What is a Senior Recital?
Definition:
Much as a music jury concludes each semester for a music major, a senior recital is the culmination of a music major's entire academic career. It's a 45-minute to hour-long concert that highlights all that the music major has accomplished during his tenure. It typically includes solos and chamber works, featuring colleagues from the music department. So it showcases not only the student's performance talents - or, in the case of music composition majors, his composing - but his ability to enlist the assistance of fellow students, organize rehearsals and mount a production, from booking the hall to printing programs and gathering an audience.
It's a huge undertaking, and in the final weeks is likely to have your young musician working around the clock, with rehearsals at all hours of the day and night, and many last minute details.
For many music majors, the senior recital is almost a bigger deal than graduation. Parents, extended family, friends and, often, former music teachers attend. Parents may want to help their student send out recital invitations ahead of time. Some bring flowers for the accompanist(s). And parents typically host a post-concert reception for the musicians and guests, which can number anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred people.
Much as a music jury concludes each semester for a music major, a senior recital is the culmination of a music major's entire academic career. It's a 45-minute to hour-long concert that highlights all that the music major has accomplished during his tenure. It typically includes solos and chamber works, featuring colleagues from the music department. So it showcases not only the student's performance talents - or, in the case of music composition majors, his composing - but his ability to enlist the assistance of fellow students, organize rehearsals and mount a production, from booking the hall to printing programs and gathering an audience.
It's a huge undertaking, and in the final weeks is likely to have your young musician working around the clock, with rehearsals at all hours of the day and night, and many last minute details.
For many music majors, the senior recital is almost a bigger deal than graduation. Parents, extended family, friends and, often, former music teachers attend. Parents may want to help their student send out recital invitations ahead of time. Some bring flowers for the accompanist(s). And parents typically host a post-concert reception for the musicians and guests, which can number anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred people.
