The last note died away. It had been a breathtaking performance. For a second no-one moved. A great hush enveloped the concert hall. Then the violinist stood and bowed gracefully whereupon a cacophony of applause erupted from the appreciative audience.
An instructor once explained that one of the first things children learn when being coached in performing for an audience, is how to take a bow. “If the children just play and stop, people may forget to show their appreciation,” he said. “But when the children bow, the audience invariably applauds. And applause is the best motivator we’ve found to make children feel good about performing – and want to do it well.”
Some years ago I was involved in a wonderful Christian retreat programme called the Emmaus Walk. As part of the preparation for the 5-day retreat, the leaders and those sponsoring participants approached family members and friends and asked them to write letters…
