Recital Observations
This past Sunday with temperatures reaching a mere 103 degrees, I held 2 piano recitals for 36 students back to back. Somehow everyone managed to survive, and the audience behaved beautifully. There were a few observations about the performers that I made during and after the recitals that I would like to share.
First of all, while some students played flawlessly, many others made mistakes. However, of those who made the mistakes, the students who practice regularly were able to effortlessly move on as though not bothered a bit by the mistake. Not one of them had to stop and restart, or skip a large portion of the song. Most just made the mistake, and moved on to the next measure, no big deal. On the other side, those who had crammed for the recital the few days leading up to the recital, were not so fortunate. When a mistake occurred, many had to stop and restart, or play the whole song completely incorrect, unable to find their spot in the middle of the song.
The point of this observation, is not to point out shortcomings, but rather that although practice may not make a perfect performance, it will prepare you for handling a mistake. A few of the intermediate students were even so clever as to disguise their mistakes making them undetectable to the audience.
Secondly, following all of your dynamic markings on a grand piano in a room with great acoustics allows your piece to sound unbelievable. While it seems so simple to do, when there are complicated notes and rhythms, the dynamics can easily be ignored. Adding dynamics not only make a huge difference in the piece, it wakes up the sleeping guy in the back row!
Lastly, my favorite performances of the day were those songs that had a convincing ending. In previous recitals, there would occasionally be moments when the audience was unsure if a performer had completed their piece or not. After observing this, I made sure that no one would leave any question as to whether the piece was finished (unless of course that was the point of the song). It’s nice to hear a laugh or a gasp when that final note is struck.
2 Comments:
36 Students! How wonderful. I can completely relate to what you are saying about practice. It not only polishes off a piece, it helps you to be prepared when something doesn't go exactly as planned. Great Post. Recital time, always an adventure!
Suzan Pleva
Melody Piano
www.melodypiano.net
www.melodypiano.blogspot.com
An acquaintance of mine - who was an olympic swimmer - used to say, "Practice doesn't nmake perfect; practice makes permanent." You make a very good point about why practice is important, Julianna536. Thanks for the article!
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