By Kyle Jackson
On Friday, Nov. 14, the Grand Rapids Community College music department is hosting a live piano recital. This recital is designed for students to be able to demonstrate their skills and practice performing in front of an audience.
Debora DeWitt, professor at GRCC and the head of the piano section of the GRCC music program for 20 years, explained in further detail how understanding how the GRCC music program prepares students for life performing.
“There’s actually a lot behind helping a student learn a piece of music and have it ready for a public performance,” stated Dewitt. “Think of it like public speaking, like, for your class. You’re speaking in front of an audience of strangers. So there’s a lot behind that. So we in the music department have another class called applied performance class… our music majors. Also take this class… in that class we talk about the art of performing.”
Recitals, no matter the instrument, are an essential part of growing in a musical field.
“We have instrument recitals in every group basically,” DeWitt said. This is actually a recital that we use for an educational purpose to prepare them for their final semester performance, which is a graded performance, for their final performance, we call their jury.”
A jury performance at GRCC is a final test of musical ability. Students play multiple musical compositions for a final grade to round out this semester.
“I’m excited, I’m a little nervous because, maybe for one of the pieces, I’m not entirely prepared, but I know I have tonight to prepare for it.” said Tyler Watkins, a 19-year-old GRCC student from Grand Rapids who is expressing his feelings towards his upcoming performances including the piano recital.
Currently, Watkins is going for a recording technology degree, but he has plans to transfer over to Western Michigan University to earn a degree in musical composition.
On the topic of how he is preparing for the piano recital, Watkins said,“Endless practice. Too much practicing. I’m in a lot of credits this semester so it’s important that I use my free time to practice.”
Admission to this performance is completely free for students. Located in Linn Maxwell Keller Recital Hall of the Albert P. Smith Music Center, people interested are permitted free admission to this performance. The performance itself is located in room 202 which is the performance hall.
