A Virtual Piano Recital

Our first ever Virtual Piano Recital was a complete success! I have heard nothing but good things about the experience, and all of the students did an outstanding job and adapted well to the situation. About 2 months ago, with the onset of the ensuing threats of the Corona Virus, we suddenly found ourselves in a world where normal everyday life quickly became redefined. All gatherings of ten or more people were suddenly banned by our Governor, and we were forced to adapt to a new lifestyle where staying at home was a state order. For the first time in at least 14 years, while trying to conform to teaching my classes and private students online, I was faced with the reality that there would be no Spring Recital this year.

Twice a year for the last 20 plus years I have lived in Ohio, with the exception of a three-year hiatus move to South Carolina, I have held both a Spring and a Christmas annual recital for my students. They have always had that twice-a-year opportunity to perform on a grand piano sitting on a big stage as a highly anticipated occasion encapsulating the culmination of their hard work. Recital night was always a memorable experience with everyone dressing up, giving their best, and enjoying one another’s talents and society. Now, it looked like we were all going to have to save our hard-earned performances until the Christmas Recital, or at least maybe see if a late summer recital was possible.

With my extreme lack of technical skill, I found myself intimidated as a teacher by the new ways we were now forced to function. Schoology? Google Classroom? Google Meet? Flipgrid? Blue Jeans? Audacity? Zoom? Remind? I had never used any of it, and quickly found myself immersed in tutorials, text messages to colleagues, and much trial and error, in order to find some way to survive the coming weeks. After several weekly meetings with the Fine Arts director and music teachers of the Cincinnati Public School district using Google Meet, I became proficient enough to entertain the idea of a piano recital performed online where every student can sit and play their pieces in their own living room. As I discovered other teachers doing this, I decided that just sitting at home and letting all of the hard work and practice my students have invested for the last six months go unrecognized did not have to happen. We all need goals to shoot for in life, and performing a piece of music before an audience is a great achievement that builds confidence and brings a much needed sense of self-satisfaction. We need to know that we are producing and accomplishing the tasks we set out to achieve.

So a piano recital using Google Meet? This would be interesting, and definitely an exciting event that we would continue talking about for quite some time. I began by sending out a “save the date” notice that such an event would take place on Sunday May 24th. Traditionally, all of the past student recitals I have hosted have always been on a weekday evening, usually Monday or Tuesday night. It was my wife’s idea to consider a Sunday afternoon. With a virtual recital, so many of the usual aspects of the event seemed inapplicable; such as the commute to the recital venue, the venue itself, the availability and best time to secure the venue, timing the event to ensure that everyone gets home to start bedtime routines, etc. None of that mattered! In light of all of this, Sunday seemed an ideal perfect time, when we are all most likely just planning to be relaxing at home. With church services and lunch at home for the most part, a 3:00pm recital would probably be a welcomed change of pace, and hopefully for all those in attendance, it was.

Now with one virtual recital in the books, many advantages have cropped up in my mind suggesting that virtual recitals could really be meaningful and fun even without a worldwide pandemic to force the precedent. What an opportunity for those relatives that live too far away to ever attend live recitals! Anyone anywhere can be a part, and have a chance to support the performance and never miss a note. I didn’t take a poll, but I wonder how many friend and family listeners we had at our virtual recital that would not have been able to attend a live recital (even without a pandemic to bar the way)? Not to insinuate that virtual recitals should take the place of live ones, but as a supplemental chance for students to perform, perhaps informally, without the ceremony of a full gathering. There is definitely some room for merit there, and something to think about.

Well, Covid19, you have really thrown a monkey wrench into our lives, but with God’s help and protection, we’re going to make it; and we made music too, with everyone having the same opportunity to share their talents as we were all virtually welcomed into your living rooms to enjoy performances by eager students of the piano. Students were also able to receive the accolades they had earned following each performance, as we all unmuted the microphones on our devices and offered cheers and applause, and left thoughtful comments and emojis using the chat feature to indicate a job well done. In conclusion, I have to say that I was proud of you all, and wish to personally thank every student who performed, and every parent, friend, and family member who supported the event. I am as always, grateful to God that our technology devices were used for more than Facebook and video games, but so that the essence of the Spring Piano Recital could continue despite the unforeseen circumstances, and give our hard-working students a chance to share their efforts and to be motivated and inspired by the performances of others.