<p>It's a shared vocal recital with another student who is also a classmate of my D's. They are also graduating high school. The recital will be held in their teacher's home and she will also act as accompanist. A reception will follow. About 20-25 people.</p>
<p>I know you all have been through this ...so share!</p>
<p>How did you make it special? What gift suggestions do you have? Teacher gift? Food? Wine? </p>
<p>Thanks all!</p>
<p>Good questions! S is having a senior percussion recital so I’m interested in this feedback as well.</p>
<p>When my son had his h.s. senior recital I found a photo of him from his first recital with his cello which I think was about age 4 and had it put on a cake. I have a friend who put a picture of her daughter as a little girl singing and another recent photo on the program. My son also invited all of his former teachers and had his brother perform on one of the pieces he had written. Enjoy! </p>
<p>My son’s high school recital was totally “him”. He sang his college audition pieces and a couple other “serious” things - then he just picked what he wanted to sing. He did duets with his sister, best friend and another girl who is attending the same voice program (same HS teacher). He performed everything from High School Musical (he sang the girl’s part and his female BFF sang the boy’s part!) to Fiddler on the Roof. He also performed the premiere of a song written just him by his voice teacher and played a couple piano pieces. It was very indulgent.</p>
<p>We presented his voice teacher (male) with a AmEx gift card and his piano teacher (female) with flowers. At the reception, a friend had done a dessert bar with all of his favorites, including cupcakes with bass clefs. Just lemonade and iced tea to drink (it was in a church). We did a program with his picture and future plans, etc. We also paid for the church to record the whole recital and they made several DVD copies for us, which we gave as gifts to many of his “fans.” Still fun to watch! </p>
<p>Those are great ideas! They usually reserve a theatre here for senior recitals and it’s expensive. I’m hoping they give us a discount because he also works there…otherwise our church is across the street and he could do a cello organ concerto with his bff which would be super fun. This is all next year so we are starting to plan. Did you schedule their graduation reception and recital at the same time? Just wondering. Because I want family from out of town to come to both.</p>
<p>Great ideas @megpmom and @cellocompmom. I had not even thought about the program. I’m hoping guests will think as a recital/grad party @cellomom6. I’m not saying it on the invites but graduation is two weeks after the recital. And although there won’t be a lot of kids there, I like the idea of no alcohol. Just seems easier. Thanks.</p>
<p>cellomom6, We did not do an additional graduation party for my son as recital was what he was most proud of and it was hard enough to coordinate recital as my son did half cello and half of his compositions which involved having a number of musicians play his pieces. There is a local church with wonderful acoustics that lets musicians use their space for a recital in exchange for playing on one of their services. I know there are several churches in our area that do this and likely churches in other areas that do the same. Helps save on costs because because by the time you pay the pianists, etc. and we paid the musicians who played on the recital in his compositions as well it adds up.</p>
<p>We combined recital and grad party too. We did hers at our church with reception in the parlor. Reception was finger foods, cake and punch. She too sang her audition pieces, a special request from her grandma, and some new and fun ones including a duet from Phantom with long time duet buddy. We had it professionally recorded so no one had to worry about it and all could just enjoy the recital. We had her friends, teachers, family and even folks from church and her church choir who had known her since she was a baby came. We also did a program and had thank yous in it. Enjoy, it is a special celebration. Of course, it is the first of many :)</p>
<p>Wow, can this really have been five years ago for my daughter?!
She had been in many recitals during her HS years- studio recitals and also singing with others who had invited her to perform with them in duets- so she had great fun planning her senior recital. We rented a church in the area which had terrific acoustics and paid additional to have the grand piano tuned and regulated. Her pieces were of her own design, grouped according to “mood” on the program and she began at 7 PM with one intermission. It was a mix of Lieder, Melodie and Musical Theatre (the latter were relatively obscure pieces) and I think, two arias…
This was when I learned that she had a real knack for researching pieces and some of what she came across she put aside for “later”-one turned out to be a song cycle that she will present on her graduate school recital next year, so you never know!
We then held a reception in the church hall and I was fortunate to have the assistance of my sons, who did set up and food service (one is a restaurant manager)- party trays of small sandwiches, cheese and crackers, tiny creme puffs and eclairs, soda, punch, tea and coffee,
A ton of her friends from school and from other schools and theatre companies with whom she had performed showed up as well as all three of her French teachers from HS and some of the guidance counselors. I was surprised at the turnout because it was a HOT June evening !
