Saturday was the culmination of little Claudia’s practicing. She was scheduled to play on a musical program without Aiden the cat beside her on the piano bench. As a second banana, I would replace my adorable feline as the duet partner of my pint size 8 year old student on the stage at the Fresno Piano recital hall. She would do her encore performance of “Doorbell” from Faber’s primer Piano Adventures along with the “I Like Song.”
This time parents, relatives and friends would be in attendance.
We certainly had a good rehearsal under our belt when the camcorder rolled a few days earlier at my home studio. Claudia, held her own, riveted to her music and never distracted by Aiden’s presence. I happily played the teacher accompaniment at my second piano, out of video range.
About 8 of my 30 students participated in a set of recitals that had different theme headings such as Halloween, Dance inspired, and General repertoire. The event was sponsored by our local Music Teachers Association of California, MTAC and was months in preparation. Duets for two players at one piano, or at separate pianos were also lumped into some combined theme categories. It was a joyful occasion which invited more than a smattering of nervousness and cold feet.
Most students just don’t get enough opportunities to perform for each other during the year, and sometimes their practicing is a bit erratic given their school schedules, extracurricular activities, and homework obligations. But despite these obstacles, most do the best they can under the glare of stage lights and rolling camcorders aimed directly at them.
Sometimes cell phones will go off, unnerving them. Or tantrums by toddlers and infants will knock them out of balance, but most will happily finish their pieces with some sense of pride, grabbing a bow for good measure.
On Saturday, all the Halloween category performers were rewarded with a bag of candy, which was enough to keep them coming back to participate in the next planned recital. An encore for sure! All participants were given orange ribbons for their efforts.
The spirit of sharing was definitely in abundance during all the Fall Festival recitals, with strains of beautiful music shared back and forth. 
Congratulations to Evan, 8 year old Claudia and 10 year old Claudia, Sakura, Mai, Nayelli, Albertina, and Ilyana who all graced the stage with poise and elegance. And with special reverence for the composers who made this special day possible, we thank Rameau, Latour, Johann Christian Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Beethoven, Grieg, Tansman, Kabalevsky, Gillock, and the Fabers.
