What Price Glory

When piano students first select the music they will be playing at a future recital, they become highly motivated. They visualize the gathering, the party atmosphere, the “roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd.” It awakens the ham in them.

It can be a daunting experience. Now they must make a commitment. A specific piece of music must be learned by a specific date. Their work is cut out for them. They practice the piece for approximately six weeks. If it proves to be too difficult, they change to another piece of music. But now there’s only three weeks to get ready.



As the date draws near, the piano student must respond to pressure. Relatives and friends are coming so they want to play well. This pressure is not necessarily bad. When the day arrives, they will feel confident, provided that they’re prepared. As the recital begins, the celebration of the occasion kicks in. The piano student meets, talks to and immediately identifies with other pianists going through the same experience. When the moment arrives for them to perform, they usually experience a wonderful feeling of exhilaration at having lived through the entire recital challenge and conquered it. The piano students have paid the price and reaped the glory.