Need help preparing for that last big event of the teaching year — the studio recital? Here are some checklists, helpful hints, and even a punch recipe that might make your life a little easier!
The end-of-year recital is many events rolled into one: performance opportunity, awards presentation, etiquette lesson, community building opportunity, reception, photo op, networking/marketing event, and PARTY! With that many organizational hats to wear, my head is often spinning before and afterwards — especially when I’m also the accompanist for many of my students.
Never forget to make recitals a CELEBRATION for your students and their parents. Go the extra mile to thank them for choosing you as their teacher this year. Don’t skimp on the reception. Ask parents to sign up to bring food goodies (they will!), but supply a variety of beverages as well as paper goods. The Dollar Store is your friend! Pick a theme color or colors and match the program paper, balloons, disposable tablecloth, napkins and plates.
Recital Checklist
Having a complete checklist helps me to make sure that when I drive off to the venue with a loaded car, I don’t have to return for anything I forgot! Here is everything I carted off to the church 3 hours before the recital started:
Instrument-related:
- Any instruments you’ll be playing to accompany students, and stands to set them in (I take my violin and a guitar)
- Music stand light (stage lighting isn’t always adequate)
- Other music stand accessories like Manhasset “wings”, or even music stands if there are none at the venue
Program-related:
- Printed programs
- Accompaniment music in a binder (more on that below)
- Spare music for a couple students who sometimes forget theirs 🙂
- Clipboard with program, notes and awards list, to refer to throughout the event so you don’t forget anything!
Awards-related, depending on your incentive programs:
- Trophies and plaques that students earned
- Certificates earned at various events during the year like adjudications or festivals
- Practice awards
- Participation awards for school and community orchestra and band
Decoration- and reception-related:
- Balloons
- 9-oz. cups, plates, napkins, tablecloth in your theme colors
- Punch ingredients (in a cooler if pre-chilled)
- Punch dispenser
- Ice water dispenser
- Lemon slices
- Ice (in the cooler keeping punch ingredients cold)
- Large coffee carafe and coffee maker, if not available at the venue
- Cream, sugar and stirrers if serving coffee
- Any desired food items not supplied by parent sign-up in advance
Miscellaneous:
- Key to the venue, and alarm code if needed
- Video camera with tripod and power cord
- Comfortable shoes to wear during setup and tear-down
- Watch set to accurate time
- Water bottle
- Makeup bag, hair brush…
- Business cards (yes, this is a marketing opportunity for your studio; be ready if someone asks for one)
- Spouse, good friend, studio parent, or responsible teen to mix punch, run video camera, close doors when recital begins, run home if we forget anything…
Recital Setup and Program Tips
Here are some tips for a smooth-running program that I have learned from years of experience, sometimes the hard way!
- If setting up on a church stage, take photos on your phone of the original stage layout so you can restore everything back to the way it was. Especially if you have to move a piano, slide extra music stands out of the way, or relocate any chairs in the auditorium.
- Figure out the stage and auditorium lighting in advance. You don’t want to find out “on the day” that your soloists are standing in a dim spot.
- Photocopy all accompaniment parts and put them in a ring-binder in the order to be played. Even if you have originals, and especially if you have several students playing out of one repertoire book at different times. You can fix awkward page turns by taping the music together into three or more accordion-fold pages. You can mark up the music especially for this performance, to note where Suzie always misses a beat or where you tend to forget the key signature. And the order in your ring binder will help you remember what’s up next if you don’t have the program in your hand — which you won’t. 😉
- Charge the video camera the night before, but always bring a power cord just in case. Make sure there is room on the camera to capture the entire recital.
- Students will be more relaxed and perform better if you help them get set to play by adjusting their music stand height or location for them. If your students always perform from memory, make sure they know the best place to stand in relation to the piano, and that there is a good sight line for the pianist.
- If performing with grand piano accompanying, decide if the lid will be closed, half-open (short stick) or fully open (full stick) and if this will change depending on which student is playing. Be the one to change the lid configuration when needed — don’t make your accompanist(s) do this.
- I used to use a punch bowl at receptions; it was for sentimental reasons because it was my mother’s. But this year I used a large beverage dispenser and it was so much easier and less messy!
- Don’t use the large 16-oz. red plastic or clear plastic cups; people will over-serve themselves and you’ll run out of punch faster. I like the 9-oz.-size cups from my local Dollar Tree.
Recital Punch Recipe
Here’s a super-easy punch recipe without concentrates that can be made on the spot and requires no mixing — just dump chilled juices in a beverage dispenser and serve! (Thanks to The Frugal Girls for the recipe and photo)
- 1 bottle pulp-free orange juice like Simply Orange or Tropicana (59-64 oz.)
- 1 bottle white grape juice like Welch’s (59-64 oz.)
- 1 bottle Sprite or 7-Up (2 liters)
- 4 small cans of pineapple juice (6 oz. each)
Serves about 30. To double the recipe, purchase the large 46-oz. can of Dole Pineapple Juice.
I also provide ice water and/or coffee. Ice water tastes better and looks great if you float some lemon slices in it.
How do you make your recitals an extra-special, smooth-running event? Share in the comments!