We ordered invitations and had programs printed and her voice teacher accompanied while a friend turned pages. I knew that her teacher loved Vera Bradley purses and had a good idea of her preferred colors so we gave her a really nice Vera bag and then gave the friend a gift card for turning pages and helping with setup.</p>
<p>Enjoy this time folks, because from now on, you’ll be a spectator and you will be surprised at how well they do all on their own!!</p>
<p>Mezzo…when do you sleep, your posts are regularly at 1230 am, 330 am and the such…are you a musical vampire genius?</p>
<p>Ah, Sguti40, such are the benefits of an iPad during bouts of insomnia…</p>
<p>Thank you guys for all the great ideas! I wish we had more space now. </p>
<p>My daughter has her first recital coming up soon, too, with various students in her teacher’s studio. She’s a junior and she’s his youngest student right now. She’ll be singing Amarilli Mia Bella, Chanson d’Amor, and Someone To Watch Over Me, and I think she’s singing a duet with another girl, too. I’m very excited!</p>
<p>I am going to risk being a bit controversial. Keep in mind that if your child is going to go on in music then recitals are going to be frequent and concerts plentiful. If every recital is treated like a major event and huge celebration then the child can build up unrealistic expectations about how audience members and those around should respond to a performance. You might not be able to make it to every recital or concert your child has. Some concerts your child gives may be poorly attended. There will be times when your child will not be the center of attention when they play. Remind your child that this is a beginning not an end point. </p>
<p>Definitely make this recital feel like a stepping stone and make it special. But I would also keep it low key and not go overboard. Teacher appreciation gifts are always nice. </p>
<p>Lol @StacJip, not controversial at all. But thanks for the advice…now I have to run. There’s a dress fitting and cake tasting I have to attend. Oh and we need to check the acrostics for the hall. 
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<p>@Irishmomof2 that sounds like my D’s recital! She also sings Someone to Watch Over Me. She is also the youngest. But there are only two girls. They are singing a duet as well. </p>
<p>I’m excited too because I have disappointed so many people. I’ve invited them to competitions she hasn’t won, and shows where she’s had small parts, and pointed them to youtube videos that have been poor quality. People are starting to wonder if I have lost my mind indulging this child who has absolutely no talent or at best is a great mimic. So this recital is for me. I will be clapping and jumping up and down like a crazy person yelling, “Did you hear that?! I told you! I told you!” (picture Shirley McClaine in ‘Terms of Endearment’ trying to get medicine for Debra Winger - same hair, same enthusiasm, different emotion) And when it’s over and the congratulations are made I can fall into an easy chair with a big sigh, “Finally!” ; </p>
<p>I’m going all out too. I’m not too worried about him not thinking it’s about him 100% of the time. I’ll have to beg to come to his college recitals. </p>
<p>My S only had one solo recital in HS - his senior year. It was a big deal to all of us. He had worked so hard and had a great year (YoungArts finalist, got accepted to college of his choice, won a couple of large outside scholarships) so we wanted to celebrate. We (the parents) were moving overseas and we knew that not only would we not have many chances to hear him perform again for a while, but all the folks that had supported him growing up would not have another opportunity to hear him sing. So - yeah, we went “all out”. Didn’t cost us anything but a small donation to the church. He won’t have another recital til junior year in college (although we are going to Florence to hear him sing this summer, but that’s a special deal!). </p>
<p>For those of us who live far from where our kids study or work, recitals can be special opportunities … Especially for the people that have supported them and want to continue to support them. D gave recitals at a local performing arts facility before grad school and before leaving for Europe. It was also a chance to make some serious money. So if folks were going to donate cash, the least I could do was furnish some refreshments afterwards. </p>
<p>Hey megpmom…my D did a program in Florence her junior year as well! I would have love to have heard those performances! 
</p>
<p>@StacJip- Agreed, but I don’t think that the kids confuse the events or expect standing ovations every time they open their mouths.It’s become tradition for singers who will be VP majors in college to have a “senior” recital to cap off their high school years. Now that people move and relocate many of us take that opportunity to combine the recital with a graduation party (and the bonus there is that it’s “family friendly” and is bound by the time that the facility is available). In my daughter’s case, she had brothers living 3-5 hours away (via plane) so by stacking events they were able to hear her perform, help with the party and attend her graduation. </p>
<p>For her junior and senior recitals (college) we just went out to dinner with several friends who had been able to visit for the weekend, so it was much lower key. </p>
<p>The “Degree Recitals” ARE a big deal for the kids because they’ve spent a lot of time on these and they are required for the completion of their degree. D’s grad recital is a culmination of two years worth of hard work on difficult repertoire. Some of the works will be used for auditions for YAPs, small companies and larger competitions so getting them in front of an audience is a big help.</p>
<p>@Dradsmom- A word of advice, if I may? Situate yourself toward the back of the hall, that way you can get up and pace. That kept me sane on more than one occasion!! If you have relatives and friends who are out of town and can’t make it, set up your laptop and they can see her via Skype!</p>
<p>Yay! Yes, this is probably the only chance some of the invitees will get to hear her sing and they have been so supportive. I just want to give them a little music and a piece of cake. My D is so low key about this. It could be that prom is tomorrow so after that she’ll be more into the recital. I hope. Although she’s low key about prom too. No new dress, no new shoes, no hair done, nothing. She went back and forth about going. My child indeed. :"> </p>
<p>@Mezzo’sMama I love the Skype idea! </p>
<p>How exciting your children’s lives sound! Europe and YAPs. We are just beginning this journey. </p>