Resource Gems:
Refresh and Invigorate Your Recitals!

Timothy Stephenson

MTNA Business Digest, Volume 3, Issue 4

July 2024

Is it time to put a new spin on your recitals? For teacher and student alike, it can become tedious to experience the same recital format two or three times per year (or more!), so it can be helpful and motivating to add some creativity in planning recitals. A little extra thought will pay off!

Here are a few ways that small tweaks or additions can make a big difference.

Program

Do you use the same program template for every recital? It may be time to switch things up. Canva is a great free tool for designing recital programs and other promotional materials, with premium features including access to a wide range of templates. If you are not as comfortable creating your own designs, that’s okay too! There are also plenty of online resources geared toward designing unique recital programs like seasonal graphics, recital program templates and more on Leila Viss’s site 88pianokeys.

Theme

Students young and old will enjoy being part of a recital that centers on a single theme. If you’re looking for some ideas, check out Wendy Stevens’s 44 Recital Themes Everyone Will Love. Some of my favorites from this list are “Movies and Music” (everyone gets a bucket of popcorn!), “Fairy Tale/Fantasy,” “An Afternoon at The Opera” and “Outer Space.” In my studio a couple years ago, we did a theme of “Music for Me,” where my students were allowed to pick any piece that they wanted that had meaning to them (and I was not allowed to say “no”). We had a Taylor Swift or two, but I was encouraged that many students chose pieces of cultural significance to them, and I had the opportunity to learn more about music that I would not have been exposed to otherwise.

Format

The traditional recital format is something with which we are all familiar: Each student gets up one by one, usually in order of age or ability, plays their piece(s), bows and sits down to listen to the rest. Rinse and repeat. Why not change this up a little bit?

In my studio, we now have a tradition of doing all solo repertoire first and finishing out the recital with a series of duets, either with me, other studio mates or family members. Another option may be to encourage audience participation: A recital experience that was recently shared with me is one where family members of students were asked to participate in some way. While some knew how to play piano or other instruments, others had no musical experience and instead chose to do dance or spoken word—this led to a unique, personal and diverse recital experience.

Setting

Where do you hold your recitals? Is it always in the same community space, church or other location? Try switching up your recital venue and check out these ideas for a picnic performance, coffeehouse recital and an outdoor piano party!

In the past, I have taken my students to the local retirement home for a different performance experience; the residents were thrilled to hear the music and the students felt gratified to have a grateful, engaged audience. Are there opportunities for your students to perform in other community spaces? It could be as simple as holding your recital in your backyard!

And more…

My students know that once performances are over, everyone enjoys refreshments and participates in a studio game. Do you have engaging activities to go along with your recitals? How about food and drinks?

Gifts, original compositions, surprise guests and more; there are countless ways to freshen up your studio recitals! For more ideas, check out 27 Ideas to Make Your Recitals Rock.

Looking for a good read?

Timothy Stephenson

Career Choices in Music Beyond the Pandemic: Musical and Psychological Perspectives by Julie Jaffee Nagel

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, music professionals across the world continue to grapple with the music industry’s changing economic landscape. Juilliard graduate and psychologist Julie Jaffee Nagel offers insights into how musicians can recalibrate their relationships with work and career in the modern, post-pandemic world.

Nagel takes readers through a journey highlighting the complexities of an industry in which work and identity are often inseparable, encouraging musicians to take a close look at their own feelings about their craft and the economic realities that face them. From Chapter 3 onward, Nagel’s musical and psychoanalytic work merge as she utilizes Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Man to illustrate musicians’ motivations, challenges and needs throughout their musical development. From this perspective, she goes on to tackle intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, personality types, perfection and celebrity as a comprehensive look into the stimuli for those that pursue music as a profession.

Written in an easy, personable tone, Career Choices offers a unique look into the psyche of musicians in a setting reminiscent of the self-help genre. The operative word in the title is “Choices”, as Nagel uses stories from her own clinical patients to unpack the underlying needs and motivations that are addressed by careers in music.

Resources for musicians about clinical support, mentorship, dealing with stage fright, and more can be found at Nagel’s website.

Tim Stephenson is a pianist, teacher, and administrator based in Indianapolis, IN. A graduate of IU's Jacobs School of Music, Tim maintains a private studio and works as a fundraiser for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.