Tagged: United States

Ensemble 212 and Big Questions Answered














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5 Things We Can Learn From the Musicians of New Orleans

Me and my wife at the Riverboat Natchez

Hey everyone! Sorry for the hiatus last week, but I was on a much needed vacation to New Orleans, Louisiana. My wife and I decided to spend the week of Thanksgiving down there—we love to experience new places and cultures together. I took in my fair share of pralines and Bloody Mary’s and I managed to get the rest and relaxation I needed. But the blogger in me was gathering inspiration and taking notes.  On my flight back to NYC I realized there are a few things that the rest of us could learn from the musicians of the Big Easy.

1. Leave “Pretentious” at Home.

I was amazed at the humbleness, and down-to-earth personalities of the musicians I encountered. From the (stellar) band I heard on the Riverboat Natchez, to the jazzers in the clubs, to the street musicians on the Rue Bourbon, you’d think everyone was your long lost best friend.

2. One More Time—With Feeling!

I bet I heard “When the Saints Go Marching In” or “Red River Valley” a dozen times in the Crescent City. But you know what? Each musician had a different interpretation, a different version—each one said something completely different with those simple melodies. I found the variety captivating. Who says repetition of favorites has to be boring or the same?

3. People Playing for People.

The musicians I heard had a peculiar quality that I rarely find in large arts centers like New York or DC—the immediate impression I got was that these were real people. Maybe it was the laid back music they played, relaxed postures, warm smiles, or simple clothes. I’m still not really sure what defines this quality, but I am sure that when we stood on the street corner with 30+ others and listened to one guy play, you were watching a really talented person, not an exotic creature performing in a glass box.

4. Anything Goes…

Sure, a lot of familiar tunes were repeated: “When the Saints Go Marching In”, “Yellow Rose of Texas”, “Autumn Leaves” to name but a few. But don’t be fooled, there was plenty of original and spontaneous improvisation going on too. With my (trained) ears, I heard some funky harmonies and complex melodies—but that didn’t stop these guys.  No matter how familiar or how funky, these folks sold it to their audiences. As long as you believe in the art you are making, you can convey your passion to an audience. This proves that you can grab your audience’s attention if they catch the same fever for your music that you have

5. New Orleans is Music is New Orleans.

Music and New Orleans are inseparable and the musicians who perform there know it. They know that it’s their responsibility to keep the music at the heart of the city’s culture. They know the tradition that they belong to. They also clearly understand that culture is people too, and that for music to stay integral to the culture—they have to connect the music to people. It’s that willingness to reach out to citizens, tourists, and each other through music, to make real connections and experiences for their listeners—that’s what keeps their place (and value) in the cultural life of one of the greatest cities in the South.


Auditions are a Funny Thing (I Think).

Kennedy Center at Dusk

Kennedy Center at Dusk (Photo credit: Wikipedia)








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Tools for Breaking Down the “Wall”

English: A Second Nature audience at the Groun...

Invisible walls exist between the stage and the audience in performing arts organizations around the country. In my last post, I tackled the problem of making the wall visible. I showed you how to identify the problems that the wall was causing in your performance or your organization.  Depending on what you do, there are many different ways your wall could actually look.


If you are a small ensemble or a solo performer, then you have lots of individual control over how you can tear down the wall that keeps you separated from your audience. If your performing organization is large and has many members, like an orchestra or a dance company, then you have to work together with your administration to decide what steps you will take to break down the wall together.  This latter scenario can be significantly more complicated, but if you have identified that a wall exists, it is your duty as an authentic performer to initiate the changes you feel need to be made.


So to give you some ideas of where to start, I’ll use today’s post as a chance to make a list of some of the actions you can take to start breaking down barriers and drawing your audiences closer to you– and if you do it right, they might just begin to grow too.


So while there are countless options to consider, you must carefully take a look at who your audience is, what they like, and what they need. The following list is broken into several categories, but some may have dual applicability.


Your Audience Barrier Wrecking Ball includes (but is not limited to…):


At the administrative level:


1. Leaders that have direct one-on-one physical communication with all audience members, not just elite and wealthy donors. (and yes, shudder, tremble, quiver, this means executive directors as well.)


2. An environment where the administration pools the organization staff from secretary to executive director, and a retreat is held where all employees can voice opinions, exchange ideas, and take ownership in the way the administration interfaces with the audience. This is in lieu of relying on “consultants” to tell an organization everything that it needs–and much less expenses.  Capitalize on every strength in your administrative staff. Use the intelligent, artistic, and valuable people that you pay to run your organization where they think the organization is headed in terms of its interaction with the audience. This advice is golden, because these people have  a very personal stake in the success of the organization.


3. Be transparent, invite audience members to public discussion about the future of the organization. Don’t keep the public in the dark about what is going on at the highest levels. (I’m sure executive directors are trembling somewhere…) The days of back door deals and nepotism are not cool anymore. Don’t let patrons feel like they are shut out, they’d be thrilled if you invited them into all aspects of organization. It’s not hard guys, just put it on a blog.


For the performers in large organizations:


Ok folks, I hit the administrators pretty hard, but now let’s talk about what we can do to tear down the wall.


1. Mingle with audience members before and after the concert or performance.


2. Wear a pleasant countenance at all times. (Just smile) Even if you aren’t feeling it, remember you are onstage and you are acting.  Make eye contact with as many audience members as you can, and smile at them.


3. Look your best onstage. Look like a million bucks, feel like a million bucks, and play like a million bucks. You are performing, you are doing what you are meant to do. Love every minute of it and let the whole world know it.


4. Form a committee in your organization to send hand-written notes to audience members, from you, to thank them for coming to the concert.


5. Put surprise tickets on the bottom of seats and lucky audience members will get to come to a reception after the concert to meet members of the orchestra or company, or group.


6.  Put the audience on the stage once in a while. It is a more intimate setting, you can charge appropriately for the less availability with seating, but don’t gouge. Use this as an opportunity to let the audience know that you want to know them up close and personal.


For the Solo performer:


1. Talk to your audience. Forget about the old day of walk out on stage and play. Speak to the audience, acknowledge them, thank them, and engage them. I’ll write more about this in future posts.


2. Play a video before the concert that helps the audience put context around the performance that is about to happen. How did you prepare for it, what does it mean to you, why are you glad you have an audience. Tell them how you feel and why you love to do what you do.


3. Do away with program notes and have a live person announce each new event in the performance, or you can do it yourself.


4. If your audience is small enough, take questions and answer them honestly.


5. Receive your fans graciously after every performance, no matter how many (or few) of them there may be.




This list is as long as your imagination wants it to be. But rest assured, every action you take to bring your audience closer to you and the wonderful artistic work that you do, the bricks will begin to crumble into invisible dust.


Until next time,