We are so thankful for our community of ComposeCreate teachers! This community is always willing to share ideas, collaborate, and give insights. One of our wonderful ComposeCreate teachers is Valerie Alfonso, who was kind enough to share a fantastic recital idea that we’re excited to share with you today: The Art & Music Recital!
Not only is this recital idea creative and fresh, Valerie says it really didn’t require any extra effort from her. And isn’t that the kind of recital idea we’re always looking for? Keep reading to hear about Valerie’s idea, tips she learned along the way, and the one thing she’d do differently.
What is an Art & Music Recital?
Valerie asked students to make a creative art piece that was inspired by their recital piece. She then displayed the art in her backyard next to an “About the Artist” section, which gave information on the student (more on that below!). The “About the Artist” section was also included in the program so that people could connect the art pieces with the students who were playing during the recital.
Her students submitted paintings, drawings, poems, and super creative things (their choice) like a 10-page story, photo collage, sticker art, and lego sculpture! One student even composed a piece that was made into sheet music with a cover. Valerie says she loved getting to see a different side of her students, since all she typically sees is the piano side!
Valerie Alfonso
My favorite part about this recital is that I get to discover and help celebrate other talents of my students besides piano. I think that music is so highly connected to the other art forms and that this is a fun way of exploring that.
I do this recital every 3-4 years and am always surprised at the talents that are revealed. The parents really enjoy it too!
(Also, some students will bring in something very mediocre & last minute and that is totally ok! I present this as a fun showcase opportunity with low pressure, especially if the student is very busy or has a heavy homework load!)
The details you need for your own Art & Music Recital
Valerie said her guidelines were, ” I wanted it to be fun, an opportunity to showcase something that they like to do, and not a lot of work unless they really want to. I emphasize ‘fun and no stress'”. All of her students chose to submit something, but she’s always open to non-participation, especially for older kids. To help her students choose a medium and idea for their art, she asked what her students’ hobbies are, and if they have any other artistic interests, which can help give them ideas for their creative piece. She also has a list of possible creative art genres ready to help students out – we’ve included those in the next section below!
She attempted to collect them two weeks in advance but did have some arrive a few minutes before the recital. Valerie said she tried not to sweat it, and seems like she’s very good at going with the flow! If you’re like me and don’t know how to shut off your Type A tendencies, you could always plan a few spaces in your venue where last-minute pieces could go, but also wouldn’t leave a gaping hole if students forget to bring them!
Each art installation also included an “About the Artist” section. Here’s how Valerie created this aspect of the recital: “Have a document open and type in their answers during lessons. Be prepared to prompt them with ‘favorite color, music, animal, tv show, after school activity, sports, etc. This is a GREAT opportunity to get to know more about them & it doesn’t take very long.”
An important goal of any of my recital themes is that it can apply to the earliest beginners as well (I don’t have a lot of time to spend on picking pieces that fit a particular theme, and I have a LOT of beginner students!) The Art & Music theme definitely works well for all ages!
Valerie Alfonso
For the actual Art & Music Recital, she had the art piece out before her performers or audience ever showed up. The pieces weren’t in any particular order – just whatever made sense so that all of the projects would fit onto the folding tables she had in her yard! She did tape the projects onto vertical spaces (like poles or walls) when they were available, to help create more space on the tables and add more height to the overall look. As Valerie pointed out, you may need to use things like painter’s tape or rocks to hold down projects if you’re outside. So plan according to the weather and season of your particular venue!
This recital could also easily be done inside a venue – even if your main venue doesn’t have enough space, a hallway or foyer could easily serve as a space for the art pieces. The audience was welcome to walk around both before and after the recital to view the works of art, and sat down in chairs for the actual recital portion of the program.
Valerie’s Category Ideas for Art
As Valerie pointed out, almost anything can be a creative expression – so this is a very broad list, and can easily be added to!
- Written: Poetry, short story
- Art: Drawing, painting, a photo or photo collage, sticker art, yarn art, graphic design, sidewalk chalk, even items found in nature
- Sculpture: Lego sculpture, playdough or air dry clay sculpture, or even arranged objects from their home (Valerie pointed out this can be helpful for those who don’t like to draw/write/paint).
- Music: Have students compose their own piece, dance (if they can bring their own music), or even record and play their own piece.
- Video: A short video (less than 3 minutes). You’ll likely want to preview this beforehand! For displaying at the recital, they can bring a tablet to play it on.
- Baking: Cookie or cake decorating, designs made with fondant
How much effort will this take?
“Ironically, this recital didn’t require any more effort from me—mostly the effort came from the students who had to create something!” The biggest thing Valerie has found helps is to only use the ideas that seem fun – and leave out anything else! If you as the teacher are having fun, it’s likely your students (and their families) will be having fun, too.
The one thing Valerie wishes she would have done differently to make her Art & Music Recital a little more simple? “I would have combined the piece, performer name, and ‘About the Artist’ into the same place on the program [instead of having ‘About the Artist’ on a separate page].” She said this would have saved her a step because she could have just printed out that particular page of the program and placed it next to the piece of art.
Thank you again to Valerie for taking the time to let us know about this recital, and answering all of our questions! Have you ever done a recital like this before? What are your favorite recital ideas? Let us know in the comments!
I have done this before. During COVID shutdown I had students submit art work for Halloween, Christmas/Winter and spring. I offered a $10 raffle prize to a local ice cream shop or Culver’s to those that submitted art. In the end, I bought everyone a gift card that submitted. I was so happy to see them excited about doing this.
I posted the pictures around the piano so students could see the art work during lessons and then for the recorded recital, my video creator included the art. (I scanned the work to him). I had two recorded recitals. In the summer of 2021 I had a recital in June and there I displayed the art work that students had given me that spring. I just included their name on the display.
I did visit students at their homes during COVID and would drop off items periodically to keep us together. To my surprise I discovered art work on windows and sidewalks and driveways. I was thrilled! I had pictures of that included in the video too.
I have a basket of coloring tools, books, paper, etc. available for students to create with while they wait during a siblings lesson. It is something most kids love to do.
This article has inspired me to try this again. Thanks for posting!
One year for our recital, I had the students write their own recital piece. I asked them to design the cover page of their “sheet music” and took pictures of the covers to be displayed on a screen as the students played their compositions.
I used this theme this year, and it was WONDERFUL! The performers made some beautiful artwork and we all enjoyed it so much! Thanks for sharing the wonderful idea!!
Hi,
I absolutely love the idea – and am really keen to include it in our end of year concert. What fun!