm on Thanksgiving 2019. The last in-person studio recital was scheduled for December 14, 2019. However, because of Carter’s accident in Florida, I canceled it. My studio families have waited patiently for things to come back in person!
Also, I reminded everyone to sign up for lessons (loving that option in My Music Staff!) and let them know that I’m reserving Thursdays and Fridays to work on my book—I’m about ten chapters in and it’s time to get serious and finish the first draft.
They were excited to hear this news and showed such lovely appreciation for the efforts behind the recital.
How did your spring recital go?
Did you move away from the screen and opt for in person instead?
What will you do again?
What do you wish you would have done?
All the best to you and your studio recitals,
