Post-Recital Reflection & Things I’ve Learned
Hi everyone,
It’s been two weeks since my recital and…I’ve been just chilling. Honestly, it’s been a bit weird since I used to think about the recital every day for months, but now I’m taking a break and watching a lot of TV shows. And honestly, I haven’t been practicing. So, I feel like I should start planning for the next recital soon, especially if I want to keep my discipline.
After my recital, lots of people were proud of me! It makes me happy to hear that people enjoyed my performance and how they were proud of how far I’ve grown. And I was pretty proud of myself: I set myself up for success that day! I made sure I got 8 hours of sleep, did morning yoga, and took my time with my makeup. By the time I got to the venue before the recital started, I was only a bit nervous, but I wasn’t scared. I was pretty excited, and the people who came to my recital made me so happy, too (thank you again to those who came!). The funny part was that I did not expect to cry at the end of my performance…but my friends who know me well were not surprised - I’m quite an emotional person, hahaha.
During this week, I wanted to write this blog post to share what I learned from my experience because it was not easy for me, haha. Maybe this could help someone like me out there, too. Without further ado, here are 6 things I have learned:
Remember to Take Steps
Sometimes I would get ahead of myself and sing the song since I’d listened to it so many times. But I realized I should have been taking steps to learn the song, and not fall into what I listened to. Because other singers may have their own choices that are different from what is on the music sheet. Or I would think I sang the correct note, but I ended up going too sharp or flat, or singing a part in the wrong rhythm. I needed to take the steps of learning the pitch, singing the solfege, and counting the rhythm first. It helped me be prepared for my lessons with my vocal coach, too.
Be Specific in Your Practices
In one of my blog posts, I talked about how I should be specific during my practices. At the beginning of the year, I spent a lot of time practicing…but it wasn’t quality practicing. For example, I would keep singing the same song over and over again, and I had neglected using my time to focus on the areas that needed work. Once I changed my approach to my practices, they became so much more productive and fulfilling by the end, and that itself made me feel more confident overall, too.
It’s Okay To Have a Limit
I originally wanted my recital to be about an hour-long with 9 or 10 songs. However, in April, I realized that there were some songs that I was not close to finishing learning. Honestly, I was overwhelmed, and a few people noticed that. Plus, this was my first recital, and I found out that music students’ first recitals are usually 30 minutes anyway (so I’ll get a pass, haha)! I made the decision to shorten my recital to 7 songs, so I could focus on and polish the songs that I have learned. I was a bit disappointed at first, because I really wanted to give people a whole show. But someone told me that it’s okay to have it short... it would make people want more by the end of it. :)
Don’t Expect Perfection
There’s a general rule that if you mess up during a performance, you just have to keep going. It was only less than two weeks before the recital, and I was worried about a few songs because either there was a note that was always too sharp, or I couldn’t remember the lyrics. At that point, I had to accept the fact that I would mess up, and I was encouraged to make up words and lyrics in order to keep going. Of course, I still practiced a lot to get those areas corrected. Setting my expectations to know that I will make mistakes has helped me get used to moving on during my rehearsals/practices. I even walked on stage expecting to mess up on a few songs. Luckily, it was fine! I may have missed a note or repeated some lyrics, but nothing dramatic happened, and I’m pretty proud of that, haha.
Don’t Be Obsessed With It
This will be hard to admit, but this was a big lesson for me. I thought about my recital every day, but I became too obsessed with it during the last few months. There were times when I declined events because I wanted to practice, and there were also times when I would get too anxious about my recital…*sigh* It’s not healthy at all, I know. I sort of wished I knew that sooner, so I could form better habits to have fun and also practice after work. But now I know! It’s my first recital, and it’s not going to be my last one. There will be more to come in my lifetime, so I should take it easy from now on and enjoy events with friends.
Lastly, It’s a Mental Thing!
I’m not sure how to explain this part, but singing is also mental. Like I can physically try to breathe and sing properly, but the sound is so much better and projected when my mind and body are relaxed. And when I worry too much or when my body gets tense, my vocals don't have their resonance, and I would also mess up my technique and notes. Also, I changed my mindset to treat myself as a professional singer (and I also wrote a blog post about it), and that has helped me tremendously. I was really insecure, and I had to give more credit to myself since I’ve been training for at least a few years. I told myself that I’m not a “beginner” at this anymore, and then I felt more confident during rehearsals.
Those were some lessons that I’ve learned during my progress with this recital, and I can see how much I’ve grown because I know I am not the same person today as I was at the beginning of this year. And it was a good idea to have a relaxing morning before my recital, haha. I mean I wasn’t expecting my recital to change my life or anything…Or maybe I kind of did. I did get pretty emotional at the end because I cared a lot…So I guess it did change my life, and I sang in front of people, confidently! And now I know the process to prepare for the next one (psst, Winter 2022).
Until next time, thanks for sticking around. :)
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