At South Shore Piano School, we do things differently. A big one for us is recitals.
We hold two recitals for our students every month, from September through June.
That's right. Two recitals. Every. Month.
We don't expect students to participate in every single one. But the opportunity is always there. When a piece is ready to go, it can be performed. And students can perform many times throughout the year.
Contrast this with the traditional community music school or studio, which only has one or two a year.
Sure, some people think we're going overboard. But consider this.
Almost every kid does sports (the great enemy of the piano teacher). Think about how many games kids are required to participate in.
It's at least one a week. Often with a good amount of travel time built in.
Now, imagine if kids only had one or two games a year. But, they still had all the practices they have now.
Sports wouldn't be so exciting anymore, would they. In fact...what would the point of all that practice be?
It's no different than music. We've just settled for one or two recitals a year because that's how schools have done it for decades.
We've made one or two a year normal.
But, what happens when we expect music students to practice year round with only one or two opportunities to perform every year?
The dots don't connect for them. The work and the art exist in a bubble of sorts.
It would be the equivalent of practicing, but never playing in the big game. Creating art that no one ever gets to hear.
But when students have the opportunity to play and hear others regularly throughout the year, that's where magic happens.
Students become excited about showcasing their work. Students make friends. Students feel like they're part of a community of other people like them.
The cool music people.
Sports teams have "performances" (games) every week. It's about time the music people did too.