IMPROVING THE VALUE OF THURSDAY AFTERNOON RECITALS
The following suggestions are offered to help Thursday Afternoon Recitals become a more valuable experience overall to our students, both audience members and performers seeking to improve their artistry.
1.Applied instructors should require a minimum attendance of 5 recitals per semester for music majors and minors. (Deb’s staff is already taking attendance when requested by the applied teacher.) With the potential of 7 or more recitals each semester, this seems fair and respectful of students with busy afternoon schedules. Please tell your students that these recitals provide exposure to literature and performance practice both inside and outside their chosen area of study. Collegiality is an attribute demonstrated by investing ourselves in the work of others by our support and presence at performances. By practicing the ‘Golden Rule’, we are ensuring support for our endeavors as well.
2.All performance majors – from 2nd semester freshman through senior year – should be required to perform on one Thursday Afternoon Recital per semester. This requirement is an excellent means of preparing performers for junior/senior recitals, as well as clarifying for younger majors their choice of major.
Further Suggestions:
Performers will be expected to demonstrate appropriate stage demeanor, bows, etc. We understand that studio teachers will be working on performance skills within their own studios and styles may vary. However, we want our audiences to validate students’ efforts at these recitals by their applause, etc. so they will be expecting performers to greet them appropriately. (See attached suggestions).
Dress Code required of performers – see attached suggestions for informal wear.
Students will be required to arrive on time and remain until the end of the program.
No performer will perform for more than 10 minutes on any given recital to ensure that others have an opportunity to perform.
If necessary, these recitals can run the entire hour, especially during spring semester.
If faculty can make a commitment to attend recitals held on their own campus as much as possible, this will encourage our students to attend more often and send a message that we take the art of performing very seriously.
Thursday recitals will be specific to applied areas as needed, e.g. instrumental (Music Rehearsal Hall); voice (alternating campuses in either the BAC Recital Hall or the Choral Rehearsal Room; and keyboard (space?).
THURSDAY AFTERNOON RECITAL– ETIQUETTE
The purpose of good performance etiquette is to allow the audience to enjoy and understand the music to the fullest possible extent and aid you in focusing on your own performance. Every aspect of your conduct and appearance should be directed to these ends.
1. The recitalist should select a page-turner (if needed) for the accompanist well in advance of the recital date.
2. The recitalist should dress appropriately. The recital is an important event and the clothing worn should be a reflection of this. You may want to perform the dress rehearsal in full concert attire to make sure that you have the flexibility and comfort needed. All performance details, including hairstyle, shoes, jewelry, should be taken into consideration. (See more specific comments about Thursday Afternoon Recital dress code.)
3. The recitalist should maintain a formal recital environment at all times. This includes all of the time that you are in the public eye at the recital facility. The audience never needs to know what you thought of your performance. Save those thoughts until you are away from the facility. Body language speaks as loudly as words and you must control yours.
4. The recital must start and end on time. It is not only professional to do so, but it is a courtesy to the audience members that have taken the time to support you. Many recitals are scheduled back-to-back and require everyone to keep within a time limit.
5. Walking and bowing should be simple and gracious. Walk toward center stage with a happy, yet relaxed demeanor – as you would approach an old friend. Face the audience and smile. Bow with your feet close together and look at the floor as you bow. If your pianist is walking out with you, make sure to bow together. Your bow should say to the audience, “Thank you for coming, I hope you enjoy the music.” At the end of your performance, smile and bow to acknowledge the audience. Your pianist should stand after your bow and the two of you can bow together again before exiting the stage.
6. Instrumentalists should check tuning briefly before you start (and whenever you feel you need to re-assess).
7. The soloist is always the first person on and the first person off the stage. With a group of soloists, women enter and exit the stage first. At the end of the program, be prepared to come back immediately to accept the accolades of your audience.
FURTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR PREPARATION
1. Record yourself before the recital so that you can hear what the audience will hear. Don’t be surprised if this performance is less than excellent.
2. Know what you want to achieve from every practice session. Working a very small fragment five times may allow the whole phrase to improve. It is not necessary to always play through the piece.
3. Take the time to have 4-5 pre-performances. Play for anyone who will listen. This will allow you to make the mistakes before your recital.
4. Project yourself into the recital situation when you are practicing – visualize the audience, imagine the setting, etc. Practice walking on/off stage, bowing etc.
