We can all remember the excitement of our first performance—dressing uniformly being the center of attention yet within the security of a group setting, and especially hearing the rousing applause of an excited and supportive audience! Developed by the Music Achievement Council, a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, the First Performance National Day of Celebration (FPNDoC) is a turnkey demonstration concert designed to recognize and celebrate beginning band and orchestra students for their achievements.
The FPNDoC program allows our youngest musicians to showcase their newly-acquired musical skills for the very first time in a public setting within the first six to seven weeks of school. It is a scripted event that provides parents with the opportunity to hear their child’s progress in a fun and entertaining program that requires little or no extra work for the teacher, while also providing school administrators with an opportunity to view first-hand the joy and pride that our students, as well as their parents, experience in these early weeks.
The objectives of the First Performance National Day of Celebration are:
- To reduce beginner dropout rate
- To provide short-range incentive goals
- To encourage communication with parents
- To further strengthen administrative support
- To celebrate the musical accomplishments of the students
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The sound of applause early in a musician’s life is infectious and can encourage continued growth leading to a lifetime of music-making. The resulting memories will last for a lifetime. With beginners, there will never be a more enthusiastic group of performers and audience members than these young musicians and their families and friends.
By Marcia Neel
Excerpt from SBO (School, Band and Orchestra), Aug. 4, 2018, Digital Issue.
Read the complete article, here.