We just had our yearly recital and I have to just praise the Lord for His mercies endure forever! Hallelujah! There were no major catastrophes, break downs, or screaming fits (by yours truly). I believe that most of the students went home with a sense of accomplishment and well-being.
We also broke a new record for the recital. For twenty-nine years the recital has always been over an hour long, sometimes two hours long, sometimes... We were finished at 7:59 - fifty-nine minutes! I went home with a sense of accomplishment and well- being.
(It may sound a little harsh to wish for a shorter recital but we wanted the audience to want more not dread the next selection.)
We worked on keeping the program moving - no long speeches or preaching. Each student received their award directly after they played their piece - no long awards ceremony at the end with students having to walk back and forth. The students played duets. I have to say that I enjoyed seeing the teamwork and the accomplishment of each student working with another student or their teacher. Each student has their own set of strengths so matching the students with the appropriate duet partner, finding the right song and level of difficulty, etc... was a challenge. The results were well worth the work. The students had to practice together and be patient with one another. I was grateful for their spirit and kindness to one another.
Is their life after the recital. I have to say that there is. What will next year's theme be?
