7 Lessons to INNOVATE the Music Recital
Here are 7 breakthrough ideas to transform your recital experiences, COVID conditions or not...
SuperNova SuperString Spectacular, a virtual showcase featuring NINE pre-college programs performing re-imagined, genre-hopping arrangements of Suzuki tunes, premiered November 14, 2020 (recorded access available through Nov 29 if you'd still like to check it out).
Though this world-premier event—more movie than recital—had a particularly unique function, part of my goal was to model a variety of meaningful innovations worthy of consideration for any recital.
1. LET THEM SPEAK!
Many traditional events feature no words, just playing. When there is speaking, the voice is typically that of the teacher(s).
But students have a lot to say.
Inviting them to talk can empower, inform, and inspire. Each SuperString "act" was tasked with two activities:
Offer a MUSICAL statement
Offer a SPOKEN statement
What these incredible students communicated verbally was just as meaningful as their performance.
The only constraint was DURATION: spoken interludes were limited to two minutes (around the same length as most pieces).
Content was up to them. Clearly, groups spent time carefully considering the optimal approach. It was fascinating to observe the different directions they took. All were captivating.