Unwinding After a Big Event
February was a bit of a stressful month around my studio. Many of my students were preparing to participate in our local National Federation of Music Clubs’ Junior Festival. And as nervous as they were about playing, I think I was even more nervous for them.
Needless to say, we’re all a bit more relaxed now that Festival is over, but I like to help ease my students back into their normal routine So how do you unwind after an event such as this — or similarly, a recital or big audition?
Here are a few of my favorite ways to do so.
- Spend some time talking about the big event. In our case, that meant going over the judges’ sheets, talking about my students’ performances, and brainstorming ways to improve their scores next year. For a recital, I may have my students watch a video or listen to an audio recording of their performance and point out its strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- Review students’ favorite pieces. This is always a confidence booster for my students, whether they had the performance of their life or are feeling down about not receiving a superior score/not getting the part/making a mistake in front of an audience.
- Take a break from the instrument. We all have experienced burnout as teachers and musicians, and students are no exception. After practicing the same difficult pieces for months in order to get them performance-ready, some of my students just needed a break from their major instrument. That didn’t mean not attending their lessons; instead, I planned other ways for us to spend our time together. For some students, that meant focusing on singing or guitar rather than piano (or vice versa, depending on the instrument in question). For others, it meant fun theory games and exercises on the iPad, or ear training, or songwriting. This almost always helps them come back after a couple of weeks feeling refreshed and ready to tackle new repertoire.
- Host a “fun” studio event. My students enjoy participating in Festival, but they wouldn’t necessarily consider it fun. A great way to follow up such a pressure-filled event is to get students together purely for enjoyment. Have a party, an all-student jam, a trip to the bowling alley, or attend a concert together.
Competitions, showcases and other big events can bring on the butterflies for us all, but they’re such an important part of a thriving studio. That being said, it’s just as important to make our students feel appreciated and give them a chance to recuperate afterwards. And now that it’s been a couple of weeks full of recuperation, it’s time for my students to get back to work! 🙂
