Ages 5-14 · Book 3, Confidence · 4,299 places
The First Recital
Practising alone perfectly and being unable to do it once in a room are different skills, and only one of them gets practised.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Magic Triangle — “Turn fear into confidence, one step at a time.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Read the story and find the wall the child is standing under
- Session 2
Commit out loud, before anybody feels ready — that is step one
- Session 3
Do the reps, count them, and expect them to be ugly
- Session 4
Name what got better, using the count and not a feeling
- Session 5
Confidence is the last step, and it is earned in front of them
Questions leaders ask
Is the first recital in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is confidence — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-14. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
Does this fit around rehearsals and lessons in your area?
Yes. It is designed for the ten minutes before a lesson or the week of a recital, which is exactly when the nerves are real and the teaching lands.
Is this about performance technique?
No. Technique is your teacher's job. This is about what a child does with the part that has nothing to do with technique.
The rules that make it work
Confidence is earned, in that order, every time
Commitment, then competency, then confidence. Almost every adult teaches it backwards by trying to install the feeling first, and children can tell.
Ugly reps are the work, not a warning sign
A child promised that practice feels good quits on the third attempt. Say in advance that it will look bad, and the bad-looking part stops meaning anything.
Praise the count, never the talent
"You're a natural" is a compliment a child cannot use and cannot rebuild from. Sixty reps is a fact they own and can do again.
Nobody is compared to anybody
The count is against last week's count. A room where children are ranked teaches the ones at the bottom to stop starting.
Adults commit out loud too
A coach or a parent naming a thing they are bad at and are practising anyway is worth more than any session on effort.
This is a character story, not a performance program
Technique belongs to the coach and the teacher. This handles the part that has nothing to do with technique, and never scores a child on either.
First Recital by metro area
Northeast
- First Recital — New York, NY
- First Recital — Philadelphia, PA
- First Recital — Boston, MA
- First Recital — Pittsburgh, PA
- First Recital — Providence, RI
- First Recital — Hartford, CT
- First Recital — Buffalo, NY
- First Recital — Rochester, NY
- First Recital — Bridgeport, CT
- First Recital — Albany, NY
- First Recital — Worcester, MA
- First Recital — Allentown, PA
- First Recital — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- First Recital — Syracuse, NY
- First Recital — Harrisburg, PA
- First Recital — New Haven, CT
- First Recital — Portland, ME
- First Recital — Scranton, PA
- First Recital — Lancaster, PA
- First Recital — York, PA
- First Recital — Springfield, MA
- First Recital — Waterbury, CT
- First Recital — Reading, PA
- First Recital — Manchester, NH
- First Recital — Trenton, NJ
- First Recital — Atlantic City, NJ
- First Recital — Utica, NY
- First Recital — Norwich, CT
- First Recital — Erie, PA
- First Recital — Binghamton, NY
- First Recital — Barnstable, MA
- First Recital — Burlington, VT
- First Recital — Kingston, NY
- First Recital — Amherst, MA
- First Recital — Chambersburg, PA
- First Recital — Bangor, ME
- First Recital — State College, PA
- First Recital — Vineland, NJ
- First Recital — Lebanon, PA
- First Recital — Johnstown, PA
- First Recital — Pittsfield, MA
