The TL;DR (too long, didn't read)
- We will host on-site recitals again.
- They will be reduced capacity.
- Families will be "clustered".
- We won't have receptions after recitals.
- Masks are voluntary but encouraged.
- Recitals can be scheduled Monday-Saturday (this may not be permanent).
- Use the recital forms to submit a request and details. (see below)
- We're still reviewing options for online recitals hosted by VMS.
Recitals are back...kinda
We're hosting recitals again. Recitals may be discontinued if local/federal guidance indicates that we should reduce or eliminate gatherings. Families will be clustered with space between them. This means we have space limitations, so we are reducing the maximum number of students per recital to 10 students. The maximum length per recital is 45 minutes. All recitals will start on the hour. If you have more students that want to perform, you can schedule multiple recitals. Masks are optional but encouraged.
We'll be experimenting with weekday recitals in addition to our typical Saturday option. A few key areas that we'll watch are instructor interest, student interest, and space usage to determine if we should continue with weekday recitals.
Treat bags will be offered at the end of the recital instead of having a reception. The primary purpose of this is to reduce the time that people are gathered together and minimize potential contact with food. It will also allow us to keep the recital contained to the recital area which should increase our ability to be more flexible with when recitals are held.
Basic Flow
Step 1: You submit a Recital Request Form. It is tentatively approved or rejected.
Step 2: You submit a Performance Details Form. The recital is approved or rejected.
Step 3: We contact performing students' families to get attendance information, prepare programs, etc.
Step 4: Have the recital.
New Recital Request Forms
To start a recital request, please use the Recital Request Form. Please provide at least 30-day advance notice. This step will reserve your date and time if it's available. Unavailable times will be listed on the form.
To get final approval for the recital, submit the Performance Details Form by the due date on your confirmation email (i.e., two weeks before the recital). There are a few things to note about this form. The order that you put the students in the form should match the order of the performance - we use this information to prepare the program. If a student is playing multiple pieces, they will need to play them consecutively. If there are multiple pieces for one student, a semi-colon is required as the separator during submission (e.g., Ode to Joy by Beethoven; Ave Maria by Franz Schubert). We will need the program information on this form at least two weeks prior to the recital date. This is necessary because we will have to contact the families to get a head count for attendance and to group them accordingly in the seating arrangement. Your recital will not have final approval until this form is submitted. If we do not receive it by the due date, the recital will automatically be cancelled.
For each submission, you should receive an automated email with some information about the status. If you don't receive an email, there may have been an issue with the service processing the submission, so you should reach out to the office to check on it. Hopefully this won't happen often.
Attendance & Seating
Each family will be emailed an attendance form that allows them to provide details for the following:
- Will the student(s) perform at the recital
- Number of audience members: Each family can have up to four audience members. Requests for additional seats will be considered based on available capacity.
- Number of treat bags
Students will be seated across from the grand piano to allow for more space for audience seating and spacing. For the audience, each grouping of seats will have a card with the family name on it to help them identify their assigned seats. Student seating is unassigned, and arrangement is to be determined by the instructor.
Here's an example of a seating arrangement:
Online Recitals
We are starting with on-site recitals. Online recitals are on our radar, and we are evaluating options for how to offer this through VMS. When we have more details, we will provide an update.