May’s Serenade Sparkled

Congratulations to Sami, Yazan, Isaiah, Lucas, Clara, Jackson, Morgan, Harrison, Kenzie, Sofia, Shaun, Siddharth, Gitanjali, Siena, Hanna and their parents! These piano students of all ages and abilities performed their carefully rehearsed piano recital pieces for each other on Zoom, and then sat back to listen and support one another in their musical presentations. Great job to every one of you! Performance and preparation skills were improved through careful planning beforehand and students were exceptionally ready to share. Many of the younger students played multiple pieces and were very excited to pick out and decide which works would compliment each other. The recital even included a couple of first time performers! (If you missed out in May or want to play again, register for the June Serenade scheduled for May 12, at 12pm.)

In the weeks leading up to the recital, all the students did “test runs” in their lessons to gain familiarity and comfort with the logistics of bowing, pausing between pieces, and setting up their devices at the perfect angle for the audience to see. The program coincidentally ended up with a few nocturnes performed (there are so many good ones written for piano!), so I decided to close the concert with a performance of my favorite Chopin nocturne to go with the theme — Nocturne in F minor, op. 55 no. 1. Friends and family from all over the US tuned in to watch, including many grandparents – there were 45 “screens” open! Students remarked that it was fun to hear everyone playing from their own instruments in their living rooms. Below is the music I performed for you at the recital; the theme of the Nocturne is highlighted in the score. Can you pick out the notes and play them on your home piano?