- First Recital — Glens Falls, NY
- First Recital — Altoona, PA
- First Recital — Lewiston, ME
- First Recital — Williamsport, PA
- First Recital — Watertown, NY
- First Recital — Gettysburg, PA
- First Recital — Ithaca, NY
- First Recital — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- First Recital — Chicago, IL
- First Recital — Detroit, MI
- First Recital — Minneapolis, MN
- First Recital — St. Louis, MO
- First Recital — Cincinnati, OH
- First Recital — Kansas City, MO
- First Recital — Columbus, OH
- First Recital — Indianapolis, IN
- First Recital — Cleveland, OH
- First Recital — Milwaukee, WI
- First Recital — Grand Rapids, MI
- First Recital — Omaha, NE
- First Recital — Dayton, OH
- First Recital — Des Moines, IA
- First Recital — Madison, WI
- First Recital — Akron, OH
- First Recital — Wichita, KS
- First Recital — Toledo, OH
- First Recital — Springfield, MO
- First Recital — Lansing, MI
- First Recital — Fort Wayne, IN
- First Recital — Youngstown, OH
- First Recital — Flint, MI
- First Recital — Canton, OH
- First Recital — Davenport, IA
- First Recital — Ann Arbor, MI
- First Recital — Peoria, IL
- First Recital — Lincoln, NE
- First Recital — Rockford, IL
- First Recital — Green Bay, WI
- First Recital — South Bend, IN
- First Recital — Sioux Falls, SD
- First Recital — Duluth, MN
- First Recital — Cedar Rapids, IA
- First Recital — Evansville, IN
- First Recital — Fargo, ND
- First Recital — Kalamazoo, MI
- First Recital — Appleton, WI
- First Recital — Champaign, IL
- First Recital — Topeka, KS
- First Recital — Rochester, MN
- First Recital — Lafayette, IN
- First Recital — Columbia, MO
- First Recital — Joplin, MO
- First Recital — Elkhart, IN
- First Recital — Springfield, IL
- First Recital — St. Cloud, MN
- First Recital — Racine, WI
- First Recital — Saginaw, MI
- First Recital — Iowa City, IA
- First Recital — Muskegon, MI
- First Recital — Eau Claire, WI
- First Recital — Oshkosh, WI
- First Recital — Bloomington, IL
- First Recital — La Crosse, WI
- First Recital — Terre Haute, IN
- First Recital — Waterloo, IA
- First Recital — Kenosha, WI
- First Recital — Janesville, WI
- First Recital — Bloomington, IN
- First Recital — Jackson, MI
- First Recital — Traverse City, MI
- First Recital — Rapid City, SD
- First Recital — Monroe, MI
- First Recital — Jefferson City, MO
- First Recital — Niles, MI
- First Recital — Sioux City, IA
- First Recital — Bismarck, ND
- First Recital — Wausau, WI
- First Recital — Manhattan, KS
- First Recital — Springfield, OH
- First Recital — Battle Creek, MI
- First Recital — Ames, IA
- First Recital — Mansfield, OH
- First Recital — Lawrence, KS
- First Recital — St. Joseph, MO
- First Recital — Sheboygan, WI
- First Recital — Muncie, IN
- First Recital — Sandusky, OH
- First Recital — Michigan City, IN
- First Recital — Kankakee, IL
- First Recital — Grand Forks, ND
- First Recital — Mankato, MN
- First Recital — Fond du Lac, WI
- First Recital — Bay City, MI
- First Recital — Lima, OH
- First Recital — Dubuque, IA
- First Recital — Decatur, IL
- First Recital — Cape Girardeau, MO
- First Recital — Columbus, IN
- First Recital — Kokomo, IN
- First Recital — Midland, MI
- First Recital — Grand Island, NE
- First Recital — Minot, ND
South
- First Recital — Dallas, TX
- First Recital — Houston, TX
- First Recital — Atlanta, GA
- First Recital — Washington, DC
- First Recital — Miami, FL
- First Recital — Tampa, FL
- First Recital — Orlando, FL
- First Recital — Charlotte, NC
- First Recital — Baltimore, MD
- First Recital — San Antonio, TX
- First Recital — Austin, TX
- First Recital — Nashville, TN
- First Recital — Virginia Beach, VA
- First Recital — Jacksonville, FL
- First Recital — Raleigh, NC
- First Recital — Oklahoma City, OK
