performance-possibilities

By
Kathleen Briggs

What are your performance-possibilities?

How many times have we heard it said: “I wish I could still play my instrument.” It's a sad fact that of the vast number of students who begin studying music when they're children, only a fraction continue studying and playing into adulthood. There is no one answer to solve this dilemma, but there is something that can go a long way to help: performing.

All the performance-possibilities you provide, and with every opportunity a student has to play outside the classroom or school concert venue, the chances grow that he will continue with his instrument. The reasons for this are varied, but as long as band or orchestra is viewed as just another class, the student will have the same attitude toward it as she does with there other classes: “This is just something I have to survive until the end of the semester.” However, if that attitude can be changed to, “This is fun, and look what I can do with it,” the retention odds improve dramatically.

Preparing to perform a certain piece or at a certain event is a great motivator to keep up their practicing intensity. The skills they acquire through preparing are an end in themselves, granting the power to make that piece come alive. Playing in front of people is intense and creates great possibilities. The excitement of moving people in an audience can be very validating. The student that sees faces light up when they play, makes people want to get up and dance, or causes a tear or two will find new life in their relationship with their instrument.

For me, performance definitely influenced my experience with music. Until I started playing my flute outside the classroom and piano outside my home, I thought of it as a requirement put upon me by my mother. My attitude changed once I found out how much fun it was when I got to choose the song, and I got the pats on the back and applause. Whether it was at a nursing home for people who merely appreciated having something to do other than eat Jello, or a church meeting where I learned that I could play the hymns I had been singing all my life, playing seemed to take on a life of its own. Suddenly it was bringing personal rewards rather than personal obligation only. And now, some 30 years later, I am still playing and enjoying it at least weekly in one place or another.

It's not quite as easy as it seems–opening up a horn case and playing on the street corner is not really what I'm talking about. It takes an equation of opportunity+resources.

Opportunity

Nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living centers, and such are a good place to start when looking for performance-possibilities. They appreciate all skill levels and styles of music, but they LOVE children. Just call the office and ask for the social events manager.

Church venues also provide great performance-possibilities for students. A small string or woodwind ensemble might be able to play background music at a church social event. A talent show can be a great way to have fun with an instrument. Some of the best church socials our family has ever attended included a band of everyone in the congregation who played an instrument, had EVER played an instrument, or had ever WANTED to play an instrument (they were usually in the percussion section)

Providing music for religious services is also a do-able performance-possibility, but it is obviously a different story. While it's not true that a very young player can't play well enough to add to the spirit of the service and religious experience of the congregation, they must be well-prepared and guided by a representative of the church to ensure a positive experience for all.

Community pageants, plays, and talent shows are venues that can be fun and even profitable performance-possibilities. Pay attention to county fair announcements and events sponsored by civic groups. Editing a concert piece they have already mastered is a good idea because they'll be facing a lot of distractions, such as a costume and bright lights, and they need to be very comfortable with their music. Family parties and events are another great way to give your student opportunities to play. If a child looks forward to the Christmas season's memorable songs, challenge them to hone their abilities in order to play carols at the holiday parties. Or ask them to prepare to play Grandpa's favorite song at his birthday party.

Resources

As long as a student is in the band or orchestra room at school, he has everything he needs to make music (assuming he remembered his instrument when he got on the bus). But he may lose confidence without the familiar electronic tuners, chairs, and music stands when practicing at home or performing somewhere else. The closer he can come to his musical habitat in his practice sessions, the more progress he'll make and the more confidence he'll develop. A good music stand can be purchased for less than the cost of taking the family out to dinner. An electronic tuner and metronome are also inexpensive but can really make a difference. A good chair of just the right height is usually something already in the house but is essential for the comfort of the student. Of course, it's not only the equipment that a young student needs: he'll be needing music. (I have some strong views on this particular subject, so watch out.)

Yes, you can spend $12.00 for a book of music from the currently popular movies, and yes, it's fun to play the familiar melody if the rhythm is simple enough to read. However, most such music has been written strictly as it was sung on the sound track, and I guarantee it was easier to sing than it will be to play. The performance-possibilities of this are not so good. What usually happens is the student simply plays it the way they remember it, ignoring the written rhythm, which is not a desirable habit to instill. Good arrangements are out there, but you have to be very careful, and generally, music that looks too easy for the student is the best bet.

Having your child play in a group provides a safety net to prevent bad rhythm habits because it takes only seconds of playing with a partner to realize that strictly reading the rhythm is an absolute must. Solo instrument arrangements with piano accompaniment is another way to accomplish this but assumes the piano will be played at all practices.

Practice CDs included in some solo books (both popular tunes and concert pieces) can be a good substitute for a duet partner or a live accompanist, but they have their downside. It's much easier to play by ear what they hear on the CD than to actually figure the rhythm out for themselves. However, I do believe this down-side is small compared with the dangers of such music alone, especially when a private teacher is not in the picture.

Consulting the band or orchestra director is well worth the effort in looking for good supplemental music, but they may not have a great deal of resources themselves, since their main focus is on full-ensemble music or solo pieces for festivals.

Then there's the problem of finding music written for the particular ensemble you have. If you have one child playing violin (a non-transposing instrument) and one playing the trombone (a Bb instrument), you're not likely to find a duet that will work. And what if you want more than one melody on a hymn arrangement for a special function at church?

Luckily, there exists an answer to these puzzlers: Instant Ensembles. Inspired by the layout of the books used by Salvation Army Bands, we have songs that are completely adaptable to any combination of instrumentation you have, from solo with piano accompaniment to full ensemble. And each part can be chosen and transposed to fit both the instrument and skill level of each player. You won't find this system anywhere else. To learn more, follow this link:

INSTANT ENSEMBLES
from
Music House Publications

Playing outside of the classroom has all sorts of benefits for performance-possibilities. A musician learns a piece in a much deeper and finer way when he is preparing to play for an audience, and the incentive of perfecting the piece for that audience is a powerful motivator. Not the least of the advantages is that the musician is investing something more of himself when he prepares for and plays in a different venue, and he will therefore receive back more when he does so. The idea that he can perform well enough to give others the gift of music, and that he is a “musician” can be intoxicating, and it will go far in encouraging him to continue with his instrument in the years to come.



Kathleen Briggs is a contributing composer/arranger for Music House Publications.