Party Recitals

I'm not crazy about formal recitals. Oh, yes, I understand the educational benefits that formal recital experience can give to a child. Formal recitals can instill confidence in one's ability to work hard, accomplish something, and present that work under pressure. These are essential skills in the adult business world.

There are alternatives to the formal recital. They take some extra planning and preparation. They have to be scheduled months in advance. But they can be a lot of fun, and the students might not even realize that they are learning and performing. Just call it a music party. Your students will love you for it.

General Music Party Essentials:

• Musical instruments (at least 1), in a large space with no breakables, no fancy furniture or carpets, no televisions, computers, or Nintendo's, no pets to chase, no drapes to climb, and no hard chairs lined up in perfect rows.
• Some enthusiastic parents willing to join in the fun and work crowd control.
• Snacks that fit your theme, (Small snacks. Finger food. Nothing messy.) that have been placed somewhere away from the musical instruments, preferably with lots of napkins and moist towelettes.
• Materials for a group game or two. Lots of little prizes to win that fit your theme.
• A loosely scheduled list of activities that will help to keep the students on task.

Have the students perform music that relates to the theme. Intersperse performance activity between music games, and let the students volunteer to play. Required memorization is at the discretion of the teacher. Keep the number of performers/presenters small if possible. It may be necessary to have more than one party and group the students by age.

Christmas

Here is a very easy one that most of us have done. Many of us assign holiday music to our students anyway sometime during the fall season. Instead of setting up a formal Christmas recital, throw a party! Have the students dress up, or wear holiday colors. Christmas cookies and punch make great party treats. Decorations and themed party favors are plentiful during the holiday season. Candy stuffed in little Christmas stockings make great place-savers. Students could present artwork, tell family stories and share family traditions, present a holiday wish list, sing their favorite carols, tell the story of their songs - there are so many options! Personally, I tend to avoid competitive games at this party, and I've been told that exchanging gifts (even gifts brought to the teacher) can be a bad idea. But the possibilities for fun activities are endless, and the students always have a great time. They also usually end up begging to be the next person to play... something almost never seen at a formal recital.

Suggestions for Party Recital Themes

• Technique and memory contest parties: scale races, etc.
• Student compositions: play your own songs, talk about them, improvise . . .
• Silly songs: yes, the sillier, the better. All leave the party sore from laughing.
• Composer reports. Sometimes a student will even dress in costume. I suggest offering larger awards for these, such as trophies. The student will cherish that award and the memories throughout their life. This one is a winner during summer study months, to keep students interested and learning.
• World cultures: This one is wonderfully effective if you have a culturally diverse studio, and students take pride in presenting something from family traditions and origins. And if your entire studio says their background is average "melting pot" American, there are rich sources of folk songs and traditions to work with as well.
• Sacred: We often have students who want to learn sacred music. When the hymn arrangements are ready for presentation, students from different faiths can meet together, play, and tell something about their church. Also, churches often present good opportunities for students to play their hymns during worship services.

Music parties are fun for both all involved. Yes, they tend to require quite a bit of extra work on the teachers' part, but it's well worth it. Students perform their works and enjoy sharing their music with their peers. It can be a valuable and positive experience that can encourage their love of music. As we know, happy students tend to keep playing.

Music Books on Various Themes