I'm so proud of the six students who were able to play in our fall piano recital! The other 5 really missed out, so we'll have to do this type of recital again sometime.This year, we decided to have our recital at Cumberland Point, a local nursing home. This was just a fantastic opportunity for everyone, encouraging the idea of using your talents to serve others. Christmas is a perfect time to do that, and the residents at Cumberland absolutely loved the recital. In fact, I was held up for quite a bit after the recital so they could all tell me!!
Each of the students introduced themselves and played two pieces: one of their favorites from the semester, and one Christmas tune. After everyone was finished, we walked around to greet the residents and hand them all a Christmas card. The residents were absolutely thrilled by this and it was a great start to their Christmas season. I talked to a few who didn't think they'd be getting any visitors at Christmas, so this just made their day.
I'm so proud of my students, and I really think they learned some unique lessons at this recital. They learned that it's okay to make a mistake or two in a performance because playing piano is not about perfection, but enjoyment....I think the residents at Cumberland gave them a totally new perspective by showing how much t
hey enjoyed the music. My hope is that they will grow more in their personal enjoyment of music as a result of seeing how much others enjoy it when they play.The students also learned that playing piano shouldn't always be centered around winning awards and medals, but about serving. Music can cheer up anyone's day, and these students proved that on Thursday night at the nursing home.
Two more weeks of lessons, and then it's CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! Bring on the Christmas carols!
