Four years ago, I couldn’t fathom the idea of having to give a senior recital. This requirement to graduate seemed so daunting and surreal as a peewee freshman and it frankly looked to be a long time before I would have to present my own recital. To any underclassmen reading this: time flies in college (believe me!).
Before I knew it, I was a junior and planning the repertoire for my senior recital with my clarinet professor, Dr. Goh. I had been thinking about what to play for years, and we started finally conceptualizing it. We didn’t nail down a final concert order, but we had ideas, and that’s all we needed to start with.
Summer was rough. With my grandparents passing away, I lost four weeks of practice while up in Maine clearing out their house. It wasn’t the end of the world, however when I came back home in June, I felt like I had just begun summer break instead of being a month in like the rest of my colleagues. I was already feeling behind.
On top of that, I found out that Dr. Goh was transferring to another university. The professor who had guided me for the last three years was leaving. I now had to put my faith in a new professor, who never worked with me before, to lead me to success. I was upset and terrified to say the least.
The rest of summer was a breeze. I think I may have practiced a total of twelve times during the three month period, which was much lower than what I had originally planned. When that reality combined with the new professor finally dawned on me, I was scared to start my senior year.
The first week happened and I finally met the new clarinet teacher, Dr. Razey. I had no idea what to expect from this new professor until I got to sit down and talk with her. She was on board with everything I was planning for my recital and was ready to help make my perfect day happen. Over the next couple of weeks we devised a schedule of what groups will come in for a coaching. We also finalized the program, both satisfying what she wanted me to play along with pieces I’ve been wanting to perform since sophomore year. It was the perfect concert.
It was a month out from the recital where I started feeling nervous. School work was starting to pile up, along with ensemble music, observation hours and other tasks for various organizations I was apart of. I stuck to my morning practice schedule and stayed on top of planning lesson times, coachings, and rehearsals with my colleagues through the sea of constantly changing schedules. It was a rather hectic time.
The day finally arrived. I felt ready. Unlike my junior recital, I felt prepared and I was excited in the previous week, completely devoid of the dread I had experienced before. I was pumped to perform with my friends for my friends and family. And then — it was over in a flash. Seventy minutes felt like five while on the stage. I performed to the best of my ability, even though I did mess up a few times, I powered through and played with confidence as every good musician should.
I’m honestly sad it’s over. The senior recital is one of the last big things you do at your university as a music major before you graduate. Now all I have left is my honors capstone project and student teaching before I’m out the door and being a fully fledged adult. Where did the time go?
To the underclassmen reading this — cherish this moment. You only give one senior recital and it happens so incredibly fast. Make it a good one.