Arranging a recital for students requires a lot of preparation and coordination. In addition to the music, you need to choose the guidelines for attire. Obviously, when the students wear the same music performance outfits, they develop a sense of expectancy, pride, and unity within the group. However, rather than focusing solely on looks, you should choose music performance outfits that offer a stress-free way for your students to play their instruments.
Depending on the age of your group, you’ll want to pick uniforms that are both unique, but easy and inexpensive to acquire. These guidelines and ideas can help you decide on stress-free outfits that can be affordably purchased at any department store or online outlet.
K-6 Grade
Children in these age groups benefit from very simple requirements. Outfit ideas include:
- Jeans and Long Sleeve Tee-shirts. The great thing about this music performance outfit is that all the students can wear pants. Tee-shirts don’t have large collars or cuffs that can get in the way when the students are performing, and wearing “normal” clothes also helps make the students feel comfortable, which is highly beneficial to the performance.
- Black Slacks/Skirts and Thermal-Style Shirts. Again, creating a music performance outfit that is free of bulky collars and cumbersome accessories helps the students focus on their form. Instead of feeling stifled by itchy neck ties or similar trappings they are free to relax. Plus, using a colored shirt that matches the background or set where your students will be performing is a great way to make your group stand out by blending in.
- Formal Attire for Boys and Girls. If cost isn’t an issue, or if your group wants to purchase outfits that are very formal, there is a large selection of dresses and suit items available for musicians. These clothes are designed to make it easy to play any type of instrument because they are fabricated specifically for performers. Knee length or ankle length dresses can be purchased for around $40-$60 each, and boys can wear banded collar tuxedo shirts that eliminate the need for a tie.
7-12 Grades
For older students, you don’t need to worry as much about helping the students overcome difficulties with clothing, but you should still include that consideration when deciding on your music performance outfits. For example, teenagers are typically more comfortable wearing dress shoes and clothes, but loose-flowing sleeves and bulky items should still be avoided. Consider these trendy outfits for your music recital.
- Colored Dresses and Tuxedo Vests. There are plenty of colored, full-length dresses available for music performances, and the wonderful thing about them is that they are specifically created to make it easy to play. Once you’ve chosen the shade that your students will love, you can pick coordinating cumber buns and button covers to create a stunning group.
- Palazzo Pants and Colored Tops for Girls, and Tailored Pants and Shirts for Guys. Another great option for your young ladies is Palazzo pants. Rather than wearing skirts, these pants are extremely comfortable and generate a sense of unity within the group. You can purchase ladies tops that match formal menswear, or go all black with banded collar shirts for the boys and scooped neck black shirts for the ladies. To set it off really well, choose ivory-colored cumber buns and matching pearl necklace and earring sets, or another accessory color.
Choosing music performance outfits doesn’t have to be stressful. And the outfits themselves shouldn’t be impractical. Some additional tips to help you pick and arrange for the right ensemble include:
- Get parents involved: Knowing how much the outfit will cost in advance can help many parents add it to their monthly budget. Explain what the students will need and where it can be purchased as soon as possible.
- Arrange a fund-raiser: This can really help students get the performance outfit they need; and many companies offer easy and fast methods to raise group funds. Krispy-Kreme offers a program, and there are tons of legitimate ideas listed here.
- Ask for student input: It can help build enthusiasm for the performance if you have your students vote on the type of outfits they’d like to wear. You can explain that their votes will impact the selection.
- Choose fitted clothes: As previously mentioned, loose fitting garments, large collars, and billowing sleeves might look elegant, but they can hinder execution. Settle on music performance outfits that will permit freedom of movement without causing the students problems when they perform.
- Make it comfortable: This is probably the most important thing to remember. Students should feel relaxed and at ease in their performance attire. That’s the best way to ensure that they’ll be able to do their best.
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