During the 2021-22 school year I finally had the three recitals on the “normal” schedule I previously had prior to 2020 and Covid. It felt truly great to get the students back out and performing regularly! My “go to” venue allowed me to book my dates in advance which made planning a lot easier. During the previous two years, venues opened up only a month or so ahead of my preferred scheduled time. My fall recital and winter program are generally split in half so that the performances will not go on too long. After 1 hour and 20 min. it gets hard for focus and interest to continue.
This past spring I was able to offer group performance classes at my studio to allow for a practice performance for the festivals and year end recital. It really helped my students. I believe we all realized just how much those extra practices can enhance performances at festivals and competitions.
Once again, planning now in July and August is so very important. As soon as the school year gets in full swing it can become daunting to do additional planning and research into all the facets of offering new venues and platforms. Plan away, perhaps try for a creative theme for your first recital this year just to spruce up the program and create something new that students can look forward to during this time of so many other limitations!