The last several months have been intense, with familial events involving my daughters. Preparations for the university entrance examination for my younger daughter, preparations for a competition with her clarinet quartet, and my older daughter’s diploma examination. One exiting and the other coming in, this is how it has always worked out with my daughters' educational journey.
The important aspect of all these undertakings is the preparation that went into the months leading up to the performance dates. And one important aspect of the latter is something I have mentioned in previous blog posts: playing as much as we can before our event to become accustomed to performing in front of an audience. And one of my suggestions has been to play for family members. Therefore, I organized a series of house concerts in our home for my daughters on several consecutive Sundays to help them cope with the demands and the requirements that they were facing.
What started with the family members extended to my neighbor and her family. And we sat like an audience and attended a concert of what they would be playing in their actual performances. The audience was not sizable, but it got its point across very well. After their lessons with their professors and all-week practice, they played each Sunday. After each piece they played, we all took turns, including the daughter not playing, to give the player some positive feedback, suggestions, and encouragement. The comments involved musical ideas, technical issues, and even non-musical observations. The moderator, being myself at this point, welcomed all comments and made sure everyone was involved in that process.
There were many benefits to conducting these events, as I also spoke with my daughters after they performed their auditions and asked whether the house concerts had helped them in any significant way. Their response was a resounding yes.
The benefits of the simulation concert were multifold.
It helped them visualize the audition experience and play their pieces in full, rather than having to start and stop to practice.
It exposed the sections that needed more work. The latter helped them refocus over the subsequent weeks on what needed to be addressed.
They were able to take back their technical issues to their teachers to resolve them.
As they discussed later, they both admitted that there was still some nervousness on the date of the audition, but they were more able to maintain their composure, or, as my younger daughter expressed, she knew what to expect and was able to better control the situation during her performance. In other words, the previous experience allowed them to take charge as they had gone through the process not too long before.
I am delighted to inform you that the outcomes for both my daughters were outstanding. My older daughter, Leah, passed her diploma examination with a Sehr gut, the highest mark. She will continue her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in trombone performance for the next two years and prepare for another examination towards the end.
My younger daughter, Ariella, was accepted into the clarinet performance program at the same University as her sister and will be working toward her Bachelor's degree over the next four years. Her clarinet quartet, called “Reedlines,” was the State winner in the La Prima Musica competition, and they went on just last week to win the First Prize Gold in the All-State competition in Eisenstadt, along with another group.
They are both very grateful to their fine professors for their instruction and commitment, and these milestones set the stage for future endeavors.
The house concerts have been one tiny aspect of this journey all along. However, it has given them a different perspective on their upcoming performances.
Have you performed house concerts for your family members? Please share in the comments below.
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