Five Benefits of Performing at a Recital

Secondary Student Playing Violin

  1. Strengthen Your Practice Routine.  Preparing for a recital provides additional motivation that encourages students in their daily practicing.
  2. Build Confidence.   Even though performing in front of an audience can cause some butterflies in the stomach, the accomplishment of a recital performance (and the audience’s applause) builds confidence.
  3. Express Yourself.  Performing a song in a personal style or interpretation expresses to the audience how a performer feels about the music.
  4. Accept Mistakes.   No one is ever perfect in a live performance (even professional musicians make mistakes) and with each recital experience students learn that the overall performance is what matters and not a wrong note here and there.
  5. Earn Recognition.  Music students practice regularly every week.  Recitals are an opportunity for family and friends to recognize the hard work and effort that has been put in by the student.

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

What can I expect at my first voice lesson?

Every voice lesson is different based on the unique style of the voice teacher and is tailored to the individual needs of the student. In general, voice lessons usually consist of two main parts: vocal exercises and time devoted to working on songs.

Most voice lessons will begin with warm-up exercises. The teacher will lead the student through exercises that move higher or lower in the voice student’s range. Students focus on different breathing techniques and pronunciation of different syllables and sounds. The exercise session is not only important for warming up the student’s voice, but also learning new skills that will carry over into the songs that the student is singing.

The second part of the lesson is usually spent working on songs. Many students will have specific songs and genres that they will want to learn. The voice teacher can also suggest appropriate songs that will fit with the student’s skill level and vocal range. During this part of the lesson students will work on learning the lyrics and melody, as well as techniques that will improve how the student sings the song.

For information about voice lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call  (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

Maintaining a Summer Practice Routine

Guitar at the countryAs summer begins and schedules change, it’s best to try to maintain a consistent practice routine as much as possible.  Please check out our posts related to establishing and maintaining an effective practice routine:

The Keys to Practicing: Part I

The Keys to Practicing: Part II

The Keys to Practicing: Part III

Five Tips for Making Practice Fun

Perspectives on Effective Practicing Techniques

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.