Home-Run Recitals

My daughter Sarah and I had three recitals last Saturday.  We usually divide them into age levels, with beginners at 5:00, intermediates at 6:00, and advanced students at 7:30.  This year we decided to mix them up instead so the younger students could be inspired by the older ones and  parents could see the spectrum of repertoire we teach in our studio. The recitals went off pretty well.  Sure, there were some moments of nervousness, a few incidences of memory loss, a scattering of wrong notes, and some last minute program changes – what student recital doesn’t have them?  But all in all, that’s what makes these kind of recitals interesting.  It’s like watching a professional ball team versus watching a team of local amateurs. Sure, you admire the skill of the pros, but you find you are really pulling for the amateurs, mistakes and all.  And there’s always the chance that at some time during the game, unexpectedly, some of them will pull off an incredible feat – perhaps a triple play, or hit a home run, something that the experts do all the time, but when it’s done by the novice… well, it’s just that much more amazing.

So let’s have a cheer for student recitals everywhere!  “2/4, 6/8… students we appreciate!” (Okay, maybe that was a little too much.)