Spring Piano Recital on the Patio is a Wrap!

For many years I’ve wanted to host an outdoor recital. In fact, as soon as the weather starts warming up I contemplate moving my Clavinova on the back patio to teach lessons. I haven’t done that yet (perhaps because my studio is in the basement and the prospect of moving the Clavinova up the stairs is more than a little bit of a deterrent!), but this past weekend, we did host our spring piano recital on our back patio. Despite the unpredictable wisps of wind and the rumbling of a train midway through the performances, it was a lovely evening.

In keeping with our Aquarium Caper practice incentive theme, I incorporated an audience-participation activity. The back of their programs had a blank crossword puzzle, and I gave them clues interspersed throughout the performances to help them fill in the words.

Since I have a small studio these days, each of the students was able to select 2-4 pieces to play for the occasion, including several duets.

Several times, a parent or sibling saved the day when the wind would have otherwise dispersed our sheet music across the garden! And our audience was very gracious when awkward page turns required unclipping clothespins and left us improv-ing for a few measures at a time. I am a firm believer in not having stuffy recitals, so this was a great help in promoting a casual and enjoyable ambience!

At the conclusion of the performances, I gave each student their certificate of study from MTNA, recognizing them for the number of years of music study they have completed. I started doing this last year and found that it was very meaningful for the students and their families, so I hope to continue it for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to my wonderful husband, who was grilling the burgers and hot dogs off to the side during the recital, we had a delicious dinner ready to ingest at the conclusion of the awards. Everyone brought a side to share, and we had a wonderful time visiting while feasting. I’m grateful to God for a lovely spring day for this occasion and to each of my students and their families for their hard work throughout the year. We may have to continue this tradition in the coming years…if I can figure out a better solution to ward off wind-flung pages of music!