Ailantha
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

If music be the Love of food, play on!

4/10/2014

1 Comment

 
Some of my students rehearsing for our recital
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
        Tonight is my piano students' spring recital, also known as the Pizza Recital, not to be confused with the Sub Sandwich (winter) recital or the Pool Party /Cook-Out (summer)  recital.  
        The recitals received their names by my students, who categorize them by what we have to eat after each recital. 
        Thus the spring recital, for which I always order a boat load of pizzas, is the pizza recital. 
        But the pizzas, subs or burgers are always just the gustatory center piece, to be accompanied by the copious side dishes and desserts that the students' families bring to the post-recital feast.
        And so we treat the recitals, which in truth are what drive my teaching and, I believe,  motivate my students, as communal banquets that open with musical entertainment.  Students bring not only their parents and siblings, but invite friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, teachers, and co-workers (of my adult students).  On occasion other music teachers have asked or been invited by me to "crash" my recitals with a student or two of their own whom we welcome as guest performers.  I don't actually know of any other music teacher whose recitals are preludes to a potluck. 
        And yet the music-food combo was not my plan when when I first started teaching years ago. In the beginning I figured my recitals would be the standard cookies-and-punch affairs that most recitals are.  But, alas, I now believe that, being the inveterate foodie that I am, it's my karmic fate that any event I'm involved in will have evolved into a buffet line by the time it has reached fruition.
        Anyway, I had only about half- dozen students when I had my first recital, so I had the idea of asking the mother of one of my students if I could have the recital in her home.  Not only did the mother agree to the idea, she offered to serve sub sandwiches after the recital.  So I asked the other parents if they'd each bring a side or dessert.  The recital was such a success and everybody like the food afterwards so much that I continued to have recitals in student's homes, with the host family providing the main course and the other families bringing the sides. 
        And so it went until I had so many students that I needed to find a bigger venue for our recitals.  When I moved our recitals from students' homes to a church hall I figured the moment had come to change the format from a big post-recital chow-down to cookies and punch.
        Not a snowball's chance in Palm Springs.
        I almost had a revolt on my hands when I suggested that we replace our communal feast with cookies.  And so a communal feast it's been every since.  Like I said, I thinks it's my foodie-karma.  Can't fight it.
        But I guess having a big post-recital chow down is a good idea.  Because, hey, if we all crash and burn on our pieces, at least we'll have pizza.

        
       
  
       
   

      
 
1 Comment
Jennifer
4/11/2014 06:53:36 am

We love the after-recital food! I think it even gives my kids a little motivation. :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888

    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    or from
    The Book Loft
    of German Village,
    Columbus, Ohio
    Picture
    Or check it out at the Columbus Metropolitan Library
    Picture

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    I am a traveler just visiting this planet and reporting various and sundry observations,
    hopefully of interest to my fellow travelers.

    Categories

    All


























































































Proudly powered by Weebly