Rehearsals, Nerves & Spring Recital ~ SJMA Kids Talk About May 6th Performances
The Saint James Music Academy’s annual Spring Recital on May 6th, 2011 is fast approaching… will you be there?
As the kids prepare for their year-end performances, we thought we’d share how students and teachers are feeling as the big day gets closer.
First off, we asked students how they feel about performing in front of an audience and if they feel any stress or pressure going into the recital.
Many of our superstars feel confident performing because they have previous experience — the kids get the opportunity to perform in front of an audience throughout the year (interested in scheduling a performance for your event? Contact us to let us know!) Many students feel excited to perform and show their friends and family what they have learnt over the semester.
Of course, with all performances comes a little jitters, and those who are feeling nervous say it’s because the date is fast approaching (nerves and excitement mixed together), and several students are doing multiple pieces or learning new instruments, which adds a little extra anxiety. Those performing duets or solos are understandably a little more nervous as well.
Play Skills
This experience is so valuable to the program — learning to perform under pressure, bonding with friends in stressful times and managing tense emotions are skills that carry beyond the music academy and into real life. As always the staff and teachers are here to help them all through it!
Overall the SJMA students are feeling ready thanks to a comprehensive understanding of the material and a lot of practice. Much thanks goes out to our dedicated and enthusiastic teachers!
Teachers want the children to feel confident, supported, comfortable and of course they want them to enjoy their performance.
They also want to get them excited before going on stage… excited students tend to play or sing better. For very nervous students, teachers will try to calm them down and get them focused on breathing and taking their time when performing.
Prep Tricks
We asked the kids how they prepare, and some of them let us in on a couple of tricks they have before going on stage:
1,) Playing the piece in their head for extra practice
2.) Spending time with their instrument to remain calm and focused
Both students and teachers are excited and confident for the Spring Recital as it is a chance to show friends and family their musical talents and achievements. It is also an exciting sign of summer coming up and the end of a great learning year.
Join Us!
Friends and family are invited to the Year-End Spring Recital
COST: FREE!
DATE: Friday May 6th, 2011
TIME: 6:30 – 8:00 with a reception
LOCATION: Saint James Anglican Church
303 East Cordova St, Vancouver, BC
(Intersection of Cordova St and Gore Ave)
