Seven Benefits of (Quality) Performance
Is it worth it?
When preparing for an upcoming recital or other piano studio performance event, it can be very tempting to ask, “Is this worth it?”
I saw a post this week in a Facebook piano teachers' forum where a teacher asked this question, lamenting how much lesson time she was spending on recital pieces. Of course, we know there’s all kinds of additional time needed outside of lessons to plan and prepare too.
I have had this feeling so many times. The weeks leading up to an important studio performance can be brutal, making you question your planning decisions!
So - is all of that work really worth it?
Yes!
It’s important to remember that performing is so good for our students.
Quality student performances are also good for us and for our studios!
Below are some reasons why.
Do you have other reasons? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
Music is for sharing
Lines and dots on a page are not music; the live embodiment of sound is music.
When we share music with friends and family, we bring joy and other emotions to our audience. We take them out of their current reality and allow them to experience something else.
It is a great privilege as a musician to have this ability and one that our students should know from their earliest time learning the piano.
Performances create goals
An upcoming performance provides a clear goal for a student to work towards.
I don’t know about you, but an upcoming performance is the one sure way to make my students practice!
Frequent performance helps students intentionally practice and prepare throughout the year.
Performances measure ROI
For parents who invest financially in their children’s music education, performances are a way for them to see progress and make sure they are receiving a return on their investment.
Recitals and other public performances (as well as feedback from judges on evaluated events) give parents and caregivers a sense of what students have been working on in lessons.
This is especially important for teenage students and those who come to lessons without a parent in attendance.
It should go without saying that parents also enjoy hearing their students make music!
Teachers who regularly provide positive performance opportunities for their students enjoy high retention since parents can see the results of their tuition payments.
Performance builds life skills
Students, particularly children and teenagers, benefit from learning how to perform in general.
Many jobs that are entirely unrelated to the arts require some version of performance, often related to public speaking.
Learning the skill of strategically preparing for a performance and then executing it at the appointed time directly transfers to this reality of adult life.
Performances teach students to do hard things
In a world with rising rates of anxiety, particularly in children and teens, teaching students how to perform well teaches kids that they can do hard things.
Music study, as we know, is a long-term investment. Sticking with it over the long haul and regularly performing well gives kids reason to believe they can achieve long-term goals.
Teachers can remind students of past successful performances, which assures students that they can do the next hard thing.
Performances build studio culture
The more our private piano students interact with each other at studio classes, recitals, and more, the better they know one other.
Unlike school band or orchestra where students are surrounded by like-minded peers every day, private piano lessons can make students feel isolated.
When students come together at a performance event, they make connections. They might realize that they attend the same school, play in the same sport league, or go to the same summer camp.
Finding like-minded peers in the piano studio helps students build identity as musicians and pianists, which is so important - especially for teenage students.
This is also one of the best reasons to host performance events for adult students!
Successful performances are great studio marketing
Beautiful photos and impressive videos of student performances lead to positive studio marketing for piano teachers, whether they are posted on the teacher’s website or social media channels.
But I can also say from personal experience that when parents of my students hear a great recital, they tell other parents that I am a great teacher.
If you rely on word-of-mouth marketing, then creating an enjoyable recital experience and training confident performers can only lead to families telling others that you are a great piano teacher!
How do we ensure quality, successful performances?
There are so many things that we can do to help our students to perform confidently and with excellence, like
choosing great repertoire that students and audiences will enjoy
planning developmentally appropriate performance opportunities
teaching our students to play expressively, even on “old” historical repertoire
training our students to use practice techniques that ensure their memory is secure
addressing the issue of “performance anxiety” and helping students cope
If you’d like help in any of these areas, check out my course called Preparing Confident Performers. This comprehensive instruction will help you train your students to transfer what they learn in lessons and practice at home to the stage so they can share their music with confidence, security, and joy.
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