Afterthoughts on the recital...

...and then I'll let this whole recital business rest, I swear :)

It wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated! Whew. Many of the kids had super-simple, one-liner versions of songs from the Children's Songbook, even if they were much further along than Alice. In talking with Kristin (her son performed at the recital as well), she reminded me that this teacher makes a point of making the piano experience fun. Alice liked learning a primary song, even if it wasn't a showy version. And she's asked to learn more primary songs. That's a good thing!

In the car on the way to the recital, I asked her what she was most excited for. She said, "The treats." She was most nervous about playing in front of an audience.

Alice was nervous in the 20 minutes leading up to her performance. She squirmed quietly in her chair until it was her turn, then dutifully took her music to the front of the room, sat down, and performed both pieces solidly. Everyone clapped, she giggled a little, and sat straight back down. She didn't bask in the attention, which surprised me. As the next student started his/her first piece, Alice leaned over to me and said, "I don't feel as nervous anymore." She sighed a little smile of relief.

And that was that.

Since I knew their performance pieces were not necessarily indicative of each child's skill level, it was harder to rank and compare them. All were pretty much beginners playing songs they enjoyed. That was okay. That was best, actually. I lightened up significantly.

And watching Robert dance to the peppier selections just cracked me up. Made me happy. Soooooo glad we went.

P.S. In the video, after Alice's performance, her teacher explains that this was Alice's first recital ever and she had been taking lessons from another teacher for almost year.