Summer Festival Preparation: Selecting Solo Repertoire
The experience of being in a different place surrounded by like-minded musicians for what feels like non-stop music making can be a time of exponential growth for a musician. One way to ensure the experience is energizing and not overwhelming is preparation.
In this first of the series, we’ll cover solo repertoire you might want to have on hand for the summer festival experience.
Polished repertoire
This is repertoire that you’ve already learned with your teacher in private lessons, and might have even performed it, or used it for auditions. Keep this performance-ready for any solo performance opportunities that come up early in the festival.
Repertoire that needs some work
This is music that you have learned the fundamentals of in your regular lessons, but still need to work on the finer points to prepare for performance. This is the kind of piece you will want to have on hand for lessons, workshops, and masterclasses where you are able to benefit from the feedback and insights shared, without struggling with the basics.
New music to learn with festival faculty
Learning new music and practicing is a continuous process throughout a musician’s career. Experiencing various approaches to doing this with different teachers can be incredibly helpful in the development your own approach. If possible, look up the festival faculty you will be learning with to find out their areas of expertise - with your teacher’s input it is a great opportunity to select repertoire that could benefit from their insight.
You do not have to make these decisions alone. It is always best to work with your teacher to select repertoire that is appropriate for your development and ideal for your festival experience.
Learning with any of the Virtuosity.online faculty this summer? Check out some of their classes available on The Virtuoso’s Lounge.
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