A Recital for Charity

This month, I did something at my studio that I’ve never done before — I used my studio to raise money for a local charity.

We have a very beloved charity in our area that works with children with disabilities. Each summer, they host a camp for children undergoing cancer treatment, and invite those children and their families to spend a week in the mountains enjoying outdoor activities, musical therapy and fellowship with one another.

To make this recital unique and also get my students excited about the opportunity, I kept my expectations simple and let them have control. I gave them the option to play between one and five songs of their choice, and called the recital a “Play-a-thon”. Pieces didn’t have to be memorized, and they could be any pieces that they have learned in their time with me. Students LOVED this freedom, and even though we had a few random Christmas pieces thrown in the mix, it was fun for me to learn the pieces that they consider all-time favorites.

I passed out pledge sheets to each student and asked them to collect sponsors for their pieces. They had a blast doing this, and younger siblings and classmates even donated their allowances. The 25 students were able to raise $1200 for this special camp, and were also invited to attend the camp next summer and participate in the musical therapy activities.

Tomorrow is our recital. I’ve divided the students into three different programs with a ten minute intermission between each program, where families can come and go. I’ve never seen so much excitement among my students for an event, and can hardly wait to hear them play tomorrow!

Have you ever used your studio to help out a local charity? Please share your events below!