- First Recital — Louisville, KY
- First Recital — Richmond, VA
- First Recital — Memphis, TN
- First Recital — Birmingham, AL
- First Recital — Tulsa, OK
- First Recital — Greenville, SC
- First Recital — New Orleans, LA
- First Recital — Knoxville, TN
- First Recital — Sarasota metro area, FL
- First Recital — McAllen, TX
- First Recital — Charleston, SC
- First Recital — Baton Rouge, LA
- First Recital — El Paso, TX
- First Recital — Columbia, SC
- First Recital — Cape Coral, FL
- First Recital — Lakeland, FL
- First Recital — Greensboro, NC
- First Recital — Little Rock, AR
- First Recital — Deltona, FL
- First Recital — Winston-Salem, NC
- First Recital — Palm Bay, FL
- First Recital — Augusta, GA
- First Recital — Durham, NC
- First Recital — Fayetteville, AR
- First Recital — Jackson, MS
- First Recital — Chattanooga, TN
- First Recital — Port St. Lucie, FL
- First Recital — Huntsville, AL
- First Recital — Pensacola, FL
- First Recital — Lexington, KY
- First Recital — Killeen, TX
- First Recital — Wilmington, NC
- First Recital — Corpus Christi, TX
- First Recital — Ocala, FL
- First Recital — Savannah, GA
- First Recital — Brownsville, TX
- First Recital — Gulfport, MS
- First Recital — Myrtle Beach, SC
- First Recital — Lafayette, LA
- First Recital — Asheville, NC
- First Recital — Naples, FL
- First Recital — Mobile, AL
- First Recital — Spartanburg, SC
- First Recital — Beaumont, TX
- First Recital — Tallahassee, FL
- First Recital — Fayetteville, NC
- First Recital — Montgomery, AL
- First Recital — Shreveport, LA
- First Recital — Hickory, NC
- First Recital — Lubbock, TX
- First Recital — Huntington, WV
- First Recital — Gainesville, FL
- First Recital — Clarksville, TN
- First Recital — Columbus, GA
- First Recital — Roanoke, VA
- First Recital — Hagerstown, MD
- First Recital — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- First Recital — Kingsport, TN
- First Recital — Waco, TX
- First Recital — Longview, TX
- First Recital — College Station, TX
- First Recital — Tuscaloosa, AL
- First Recital — Laredo, TX
- First Recital — Slidell, LA
- First Recital — Amarillo, TX
- First Recital — Lynchburg, VA
- First Recital — Daphne, AL
- First Recital — Tyler, TX
- First Recital — Lake Charles, LA
- First Recital — Hilton Head Island, SC
- First Recital — Macon, GA
- First Recital — Fort Smith, AR
- First Recital — Panama City, FL
- First Recital — Charlottesville, VA
- First Recital — Gainesville, GA
- First Recital — Athens, GA
- First Recital — Monroe, LA
- First Recital — Punta Gorda, FL
- First Recital — Jacksonville, NC
- First Recital — Johnson City, TN
- First Recital — Lexington Park, MD
- First Recital — Warner Robins, GA
- First Recital — Auburn, AL
- First Recital — Florence, SC
- First Recital — Charleston, WV
- First Recital — Houma, LA
- First Recital — Bowling Green, KY
- First Recital — Dover, DE
- First Recital — Midland, TX
- First Recital — Burlington, NC
- First Recital — Abilene, TX
- First Recital — Jackson, TN
- First Recital — Greenville, NC
- First Recital — Blacksburg, VA
- First Recital — Odessa, TX
- First Recital — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- First Recital — Homosassa Springs, FL
- First Recital — Decatur, AL
- First Recital — Hattiesburg, MS
- First Recital — The Villages metro area, FL
- First Recital — Florence, AL
- First Recital — Dothan, AL
- First Recital — Sherman, TX
- First Recital — Valdosta, GA
- First Recital — Winchester, VA
- First Recital — Wichita Falls, TX
- First Recital — Rocky Mount, NC
- First Recital — Alexandria, LA
- First Recital — Dalton, GA
- First Recital — Texarkana, TX
- First Recital — Albany, GA
- First Recital — Morgantown, WV
- First Recital — Hammond, LA
- First Recital — Harrisonburg, VA
