Recital Preparation

I recently listened to the talk on the SAA Parents as Partners
Creative Color Coding: How a Package of Markers Can Transform Your Practicing
by Phala Tracy

I thought this was such an excellent presentation to listen to and the timing was impeccable.  In her talk, she gives ideas on how to practice and prepare for a recital.  Everyone I know is preparing for a recital right now.  My girls have a recital with their teacher in March and all of my students have a solo recital in March as well.  She gives an example of a homemade chart to help guide the practice.  I took her idea and made up a hand-out to give to my students and my kids.

Basically, you determine how many times you need to play your piece to be ready for the recital (this chart has 30.)  Come up with some colors (or shapes or stickers) that correspond to whether you played the piece "good", "great", or "WOW!"  Phala explains that if it's not even good - just don't mark the chart.  The piece probably needs more work.  The level of how well the piece is played is determined by the teacher or parent and also the student.  You want the student to be able to assess how well he or she is playing and have them decide which color they should fill in.

I will post back later to give you the progress of my children and students.  This is perfect for this month and I hope you enjoy it too.  You can download this chart here.