Recitals Archives

Pioneer Day Extravaganza 2019

We had a ton of fun at the Provo Pioneer Day Extravaganza this week! Despite the heat, we really enjoyed meeting so many great people from Utah Valley and hearing so many of our new friends play on the piano that Brigham Larson Pianos let us bring with us. For our out-of-state friends, Pioneer […]

Performing as a Teacher

Our Piano Academy recitals were this past Saturday, and they went so well! Even though recitals are a lot of work for me and the students, they are so fun. I absolutely love seeing my students perform. They often surprise me and surpass my expectations by how well they play. I was so proud of […]

Recital Etiquette

As we quickly approach our next Piano Academy recitals this Saturday, I thought a quick post on recital etiquette might be helpful. Since piano recitals are very different from your average pop concert, it can be tricky to know how to act at one. Many people are unsure when they should clap or if shouting […]

10 Ways to Memorize Music More Effectively

Ever since the time of Franz Liszt, pianists have been playing recitals mostly from memory. While there are pros and cons to memorizing music (a discussion for another day – check out one interesting op ed here), if you ARE going to memorize music, there are definitely ways to make it easier! Here are ten […]

Community Outreach Recital

At the Utah Piano Conservatory, we provide students with many opportunities to serve by using the skills they learn here. We hold quarterly community outreach recitals where we schedule time at nursing/retirement homes for the students to perform for the residents of these homes. Our most recent outreach performance was held this past Saturday at […]

After a Recital

Most students prepare a piece for several months before actually performing it at a recital, so after the recital, many students may be thinking: “Now that I’m done with my piece, what do I do?” The weeks following a recital performance can be a great opportunity for students to review goals and set new ones for the […]

How Apathy Kills Heartfelt Performances

At our recent recitals here at the Piano Academy, we had several great performances and some performances that allowed me as a teacher to instruct my students further in performing under pressure and dealing with performance anxiety. In the week after the recital, I had the opportunity to help my students take a step back […]

Pre-Recital Performances

Performing in front of an audience at a recital can be a scary situation for some students. It can be nerve-wracking to know others are listening to your performance. Performing can make the performer hyperaware of everything they are doing, which can often put a performer in a very different state of mind from the […]

What a “Bad” Performance Taught Me About Practicing Piano

I’ve been practicing piano and performing for a lot of years (more years than most of our students have been alive!), so I’ve had a wide range of experiences when it comes to performing—from terrible to great and everything in between. While I’d say performing has almost always been a positive experience for me, sometimes things […]