- First Recital — Jonesboro, AR
- First Recital — Wheeling, WV
- First Recital — Cleveland, TN
- First Recital — Salisbury, MD
- First Recital — Staunton, VA
- First Recital — Morristown, TN
- First Recital — Elizabethtown, KY
- First Recital — Lawton, OK
- First Recital — Goldsboro, NC
- First Recital — San Angelo, TX
- First Recital — Brunswick, GA
- First Recital — Anniston, AL
- First Recital — Owensboro, KY
- First Recital — Steubenville, WV
- First Recital — Sebring, FL
- First Recital — Pinehurst, NC
- First Recital — Beckley, WV
- First Recital — Sumter, SC
- First Recital — Gadsden, AL
- First Recital — Paducah, KY
- First Recital — Rome, GA
- First Recital — Victoria, TX
- First Recital — Hot Springs, AR
- First Recital — Hinesville, GA
- First Recital — Parkersburg, WV
- First Recital — Enid, OK
- First Recital — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- First Recital — Los Angeles, CA
- First Recital — Phoenix, AZ
- First Recital — Riverside, CA
- First Recital — San Francisco, CA
- First Recital — Seattle, WA
- First Recital — San Diego, CA
- First Recital — Denver, CO
- First Recital — Portland, OR
- First Recital — Sacramento, CA
- First Recital — Las Vegas, NV
- First Recital — San Jose, CA
- First Recital — Salt Lake City, UT
- First Recital — Fresno, CA
- First Recital — Tucson, AZ
- First Recital — Honolulu, HI
- First Recital — Bakersfield, CA
- First Recital — Albuquerque, NM
- First Recital — Boise, ID
- First Recital — Oxnard, CA
- First Recital — Stockton, CA
- First Recital — Colorado Springs, CO
- First Recital — Provo, UT
- First Recital — Ogden, UT
- First Recital — Spokane, WA
- First Recital — Reno, NV
- First Recital — Modesto, CA
- First Recital — Santa Rosa, CA
- First Recital — Visalia, CA
- First Recital — Vallejo, CA
- First Recital — Salem, OR
- First Recital — Santa Maria, CA
- First Recital — Salinas, CA
- First Recital — Anchorage, AK
- First Recital — Eugene, OR
- First Recital — Greeley, CO
- First Recital — Fort Collins, CO
- First Recital — Boulder, CO
- First Recital — Kennewick, WA
- First Recital — Olympia, WA
- First Recital — Merced, CA
- First Recital — Bremerton, WA
- First Recital — San Luis Obispo, CA
- First Recital — Bend, OR
- First Recital — Yakima, WA
- First Recital — Santa Cruz, CA
- First Recital — Prescott metro area, AZ
- First Recital — Bellingham, WA
- First Recital — Las Cruces, NM
- First Recital — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- First Recital — Yuma, AZ
- First Recital — Medford, OR
- First Recital — St. George, UT
- First Recital — Chico, CA
- First Recital — Billings, MT
- First Recital — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- First Recital — Yuba City, CA
- First Recital — Redding, CA
- First Recital — El Centro, CA
- First Recital — Idaho Falls, ID
- First Recital — Pueblo, CO
- First Recital — Grand Junction, CO
- First Recital — Logan, UT
- First Recital — Maui, HI
- First Recital — Santa Fe, NM
- First Recital — Hanford, CA
- First Recital — Flagstaff, AZ
- First Recital — Mount Vernon, WA
- First Recital — Napa, CA
- First Recital — Albany, OR
- First Recital — Bozeman, MT
- First Recital — Missoula, MT
- First Recital — Wenatchee, WA
- First Recital — Sierra Vista, AZ
- First Recital — Twin Falls, ID
- First Recital — Farmington, NM
- First Recital — Longview, WA
- First Recital — Cheyenne, WY
- First Recital — Corvallis, OR
- First Recital — Helena, MT
- First Recital — Fairbanks, AK
- First Recital — Pocatello, ID
- First Recital — Grants Pass, OR
- First Recital — Great Falls, MT
- First Recital — Casper, WY
- First Recital — Lewiston, ID
- First Recital — Walla Walla, WA
- First Recital — Carson City, NV
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