The Things We Teachers Do

Note for context: this blog post was written on December 21, 2025, one week after my studio concert.

Last Sunday, I held my student concert, and I feel like it was the best one ever. I must say, it was a LOT of work but it was completely worth it. This blog post is a rundown of all the things I did to prepare for this concert – and I know many of my fellow teachers do the same or more for their students.

There are five main reasons why I feel the concert was such a success:

1. Everyone turned up

All of my students understand that they are required to perform unless they are out of town or have a prior commitment that takes precedence, e.g. a family wedding. Having said that, I never take it for granted that all students will make it on the day, as it is always a crazily busy time of year, with so many parties, graduations and end-of-year functions. However, I work very hard to make sure families diarise the date months in advance, and I send constant reminders.

In years past I have had the occasional [very disappointing] no-explanation-no-show, but this year absolutely everyone made themselves available where they could.

2. Everyone dressed up

The theme this year was ‘Australiana’. The program featured Australian composers and I had decorated the house in green and gold ¹.

I asked everyone (including parents and siblings) to dress in green and gold, or to come dressed as an Aussie icon or Aussie animal. This was bright and easy and looked awesome. I even managed to find a wattle-print dress on eBay, and my husband borrowed an outrageous 3-piece suit from a family friend.

3. Everyone played beautifully

We always start preparing months in advance, as all performers should. The concert is always at the end of Term 4 (December) so most students are playing a piece they’ve mastered in Term 3 (September). This ensures the final weeks are spent finessing fine details, rather than trying to learn notes.

We also work hard on presentation – how to announce, how to bow, how to hold the atmosphere for a moment after the last note and not ‘break the spell’.

In the last two lessons before the concert, I make sure everyone rehearses on the keyboard in the concert space, to make sure it feels comfortable and normal on the day.

4. They loved their gifts (this was the best bit!)

I like to give gifts to my students each year, and it is usually something like a personalised trophy or a musical keyring or music stationery of some sort. But this year, the gift was super special.

Throughout this year I have video recorded every piece that each student has mastered. I would get them to introduce their piece by saying “And now, here is [name of piece]” or ‘Next, I would like to play [name of piece]. By the end of November, I had a folder of each student’s videos, and my son helped me formulate these into individual ‘movies’, which were named their ‘2025 piano showcase’, complete with cross-fades and subtitles.

Inspired by my friend Leila Viss’ practice of creating QR codes for her students to access their videos, I created a certificate for each student with the QR code for their showcase. I also printed a whole sheet of QR codes that they could cut up and stick in Xmas cards. This took a LOT of time and effort, but boy was it worth it! When I announced what the gift would be, the parents were so chuffed. ²

5. The parents were happy

Our studio parents are our customers. It is very important that they feel validated about their purchase of music lessons for their children. In my opinion, the concert provides the best possible validation: seeing their child get up and play confidently in front of a large audience, and then to be told so by other parents.³

I now host two student concerts a year: the end-of-year solo concert and a mid-year karaoke concert. I encourage you to host/organise a concert for your studio, and if you’ve never done it before, see if there is a fellow local teacher with whom you could combine resources. I feel that studio concerts have a huge impact on the long-term health of our studios.

Another dimension that keeps my studio parents happy is the live stream. Ever since Covid, my concerts have been live-streamed so that grandparents and other family members can tune in ⁴. This is an enormous amount of work, but again, totally worth it – especially because I then have recordings to look back on.

So because they all came, dressed up, played well, got a gift and left happy, I was on a complete high. Last Sunday was amazing and fulfilling. And last Monday was… a full day in pyjamas. 😊

Our national sporting colours (inspired by the colours of the wattle tree)
I have since found out that not many people have actually watched their showcases. This has really surprised me!
Which is what happens when we all have afternoon tea after the concert.
Since my house is already overflowing just fitting in parents and siblings!