Attire for the recital is Sunday Best.
Wear something comfortable that projects professionalism and respect for the occasion.
Your attention and the audience's attention should be on your singing. Anything distracting about an outfit makes it the wrong choice for a performance. Draw our attention to your face. Wear clothes that make you feel physically comfortable, and that do not distract you from focusing on your performance.
Examples of things that might distract you:
clothing that is too tight to get a good breath,
strapless dress/bra that you're afraid might slip down,
unstable/too high of heels,
shoes that pinch,
skirt that is shorter than the knee or right at finger tip level.
It is important for you to feel comfortable while projecting professionalism. If you are unsure of what to wear, please discuss this with Meris during your lesson. Together, you can come up with the perfect outfit that fits both those standards.
A nice dress or skirt that covers your knees or nice dress slacks with a nice blouse.
Shoes must be either nice flats, character shoes, or an equivalent heel (strapped to your foot, thick heel that is 2.5" or lower).
Hair must be secured off your face with something other than your ears (bobby pin, hair tie, headband, etc.).
Dress pants, dress shoes, no white socks, and dress shirt.
A tie and jacket are optional, but always nice :)
I will be waiting to greet you in the lobby. I will dismiss parents into the hall, and warm up students. Students will line up in performance order, and sit together in the front of the hall.
I'm warming everyone up together and won't be able to be as thorough as I can be in lessons, so I strongly suggest warming up and practicing thoroughly before the recital. Please be using your karaoke tracks to practice this week. Please email me if you need an accompaniment track.
Any student who wishes to be in a group student picture should go to the courtyard and stick around after the recital. This is of course optional :) I also love to get the chance to speak to the students and families afterwards. This will be done in the courtyard so we do not disturb the next performance.
You will need to sign up for an accompanist rehearsal time. This is a ten minute rehearsal in the large classroom for you and our accompanist Scott to work out any kinks. Please be memorized, warmed up, and early for this rehearsal. I will post a signup here when it becomes available.
One of the most important skills you learn through music lessons is how to behave in front of an audience and how to thrive under pressure. No matter what you decide to do with your life, it is very likely you will end up doing some public speaking. A recital is a great way to practice and improve on this life skill.
When it is your turn to sing, cross to the piano, stand in the crook of the piano so that your accompanist can see you, and look down to get into character. When you are ready to sing, look up and your accompanist will begin. Do not look at your accompanist to get them to start.
If your accompanist starts with the wrong tempo, simply come in at your exact tempo and do not waver. Your accompanist will get the message and change their tempo to yours.
If you forget something, pretend like nothing is wrong and simply come in again as soon as you can. Your accompanist may cue you with a line to help. Your job onstage is to put on a good show for the audience and set them at ease. Always prioritize this over letting us know something is wrong. Fake it til you make it!
When your performance is done, give the audience a big smile, and take a bow. A good bow means bend over, look at your feet for the amount of time it takes to say "Hippopotamus" and then stand back up. Gesture graciously to your accompanist and look at them, in order to send applause their way and thank them for playing with you. Smile at the audience, and exit the stage quickly.
It is important to do these things even if you feel the performance didn't go well. A bow is a way of thanking the audience for listening. Even if you feel you didn't do well, you still owe the audience a gracious thank you in the form of a nice bow, a gesture to the accompanist, and a smile.
If you are nervous about performing, don't hesitate to talk to me. I have lots of great ways to deal with performance anxiety.