Holly Jolly Holiday Concert. Another holiday concert is in the books. If you want some insight into my concert planning process, I blogged about it here.
What made this particular concert memorable?
Great kids
The kids have to prepare their music. That is obvious. What isn’t as obvious is that the kids have a lot of non musical tasks that they have to do on the day of the concert.
I require everyone to assist with setting up and tearing down the gym. That means that chairs and stands must be brought down to the gym. (The band room is on the second floor.) We emphasize that each student sets up their own stuff so that no one has to do extra work.
Percussionists have an extra burden because they have more equipment. Some of the instruments are on wheels and can fit in the elevator. Others must be carried down the steps. Our marimba weighs around 200+ pounds and is extremely difficult to carry down steps. And, remember, you’ve got to carry everything back at the end of the night!
Students also set up folding chairs and pull out the gym’s bleachers for audience seating.
This year I gave the bands a set up chart in the morning and purposely walked away and watched. It was painful at times, but they nailed it. And, I gained valuable insight into the leadership skills of several kids.
I am routinely impressed with how well the students do these tasks. It would be natural for a kid to say, “You mean I’ve got to set up, perform and then clean up afterwards?!”. But, I hear no complaints.
And, the audience chips in to help as well! How crazy is that?!
Thirty minutes after the end of the show you wouldn’t even know we had a concert in the gym.
The audience had fun
A woman approached me after the program and said, “Thank you for making this fun and not boring.”.
I have a few techniques that I use to help make the show fun.
First off, I try to choose music that the audience will like, not music that I like. And, I try to pull the audience into the performance.
Never underestimate the power of clapping.
The high school chorus performed ‘National Lampoon’s Holiday Road’. Everyone knows this song. There is a rhythmic section that is perfect for clapping. So, I turned around during the performance and started clapping that part to the audience. They immediately joined in. I was able to cut them off at times and was even able to change the rhythm that they were performing.
Sleigh Ride
Sleigh Ride is a really tough tune, but the kids wanted to play it. I’ve conducted it numerous times, but never with Somerset Canyons. I purchased the music, we worked on it and they played it well.
Years ago I stumbled into something that draws the audience into the performance.
I was performing Sleigh Ride for a school assembly and the students kept trying to clap the whip part. Initially I was irritated. They were screwing around and I didn’t like it.
We played it for the students again the next year and, sure enough, they tried to clap on the whip part. I turned around on a whim and started to cue them for the whip part. They loved it!
I cue the audience for the whip every time I perform. And the Canyons audience did a great job!
I should add that the band performers need to play well in order to stay solid while I’m turning around to face the audience. And, it is important to give the kids a heads up about what you’re planning to do.
Work on turning around while they perform so that they can get used to it. You don’t want them getting alarmed and stop playing in the middle of a performance!
A good night
The evening ended with a visit from several alumni. I love seeing students return for the music and a chat.
The next concert is on March 6th and, yes, I have begun picking out music.