Performing Outside the Box: Advocating for Music Education Through Performance

There is much to be said for the quality performances your ensembles present using your school’s auditorium or performance space. Those are places where you and your students are comfortable, have all of your equipment right where you expect and need it, and have control over lighting, sound reinforcements, acoustics and the audience.

Performing outside of your “safe space” can offer you and your groups some real positive experiences in terms of audience interaction, teamwork within the group, acknowledgement beyond your school community, and opportunities to expand or test your repertoire. Even though some of these suggestions may be inappropriate or impossible in your school community, they might spark an idea that will work.

Dress rehearsals at another school: Having your ensembles perform for students in the lower grades in your school district provides not only an opportunity for your students to ‘run the program’ before their big concert, but generates interest and enthusiasm for the music program for the students you will need in the future. Just before each major concert, take your group to one of your elementary or middle schools to perform in a school assembly. They will love the opportunity to have you there, and your students will enjoy a day-trip during school where they get to perform for their neighbors and siblings. If one of your major concerts is a Pops Concert, present that to the youngest students in your district and include some instrument demonstrations into their program. And if the elementary schools do not have the space, invite them all to your space and have the youngest sit on choral risers in your pit to be right close to the action. An in-district field trip during the school day is always a positive for elementary teachers as well.

Warm up the Bandstand: Most communities have a bandstand in the park or central location, hopefully used by a community band during the summer. Use that space to present a concert at the end of the school year to get folks thinking about that summer series of concerts and to remind your students that they can play all summer with that group as well.

Bring back some memories: Taking an ensemble or two on a school day tour of local nursing homes provides some of the best opportunities for audience interaction. And programming medleys of musicals or older movies, big band charts from the 40s, TV themes from the 60s, or just a good orchestra excerpt will allow your audience to truly connect to the music and to your students. And, if possible, provide an opportunity for the students and the residents to chat afterwards (the home will likely supply the cookies and milk). And if you can, inquire beforehand if there are any musicians among the residents who still play. A jazz band rendition of In The Mood that included a trombone playing resident (who played the entire chart from memory) is still being recalled by the students who were there 20 years ago.

Ring the Bell: Your local Salvation Army works hard to gather donations at Christmas time to fund their community support. Having members of your band and chorus join them ringing the bell at one of their kettles, performing holiday favorites for the crowd, can increase those donations. Using the Christmas Song books readily available, you can open that up to any parent or sibling who might want to join in the music fun. What better way to spend Black Friday during Thanksgiving break, than at the town mall playing Jingle Bells for all to hear.

Move the Music: While marching band is offered in just about every high school in the country, others have found ways to bring their music to an audience that is not seated in front of them. Some examples are playing for lakeshore camps while on a flotilla of pontoon boats that cruise from location to location (this is used as fundraiser for the band); playing a short performance at one location and then simply walking to another close by, setting up again and performing for those there; doing a concert in a campground, but having your drumline and brass walk through the campsites playing an upbeat piece to encourage folks to walk with them as they lead them back to the performance site; putting a smaller ensemble on the back of a flatbed truck and performing through a neighborhood. Don’t just limit your music performances to where you can march along a parade route or in front of rows of audience chairs. Put it on feet, wheels or water to get it where others will enjoy it.

Go to the Audience: Keep an eye out in the local paper for events that might be enhanced by a performance by one of your groups. Art festivals, farmers’ markets, grand openings, dedications, etc. all draw crowds of people and the organizers rarely think to include music, much less ask the school’s music program to participate. Monthly meetings of community members (Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Kiwanis) might enjoy a music presentation on their next agenda. Any opportunity to share music with members of your community will reap rewards at some point, rewards that often are unknown until they become possible.

Think Smaller: The logistics in moving large ensembles make being portable and spontaneous even more difficult. So consider having smaller ensembles grow out of your large groups such as a jazz combo, brass, woodwind or percussion ensemble, Barbershop quartets (or Sweet Adelines), or just a subset of your current group (all those who auditioned for your All State or regional festival for example). Those groups can be called upon to perform in smaller spaces, have shorter programs, be prepared sooner, and not require buses and trucks to move them from place to place. And look for students who might perform solos or duets or the like as well as students who play other instruments (piano, guitar, etc.) to find ways to share music with others. Every student musician who performs representing your school advocates for your program whether or not they perform that instrument within your program.

Think Bigger: You can increase the interest in your program by also taking what you have and going bigger. Move your final concert of the year out of your school building and into a local performance space where people other than your students’ parents will be aware of the performance. Consider combining your school groups into one district-wide concert that includes all levels of your musical ensembles from elementary to high school. Inspire those younger students (and their parents) by showing them what is possible if they continue in music throughout school.

Think Beyond: And take that one more step in that district- wide concert by doing a piece where you have all of the chorus students in one group singing together and one piece where all of the instrumentalists perform together. Even doing smaller subsets of that idea in rehearsal can inspire students; bring your middle school band into your high school band rehearsal and have them seated by instrument. Rehearse a middle school piece so the middle schoolers can hear what is possible with all those parts covered well and then rehearse a high school piece so they can see where they are headed. You will be surprised at what improvement that causes in both groups.

There are ideas not discussed here and ideas here that are not practical or possible. The hope is that you will consider doing more than just a Christmas and Spring concert each year. Music education continues to be the only teaching profession that requires (yes, requires) the professionals involved to actively advocate for their program and their students. Ensuring that music is an equal part of every student’s education is paramount to each generation being able to think, share, communicate, collaborate, and be successful in shaping our world for the better. Music is the universal language. Make sure it is spoken well and often in your community.