Thursday, January 8, 2009

Don't Get Nervous for Your Piano Recital

By Georgia Reader

Many parents consider their children for piano lessons as they feel that it helps with their school studies and the fact is the piano is a universally popular instrument. Some, if not most piano instructors have piano recitals for their students annually or more often. Many parents love watching their child perform and view it is a benchmark ofr their child's activities and give it a sense of achievment.

What is a piano recital exactly? It's basically a concert that is put on by various piano students who choose a piece that will challenge them and they work towards perfecting it. The students have a chance to show their parents and loved ones what they have learned from all of those hard hours of practice so that piano recitals are actually a very valuable tool.

A recital is a time where a student needs to prepare and feel comfortable with performing. The most positive thing is to practice on a daily basis so that the student feels completely comfortable with the performance. A good idea would be to practice performing for the family and others a few times before the actual event.

Besides practicing the piano pieces, the student should rehearse the upcoming recital pieces in his or her minds. Once you as a visualizer imagine that you know your pieces well and get a good response from the audience, your subconscious will begin to believe it as a part of reality. After repeated visualizations, this will appear to seem to be the truth to the subconscious and you as a student will be more relaxed and prepared for the recital.

Piano recitals are a good way to build self-confidence but some well-intentioned parents want to stop their child from experiencing them because of potential mistakes or lack of self-confidence. The parent might worry that performing in a recital might precipitate a setback in their child's personality development, but this says something more about the parent's personality and negative viewpoint about life. Most parents truly want to see their child perform as they often ask the piano recital when the next recital will happen.

Find out if your child is dreading or anticipating their recital by questioning them, and then tell them positively how you are looking forward to their performance. If they seem to be nervous or upset about the idea, reassure them and discuss the matter. Some children need some positive talk from their families and friends to change their minds about performing.

There are students who are nervous and upset because they reflect the negative attitude the parent carries with them. Many parents do not feel good about themselves especially if they compare themselves to others, and most children sense this negativity in them. Parents need to be cognizant that their children are like sponges and will absorb their low esteem and self-consciousness about performing for an audience.

Students appreciate it if their parents are supportive about their upcoming performance. They will look forward to "showing off" how they progressed since the last recital. Performing in a recital will prove to be a gratifying experience where it can prove to be a wonderful memory in the child's life. - 16747

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