Choosing the Right Piece for Your Next Performance
A recital may still be weeks away, but preparation starts long before you walk onto the stage.
One of the first steps is choosing what to play or sing.
With our Halloween Recitals coming up in October, now is a great time for students to start talking with their teachers about performance music. Choosing a piece early gives you time to learn it, polish it, and become comfortable performing it.
But how do you choose the right piece?
Start With Music You Enjoy
You will spend a lot of time with your recital piece.
You’ll hear it during lessons. You’ll practice difficult sections. You may play the same few measures over and over. As the recital approaches, you’ll probably perform it many times from beginning to end.
It helps to choose something you actually enjoy!
A piece you love can make practicing more rewarding. You may also feel more connected to the music when you perform it.
Tell your teacher what you enjoy listening to and playing. Even if a particular song isn’t quite right for the recital, it can help your teacher understand what kind of music excites you.
Choose Something That Challenges You—But Not Too Much
Recital music can be a wonderful opportunity to stretch your skills.
Maybe the piece introduces a new rhythm, technique, range, chord pattern, or musical style. Learning something new gives you a goal to work toward during the weeks before the performance.
However, your recital piece doesn’t have to be the hardest music you can possibly play.
Performance adds its own challenge. You want enough time to move beyond simply learning the notes. Ideally, you’ll also have time to work on dynamics, expression, phrasing, tempo, and other musical details.
The goal isn’t just to learn the piece.
It’s to become comfortable enough with it that you can make music with it.
Think About the Time You Have
Five or six weeks can sound like a long time—until you count the actual lessons.
If you take one lesson each week, there may only be a handful of opportunities to work on your recital music with your teacher.
That doesn’t mean you need to choose something easy. It means you and your teacher should consider how much you can reasonably prepare in the time available.
A shorter piece with plenty of personality can make a terrific performance. So can a familiar piece that gives you the chance to concentrate on musical expression.
Longer and harder aren’t automatically better.
Consider Your Practice Time
Your teacher can help you choose a piece based on your current skills, but there is another important part of the equation: practice.
How much time will you realistically have between now and the recital?
School, work, sports, clubs, family activities, and other commitments all compete for time. A piece that works well for one student might not work for another student with a very different schedule.
Be realistic about your practice time. That helps you and your teacher choose a goal that is challenging and achievable.
Pick Something You Want to Share
A recital is different from an ordinary lesson.
You have an audience!
Think about what you would enjoy sharing with other people. Maybe you want to perform something beautiful. Maybe you’d rather make the audience laugh, clap along, or recognize a favorite song.
And because this is our Halloween Recital, you might even want something spooky, mysterious, dramatic, or just plain fun.
Your music doesn’t have to match the season, though. A piece you are excited to perform is always a good choice.
Remember That Your Teacher Is Your Best Resource
You don’t have to choose your recital music alone.
Your teacher knows what you’ve been working on, which skills you’re ready to tackle, and how quickly you typically learn new material. They can help you find the balance between something you enjoy and something you can confidently prepare.
They may even suggest a piece you’ve never heard before.
Talk about your ideas together. Bring in songs you’re interested in. Ask for suggestions. Your final choice might come from you, your teacher, or a little collaboration between the two of you.
Give Yourself Time to Grow Into the Piece
When you first choose recital music, it probably won’t sound performance-ready.
That’s okay.
The first week might be about notes and rhythms. Later, you can work on tempo and technique. Eventually, you can add expression and polish. As the recital gets closer, you’ll practice performing the entire piece.
That’s one reason choosing your music early matters.
You aren’t just giving yourself time to learn a piece. You’re giving yourself time to grow comfortable with it.
Then, when recital day arrives, you’ll be ready to share all that work with your audience.
Our Halloween Recitals are coming up October 23–25! If you’re interested in performing, now is the perfect time to talk with your teacher about what you might like to prepare. Recital sign-ups open Monday, October 12.