5. Practice with the lighting that you intend to use. Remember that this will affect pitch, reading ability, etc.
6. Make sure that the accompanist(s) are in the same proximity every time and that you can easily communicate with them.
7. A performer may gently nod in tempo to communicate the desired pulse to the accompanist. The recitalist controls the tempo and therefore needs to practice cueing so that even when you are nervous, you can find the correct tempo. It is usually better to take something slower than to change tempos often. A good way to establish tempo is to sing the most difficult section in your head right before you begin to perform.
8. Take a few moments before you perform the first note to “compose” yourself. Remind yourself about the dynamics/moods you want to achieve and how well-prepared you are so that nerves become a non-issue.
9. Use original music whenever possible and take into account page turns. You may want to tape a photocopied page onto the music so that the page turn is not distracting.
10. Place the music stand so that the audience can see you and your instrument. You should also practice with the stand in this position.
11. If water is necessary, it is appropriate to keep it in a nice looking sealed container to prevent spillage.
A note about stage fright:
Virtually everyone suffers from nerves on stage to one degree or another. Many of the greatest performers of all time were famously nervous before a concert and yet they managed to consistently give outstanding performances. Many books have been written on dealing with stage fright and the message is generally this: Focus on the task at hand and immerse yourself in communicating the emotions of your selection. Confidence results from preparedness and experience. Perform many times in studio or for friends and family. Know your strengths and trust in your applied teacher. Keep the performance in a reasonable perspective – you want to do well, but nothing bad will happen if you make mistakes. Becoming a confident performer is a process – try to have fun along the journey.
Appropriate Dress for the Stage
Styles and tastes in fashion and deportment change with time, so the rules of how to dress and behave for performance cannot be dictated. One general rule, however, is timeless: the attention of the audience should be focused on the music. To that end, performers should strive to appear attractive, tasteful and pleasant, and to avoid extremes that call attention to themselves or distract the audience from the music at hand. Remember that when you walk on stage you are a professional performer and not a student. You are not there to show off your virtuosic skill, but to communicate an emotion, affect or story. This is true for any performance—at studios, recitals, auditions, and at larger, more prestigious venues: the level of commitment and professionalism is always the same.
Dress – for solo performers
Soloists and smaller ensemble groups in performance should dress in a manner that shows respect for their audience, the composers and themselves. Clothes, hairstyle and make-up should enhance the artists' appearance, thereby enhancing the performance. Clothing should fit well, be comfortable, neat and clean, modest, flattering and current. Remember that what may look attractive up close can radically change in appearance given the distance of the audience from the stage and the effect of lighting. People want to remember your performance, not what you wore.
Formal dress for women is generally considered to be a floor length gown with complementary shoes. Men may wear tails or tuxedos with the appropriate shirts, ties and shoes. Accompanists and other assisting artists should be in like attire, although assisting women artists might elect to be in somewhat less conspicuous dress than that of a major female performer. Page-turners should wear inconspicuous colors in styles suitable to the attire of the performers.
Informal performance dress (Thursday Afternoon Recital) for women is difficult to define, and depends largely upon the sort of impression the performer wants to extend. Dresses, suits and skirts, skirt and blouse combinations and pant-suits are fine. Men should wear business suits of blue, black or grey, or dress slacks and jackets, with long-sleeve shirts and a tie, or a turtleneck, and polished dress shoes.
It is the responsibility of the singer to coordinate the dress of the ensemble, whether it be with the pianist, assisting instrumental artist, or page turner.
Things to Avoid in Dress
For Women:
· Tight clothes that permit every breath to be seen by the audience and (worse!) felt by the performer.
· Shoes that make graceful walking and standing for long periods of time difficult. Shoes with heels that are too high, thick platform soles or slides that don’t stay securely on the feet are a misery to the singer and a distraction to the audience, no matter how beautiful or fashionable those shoes may be.
· Scarves or stoles that are not attached to the dress. A discreet safety pin will prevent mishaps.
· Hair styles that hang in the eyes or cause shadows from the stage lights to obscure the eyes from the sight of the audience. Your hair should be well groomed and not on your face.
· Makeup whose color under stage lights appears different than in daylight. For instance, lipstick with a lot of brown undertones often appears black onstage.
· Tattoos. No matter how attractive the singer may consider her tattoos, audience members may find them objectionable. Cover them up.
For Men:
· Coats, jackets and trousers which are too short, long, tight, or wrinkled.
· Unpolished shoes.
· Uncombed hair.
· White Socks under Black trousers. It is never acceptable.
· Trousers should be neat and hemmed, not dragging on the floor.
· Tattoos. No matter how attractive the singer may consider his tattoos, audience members may find them objectionable. Cover them up.