I\u2019ve renewed\u00a0my commitment\u00a0this spring season to make piano etiquette an important part of my teaching. The points I\u2019m focusing on are below.\u00a0But, we\u2019d love to hear from you \u2013 what are your \u201cPiano etiquette\u201d rules? What do you insist upon when it comes to performance manners?<\/strong>\u00a0 Here are mine:<\/p>\n 1. \u00a0Bow before you perform to acknowledge\u00a0the applause.<\/strong>\u00a0Audiences used to know that it was appropriate to clap for the musician who was entering the stage to perform. This now isn\u2019t always the case (I often \u201cstart the clap\u201d if it doesn\u2019t happen in a recital). Piano students should bow to their applauding audience before<\/em> they sit down at the bench (not acknowledging\u00a0applause is generally considered to be rude).<\/p>\n 2. \u00a0Enter the bench from the side furthest from your audience.<\/strong> This was a biggie for my former piano teacher and I\u2019m reminded of it every time I see a student slink in from the \u201cfront side\u201d\u2026 or climb over the top. I used to think this was awfully stuffy \u2013 but when you see a student do it, it just looks right.<\/p>\n 3. \u00a0Hands in your lap before you begin<\/b>. I use this with my piano kids to give them a moment to hear the first few measures in their mind before they begin, but they often forget and do so with their hands on the piano. From now on, it\u2019s hands in lap<\/em>. They\u2019re learning that once fingers are on the keys it means they\u00a0are\u00a0ready to play. If the bench needs adjusting it should be done first\u2026 and then their hands should be placed in their\u00a0lap before they\u00a0begin.<\/p>\n 4. \u00a0Hands in lap after you finish.<\/strong> So many piano students are already lifting themselves off the bench as they play the final note (perhaps really\u00a0eager to return to their seat in the audience!?) Learning to place their\u00a0hands in their\u00a0lap after they\u00a0finish gives their\u00a0audience a moment to truly relish what they just heard.<\/p>\n 5. \u00a0Bow from the hips, and don\u2019t curtsey<\/strong>. Bowing nicely takes practice! Little head ducks, bows that are too long or too short or the little \u201cbop-down curtsey\u201d (or the forget it all and walk away!) are really common in recitals, but they can often really spoil the feelings your audience has been left with after a great performance. My piano teacher used to teach bows to the count of six (three counts as you bend down, look at your shoes, three counts as you come out of the bow).<\/p>\n 6. \u00a0Walk calmly off the stage<\/strong>\u00a0or away from the piano<\/strong>. \u00a0No running\u2026 no matter how badly you want to get back to your seat!<\/p>\n No matter how fun your piano recitals are, how casual you want them to be for the sake of nerves, or how young your students may be, I\u2019ve learned that teaching your students piano performance etiquette\u00a0is important. Just as\u00a0we aspire to teach children good manners (and really take note of children who do have good manners), good \u201cpiano manners\u201d are also noticed, appreciated and serve as one more way to raise the level of your students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bring Back The Piano Manners I\u2019ve renewed\u00a0my commitment\u00a0this spring season to make piano etiquette an important part of my teaching. The points I\u2019m focusing on are below.\u00a0But, we\u2019d love to hear from you \u2013 what are your \u201cPiano etiquette\u201d rules? What do you insist upon when it comes to performance manners?\u00a0 Here are mine: 1. \u00a0Bow before you perform to acknowledge\u00a0the applause.\u00a0Audiences used to know that it was appropriate to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nLet\u2019s Bring Back Performance Etiquette By Starting Young<\/h2>\n