Earlier this month, I hosted my 14th studio piano recital. There’s always so much that goes into planning and preparing for an event like this:

Choosing repertoire
Booking the venue
Polishing memory
Emailing parents
Practicing “piano bows”
Coordinating with the facilities manager and the piano tuner
Borrowing percussion instruments from the music teacher
Scheduling duet and ensemble rehearsals
Finalizing and printing programs
Planning a reception

We spend months learning the music and practicing performing. What happens if you play a wrong note or miss a key change? What happens if you forget the repeat or play the first ending twice?

We discuss arm movement and phrase shapes, articulation, and projection, and how it feels and sounds different in the big theater vs. the classroom where we have our lessons. We listen and observe.

Today, I’m sharing my own recap and reflection on this year’s recital—how it went, what I learned, what I observed, and how it’s shaping my teaching practice for the year ahead.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Ep. 070 - The 3-Month Recital Plan

Ep. 064 - How I Plan a Year of Student Repertoire

Circus Sonatinas (Chee-Hwa Tan)

Through the Windowpane and A Child’s Garden of Verses(Chee-Hwa Tan)

The Simpsons Theme

Celebrated Lyrical Solos, Book 1 and Celebrated Virtuosic Solos, Book 5(Robert Vandall)

Inspired Piano Teaching (Marvin Blickenstaff)

Piano Safari Repertoire Level 2

“Criss Cross” (Florence Price)

Musikal Husky

Ep. 081 - Celebrating Women in Music: An Inside Look at Our Studio Informances

Ep. 077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group Classes

Ep. 071 - 3 Things I Learned From Hosting a Musical Informance

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings