Nothing can be more nerve-wracking for a music student than a first recital. Here are some tips and advice to help make your first recital successful.
1) Choose pieces you're particularly interested in.
Some teachers give students a pre-chosen set of pieces to learn while others give the students the freedom to choose their own pieces. Remember to consult your teacher if you are having difficulty learning a certain piece or if there's a particular piece you're interested to learn. Try to choose pieces not only based on the ease or difficulty but also based on your interest. If you're interested in the music you'll be more interested to master it.
2) Practice, practice and practice some more.
Set aside practice time everyday. The alloted time will vary depending on how difficult or how many pieces you will play at your recital. As much as possible, lessen any extra curricular activities that will eat up your practice time.
3) Learn the difficult pieces first before proceeding to easier ones.
If you have several pieces to learn, start with the difficult pieces first, this will give you more time to learn and master it. Once you are comfortable playing the harder pieces you can proceed to the easier ones, this will help you feel less pressured.
4) Practice all your pieces daily.
Once you've determined which pieces are harder and which are easier, make it a point to practice it everyday. Do not wait until you've mastered one piece before proceeding to another. this will eat up your time. Rather, divide your practice time each day praciticng the difficult pieces first and then proceeding to the less difficult ones.
5) Play in front of your family and friends.
Playing in front of an audience takes awhile to get used to. The best way to start getting used to an audience is to play in front of your family and friends. Not only will it help you overcome your stage fright it will also give you that added confidence boost.
6) Prepare all you'll need for the recital the night before.
Forgetting things on the last minute will only add to your worries. To avoid this prepare everything you'll need the night before your recital. Make sure your instrument is clean, tuned and in top condition. Insert your music sheets in a folder and place it where you won't forget it. Lay out your clothes, shoes and everything else you might need.
7) Get some rest.
Be sure to get some much needed rest the night before your recital. Eight hours of sleep will do wonders to your confidence, memory and overall well-being.
8) Don't forget to breathe.
All of us get nervous, even those who've been playing on stage for a long time still admit to getting the jitters from time to time. If you do feel nervous do breathing exercises or visualizations to calm yourself.
9) Don't be too hard on yourself.
As they say, your worse enemy is yourself. If you make a mistake during your recital don't stop, just continue playing. Chances are the audience didn't even notice it. Even some of the best musicians make mistakes from time to time. Remember, this is your first recital, don't be too hard on yourself.
10) Have fun.
I know, I know, it's hard to have fun when you have butterflies in your stomach but do try to enjoy yourself. Few people have the courage to go through a recital and you are definitely one of the few. Goodluck!
