Positive Notes: Recital Encouragement

Spring is officially here in the northern hemisphere and nature is coming back to life after a long winter’s rest. Flowers are blossoming, the birds are back and busy building nests, and the bugs are back, too (for better or worse!). But the butterflies fluttering about are not the only butterflies I’m noticing…

That’s because it’s recital season! Students are busy working on preparing their pieces for performance soon and some butterflies are starting to creep into their bellies when they start to think about the day of the recital.

We spend a lot of time in the weeks leading up to the recital talking about performance anxiety and stress testing our performance pieces. It helps my students to put things in perspective and deal with the anxiety that we all feel about performing in front of an audience.

I introduced something new at our recital this year: Positive Notes! Positive Notes are cute little eighth notes that each student received on the day of the recital. The Positive Notes had a short encouraging message to help focus my students’ minds before playing. They were a hit (the rainbows ones were the first to run out!!).

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The message on the back of the Positive Note reads:

“Hi! I’m a Positive Note! I believe in you. When it’s your turn to face the music, remember you’ve worked very hard and are prepared. Go do your thing! You’ve got this!”

The Positive Notes are available as a free download in the Toucan Piano Store under Recital Resources. I hope that your students will enjoy them as much as mine did! Be sure to tag me on social media if you use them (I love seeing my creations out in the world!).

There are two versions of the Positive Notes: a printable and a paper squishy craft.

Positive Notes: Printable

This version of the Positive Notes is the easiest of the two versions and a quick way to get an encouraging message into the hands of your students.

All you have to do is print them (double-sided printing) and cut them out. They looked so welcoming and joyful on our recital table!

You can download the basic printable version of the Positive Notes here.

Positive Notes: Paper Squishy Craft

If you enjoy crafting (like I do!) nothing beats the paper squishy version of the Positive Notes!

Not only are they adorable and spreading positivity but they also double as a fidget and “finger warmer-upper” for your students as they sit waiting for their turn to play!

They do require more time to make but they are definitely worth it if you have kids who need that extra outlet for their nerves. And if you do a group lesson before your recital, this can be a fun craft for the kids to do themselves!

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To make the Squishy Positive Notes, start by printing out the color of your choice on regular copier paper.

Cover both sides of the print out with clear tape (I used packing tape because it’s wider and covers a larger area at once, but any clear tape will do).

Next, fold the paper along the “Fold here” line.

While holding the paper in a folded position, cut out the note (you will be cutting the front and the back out at the same time).

Tape the edges of the two halves together, leaving an opening (I found it easier to leave an opening along the straight edge of the note).

Stuff the note with fiber fill (stuffed animal filling). Don’t overstuff!

Seal the open edge with some tape.

Your squishy is ready for the recital!!

You can download the paper squishy Positive Notes craft here.

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