INCOMING SHOWCASE PERFORMANCES!

Next Showcase: Friday May 29th, Saturday May 30th and Sunday May 31st!

We’ve created this page to help answer the common and even un-common questions as your students prepare for a performance in these next several weeks - read on below!

The Basics - Performance? Who, what? Where, when?

What is a showcase performance?

Music Pillars puts on performances quarterly in order to give your students opportunities as real musicians performing. However, this isn’t just any student recital - it is a mega SHOWCASE performance! Our team puts in hard work behind the scenes to create an experience complete with professional accompaniment by our Music Pillars staff, audio/video recording, screen projections and stage lights, complete with a live audience to attend (with a ticketing platform for ticket purchases). We are putting in lots of time to provide not just show-day fun, but selecting the right pieces (and writing their notations) for each level, recorded tracks in class, information to send home - and that’s just the tip of the ice-berg.

where is this at?

This happens at the same location as student lessons - our studio! 10710 Thornmint Rd, within our “Blackbox” Theatre room!

DOES MY STUDENT HAVE TO PERFORM?

What good is being a musician if not being able to share your music with others? This is where preparation meets opportunity - we cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take this opportunity for your students GROWTH. It is more than just playing keys or strings or otherwise - it is an opportunity for them to show up authentically as musicians and get some recognition for their hard work!

What are they performing?

Group Piano Students (PX): An email is sent out in the first week of obtaining their music with a PDF of this information. Your students are given 2-3 songs to be working on (found in their binder):

• One “Main” song in their binder

• One song from their PX Song Book

• One “Bonus” song in their binder (Level 3-6 only)

• One Solo song of their choosing from their PX Song Book (some notes below):

  • Students must tell teachers which song they want as their solo - we are encouraging students to have 2-3 options in mind to get approved - we will assign them first come first serve.

  • Levels 1-2 can choose an additional solo song (two total) if they would like - this is encouraged since they have one less song!

  • Levels 4-6 may choose a Solo that is not in their Song Book - a teacher will approve it in class!

    These songs are listed per level in the PDF emailed to all families, and a physical flyer sent home.

NOTE: If your student has graduated, plan to stay in the SAME level until Mega performances have concluded - but get your new books to be practicing at home!

PX Vocalists: There is an opportunity for students not currently enrolled in vocal classes to sing along with their Group Piano peers! More information on this coming soon.

Vocalists: Miss Tamara has assigned all vocalists a solo to perform.

Guitar/Drums: John is working on pieces with your students that they are comfortable performing! Please note, this does not have to be “classical” by any means, we just want something short and sweet your students are comfortable with.

Individual Pianists: Mr. Scott has been been working on a number of pieces with your students, they can pick up to 3-5 minutes of them.

When is my student performing?

Our performances are happening at a variety of times on Friday, May 29th (vocalists+), Saturday, May 30th (PX+) and Sunday, May 31st (PX+).

For more questions on exceptions, see below.

PX (Group Piano) Performance schedule: Below schedule does not include vocalists/guitar/drums!

Day of Performance Questions

What time should my student be there?

Please have students arrive no later than 30-minute prior to show-time. We need this time to rehearse through the show order with everyone and get students comfortable with performing. Students that show up as the show is starting may not be allowed to perform.

What should my student wear?

We want all performers to wear business casual. There’s no other requirement here - we just want them to look and feel their best!

What should my student Bring?

We encourage the same items that students would bring to their lessons:

• a water bottle

• their music binder

• their PX book

• their instrument (only if it’s a guitar student that usually brings their own)

Preparing for the performance (Practice & Grades)

How can I help my student best prepare?

By having them practice their pieces at home! They can utilize their PX software at home to practice their assigned PX song and solos (Level 1-3), and we are also working on individual student profiles for them to get the same at-home help with their assigned sheet music (binder). Until then, practice, practice, practice!

My student got a yellow/red slip - what does that mean? (Starts in may)

These slips will be coming out 3-4 weeks prior to the show, and it’s our way of telling you if they would be ready to perform the piece if the show were tomorrow - these are essentially our way of flagging to you that your student needs more practice before they are good to go for the big day. The week of the show, if your student has received a red or yellow slip, they will be unable to perform just those pieces. Any pieces not mentioned on those slips (i.e., “green” pieces) are songs that we surely hope your student will come and play with us - whether it’s just one group piece and/or a solo! However - your student can attend our optional “Grand Finale Rehearsal” if they have practiced since receiving that final red/yellow slip and want one more chance to get approved to play those pieces. This rehearsal happens typically the Thursday or Friday of the Showcase weekend!

Ticket Inquiries

Where do I purchase tickets?

Confirm your student’s performance time on their OPUS schedule, then find that performance date on our ticketing site: found here!

When do they go live?

You may already see the events listed, but these will not go live until Monday, May 11th at 12pm.

how many Tickets can we get?

Please limit your ticket purchases to 3 tickets to allow for all scheduled students to have room for their invitees! Our Blackbox theatre seats about 40 guests, so we have this ticket cap to start. We will open more seats the week-of-show if we are not sold out. Tickets are found here!

Other Questions (Graduations, Availability, etc.)

What happens if my student graduated PX levels mid-rehearsals?

We have learned that students that graduate in the middle of Mega Programming (the 6ish weeks we are working on music in class before the performance) are much better off staying in their current level in order to continue working on the Level-Specific sheet music they were assigned for their group class. We will give them their new books so that they can begin working on their new level (as deserved!), but they should plan to stay in their current level class until Mega Performances have concluded. NOTE: Even if students want the challenge, programming becomes tricky due to different levels having different performance times - there may not be room for them to change after we hit the 4-weeks-out mark!

we want our student to perform but we are unable to make their current assigned time - what do we do?

We understand that schedules can get busy! We will do our best to accommodate a time change for students. However, not every Level performs at every show time, and we are capped at 5 students per level per performance, so it is not as simple as moving a student over (as much as we would like for it to be!). For this reason, any changes in schedule are made on a first-come first-serve WAITLISTED basis, and requests to change must be received no later than 15-days prior to the performance. Please find the Mega Coordinator email below to contact with your student’s full name and Level if you are looking to change.

we have multiple students and they are in different show times - can we put them at the same time?

We did our best to place all current siblings in the same time frame, but if this happened to you then please email the Mega Coordinator email below with your students’ first/last names and the Levels they are in so we can do our best to accommodate them. The sooner you email, the more likely we can make this change. Please note, not every Level performs at every show time, and we are capped at 5 students per level per performance, so it is not as simple as moving a student over - we promise to do our best!

OTHER QUESTIONS? REACH OUT TO OUR MEGA COORDINATOR: EBRUNING@MUSICPILLARS.COM