RECITAL GUIDE

Welcome to our All Things Recital Guide — your go-to page for preparing, practicing, and shining on recital day! Whether it’s your first performance or your tenth, we’re here to help every student feel confident, prepared, and excited to share their music.

RECITAL BASICS:

  • Students choose 1–2 pieces to perform.

  • Maximum performance time: 4 minutes per student.

  • After your last piece, don’t forget to smile and take a bow! (Tip: Practice performing at home for any family audience playing your recital songs without stopping and with a smile and bow at the end to simulate the experience!)

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PIECE:

Recitals are an excellent source of practice motivation for students and can significantly accelerate their progress. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the music you’ve worked on this semester and celebrate how far you’ve come.

Choose recital songs that you love to play with help from your teacher by mid-November so you have at least a month to polish and prepare together in your lessons and in your practice time.

RECITAL PIECES SHOULD BE:

  • Polished — clean notes and steady tempo (even simple, beginner pieces can be clean and steady)

  • Manageable — challenging enough to grow your skills, but realistic for a confident, smooth performance.

  • Performance-ready — music you can play comfortably and confidently even when a little nervous!

Beginners are encouraged to perform a duet with their teacher, and festive, winter holiday music is always welcome for our December recital.

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS:

The best performances come from consistent, early practice. Start preparing as soon as possible to give yourself time to master your pieces and perform with confidence.

We also recommend having “practice concerts” at home in the weeks leading up to the recital!

  • Perform regularly at home for family members to practice playing through nerves. Perform for family or friends visiting for Thanksgiving or at playdates on the weekends.

  • During practice concerts at home, play your piece without stopping, then smile and bow at the end. This helps calm performance anxiety and makes recital day feel familiar and fun!

  • Video record yourself playing your piece at home and watch it back. This will help identify where the trouble sections are that need extra work. Recording ourselves also makes us a bit more nervous which helps us get more comfortable playing through nerves on the big day.

PERFORMANCE TIPS:

  • If you make a mistake — keep going! The audience doesn’t know the piece, so act as if it was part of the music.

  • Most importantly, enjoy the experience, take deep breaths, and let your love of music shine through.

  • Remember while we aim for excellence and mastering our pieces, music is about progress, not perfection.

RECITAL DAY DETAILS:

  • Recital Length: About 1 hour.

  • Recital Rehearsal: December 5th — students can book 15-minute rehearsal slots with Lydia at our studio, 291 Broadway in Suite 1000. RSVP at tribecamusicnyc.com/recitalrsvp

  • Extras: At our winter recital, each student will receive a flower bouquet and a goodie bag to celebrate their hard work!

Our audience is warm, supportive, and full of applause — we are a welcoming crowd that loves to cheer on our incredible students! We can’t wait to celebrate our students this December with your families.