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Recital preparation is about much more than playing your piece correctly at home. A strong performance comes from feeling familiar with your music in many different situations — especially situations that feel a little uncomfortable at first. The ideas below are simple, powerful ways to build that confidence.
Play for Family Playing for family is often the first step outside the practice room. Even though these are the people who love you most, it can still feel surprisingly nerve-wracking. That mild pressure is helpful — it teaches you how to keep going, stay focused, and recover gracefully if something doesn’t go exactly as planned. Play for Friends Friends bring a different kind of energy. They may not know the piece, but they’re real listeners, and that matters. Playing for friends helps you practice sharing music rather than “fixing” it, which is exactly the mindset you want in a recital. Play for Online Audience Playing online for adults (teachers, relatives, or family friends) closely mimics recital conditions: you’re being heard by people who are paying attention. This step builds poise and helps reduce performance nerves by making the experience feel familiar long before recital day arrives. Work through the Piece Silently — With and Without Music Silent practice is one of the most effective ways to strengthen memory and mental focus. Get comfortable somewhere quiet and go through the piece, looking at every detail of the music and trying to remember everything you see. Going through the piece in your head (without moving your fingers!) forces your brain to know what comes next without relying on sound or muscle memory. Listen to a Recording of Someone Else Playing Your Piece (start at least a month before the recital)Listening daily to a strong performance helps internalize the shape, pacing, and character of the music. Over ten days, your ear becomes deeply familiar with how the piece flows, making it easier to stay oriented during your own performance. This is not about copying — it’s about absorbing the musical landscape so nothing feels unfamiliar on stage. Preparing this way takes time, but it builds something far more valuable than perfection: confidence, resilience, and trust in your preparation. By the time you walk on stage, the experience will feel familiar — and that’s when real music-making can happen.
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Jacob Collier Laufey Hiromi Yoasobi Joe Hisaishi Jon Batiste Cateen Meshuggah Animenz Nahre Sol Adam Neely Andrew Huang Genshin Impact (Natlan, Inazuma, Sumeru) Thank you to Grant Kondo for putting together this list! Check out this amazing compilation of practice reflections/advice from some legendary pianists and teachers!
https://www.steinway.com/news/features/practice-practice-practice PROS:
CONS(IDERATIONS):
ADDITIONAL READING http://www.pianoprodigies.com/blog/festivals-and-competitions-what-are-judges-looking-for Congratulations to Lyle Prajogi for his success (BRONZE MEDAL) at the Seattle International Piano Festival's "Classical Viennese Festival!" This program draws applicants from around the world - so this is an especially sweet recognition!  Congratulations to all students and their families for a wonderful weekend of sharing music! Seven students filled a program at The Greens on Friday night, and then a whopping 20 performed at Saturday's recital (including one student who was live-streamed from Seattle, Washington!). From arrangements of Ode to Joy (Beethoven) and Spring (Vivaldi) to Seven Nation Army (White Stripes), Don't Stop Me Now (Queen), and Pirates of the Caribbean (arr. Radnich) to a Chopin Nocturne and two massive Beethoven Sonatas... sooooo much good music! Our goal was to make this the "best recital ever" and we just may have accomplished that. Truly, each and every one of the performers had something to say, and did so beautifully. I am proud to have studied with renowned pianists and teachers who gave me so many tools for my development that I can now pass on to the next generation. I. recently stumbled on a site called "Pianists Corner" which allows us to trace our musical roots through our teachers. If I look at the roots of my teachers it's astonishing to see the "greats" that are part of my family tree: Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Czerny, Arthur Schnabel, Vladimir Horowitz, Franz Liszt, Marguerite Long, Franz Josef Haydn, Myra Hess, Arthur Rubenstein... I can trace my family tree back to Jean Philippe Rameau, who was born 300 years before me and lived before the piano was invented! I look forward to my students carrying on this musical family tree far into the future! THE CHALLENGE: click here to visit my page on Pianists Corner and explore my family tree. You'll be able to click on each teacher to learn more about their life and influence (and honestly, that's only part of the story - some of the best still only have short bios on this site... be sure to do further research, and listen to recordings, when available!). Write a short report on what you learned. Please also listen to recordings of music (if mentioning a composer) or performances (if mentioning a performer) and include this list in your report. Option for students under age 7: -Select a composer in our branches of the tree and listen to 3 pieces of music they wrote (write down the composer and pieces!) OR -Select a teacher/performer in our branches of the tree and listen to 3 recordings (write down the performer and pieces) OR -Create a visual project/drawing about our music family tree  The Musicians Way: Downloads
An fantastic collection of practice templates, assessments, and plans to make sure you are making the most of your time! 12 Tips for Memorizing Music https://colorinmypiano.com/2010/03/02/12-tips-for-memorizing-piano-music/ |
AboutElizabeth Borowsky is a pianist, teacher, and composer. She is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano (Music Teachers National Association). 
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