Advice upcoming gig

[accordionstu]

Hi Folks, I have agreed to perform in February at a secure hospital which is close to where I live. The patients are being treated for severe mental health issues and some will probably never leave the place as long as they live. I agreed to do it because I thought about the individuals cooped up with nothing but daytime TV to entertain them and a friend who works there mentioned that will be starting a season of musical evenings where performers can entertain the patients, so I thought, why not?

I don't usually perform on my own to an audience and now the date is getting closer I am struggling to put together a programme for the evening. I am on for 60 minutes and will play various flutes and whistles and maybe a harmonica but trying to structure the event and keep it flowing/ interesting isn't as easy as I thought.

Should I talk about each set of tunes before I play them, is telling the odd joke a bad idea?
Any tips would be greatfully appreciated.

[Nanohedron]

Have you ever performed in public before?

[accordionstu]

Yes Nano, hundreds of times, wth bands, playing marches and in sessions and hundreds of vids of me playing o Youtube to a camera but never solo to an invited audience. It might sound trivial to some, I never thought anything of it when I agreed to do it but as mentioned earlier I am unsure how to structure the sets, and whether to waffle on a bit about about the instruments, hstorical info, cultural differences ( I play ITM and also Ulster Scots music) etc.

Don't get me wrong I have played various repertoires in front of friends and family at home etc but they cant go anywhere, have to wait for me to finish and enjoy it, but they know what to expect. These poor peope don't know what to expect.

[Nanohedron]

If you know you can get their feet tapping, you're halfway there. Keeping people's interest with solo flute can be a challenge, so you want a stage presence too. I think that's more important than structure, and even more important than the tunes themselves. If you have a lot of tunes you can just go with your gut on what to do next, but don't limit your approach to just playing tunes and leaving it at that. You will be in an intimate setting, so treat it that way, remembering that you are their guest. If a tune has any kind of interesting or funny story to go with it, I would definitely use that in introducing the tune. If you have an amusing story or two about yourself as relates to the music, tell it. Basically, an audience wants to be entertained, so do that. But above all, stay relaxed, friendly, and be yourself. You're there for them.

A friend of mine, a veteran entertainer, once said, "Never educate the audience," meaning don't drone on with dry academic detail about a tune, musical style, or instrument; that's a sure way to lose them and derail yourself from the business of entertaining them. Some such detail in brief might occasionally be fine, but it's a gamble, so don't go there if you can't get a chuckle out of it. If there's an overarching principle here, I would say it's to keep it light.

That'll be an interesting venue, for sure. You'll have to tell us how it went.

[trill]

Very nice of you to offer an evening of music !

I'd suggest including some tunes that are likely to be familiar to them. People love it when they recognize a tune.

I've performed in several nursing homes. I've seen a wide range of responses. Some are inert. Some clap along. Some want to chat afterward, and tell their own stories.

Yes, please let us know how it goes !

trill

[Tunborough]

I've told stories in a convalescent hospital, and my daughter was in a group that performed music at an extended care facility. I agree with trill's comments. Keep in mind that the music you play isn't necessarily what audience members hear inside their heads. Don't be surprised if someone mistakes you for, say, Bing Crosby. Take it as a compliment. At the same time, don't fret if you get no response at all ... it doesn't mean they aren't listening and enjoying what you're doing.

I wouldn't worry too much about sticking to a structured program. Sounds like you have plenty of repertoire; by all means add in some commentary or change up your tunes as you feel comfortable. If you feel comfortable (or at least make a convincing show of it), that will help them feel comfortable.

[ytliek]

I'm probably one of the least experienced people to be making any kind of comment here, but, here goes:

Some observations,
I'm a whistler with a Trad group that plays various gigs at hospitals, assisted living facilities, convalescent care homes, senior centers, veterans hospital/homes, and such like. Our group can vary in size to accommodate the venue/budget. We often donate our time but not always. We play our playlist for the time allotted which is usually an hour or so. Some people interact and clap along or feet tapping, some people just listen, while other people may have tune/song requests. Still others may care less if we play or not, but, like the company. If we, or someone in our group knows the tune/song they play it. We feel out the audience reaction throughout the gig. Short question and answer responses always take place. Seniors always have a quick joke. We enjoy playing and the audiences enjoy listening too. For some individuals at these gigs the entertainment provided is the only visitors from the outside world. Facility staff members often comment how uplifting the music is for the audience members and they talk about the gig for days. Sometimes we even get personal thank you notes.

There are a few cautions that I have learned, that the whistles and high pitched instruments can effect "hearing-aids" and such so we usually mention to staff members to try and seat people further away, or closer, from band as necessary. Also, due to privacy concerns photographing individuals can be restricted, thus I usually take photo from rear. Sometimes individuals request to be photographed and we accommodate that on a situational basis.

We (I) have a lot of fun at these venues and we do repeat schedules with several facilities throughout the year. We play at schools too but that is a different story.



So do not fret so much as just enjoy the experience as it may be quite gratifying for you... and the audience.

[benhall.1]

I'm going to go back to basics for my answer - sorry if this is too bleedin' obvious! Plus, these are, of course, just my own suggestions, based on what I would do ...

1) Consider your audience. Size, type of people, age, etc. I've actually done this and had a great experience, largely because, to my surprise (stupid of me, btw, but there ya go) many in the group were really, really intelligent and interested in anything that would stimulate their minds. (I learnt afterwards that one particularly intelligent, apparently fully rational fella of about 35 years of age was, in fact, a violent psychopath.)
2) Based on my experience, I'd definitely put lots of chat in and, if possible, get feedback as well. They're probably going to be grateful for the opportunity to interact with someone new. (Or at least some will.) If it were me, I'd certainly talk about the instruments. Apart from anything else, if it's just you, solo, that's got to of interest to anyone, I would think. Well, it would be to me.
3) Change it up. Prepare loads of variety, and about 50% or so more material than you need, so you can change what you play based on reactions. But still, provide variety.


I wouldn't mind betting that, overall, the key thing will be to engage with your audience, and get them to become part of the event. (I don't mean by them playing, but interacting.) I'd be wary of telling jokes. To me, there just seems too much risk of them being misinterpreted. Better to keep things direct, I think, with less possibility of ambiguity.

BTW, I think it's great that you're doing this. I hope you get as much out of it as I did. I should do it again ...

[accordionstu]

Thanks for the replies so far, much of what has been suggested is useful stuff.

I doubt I'll be able to take photos as many of the patients are violent offenders but I will ask and update this post if anyone is interested. Many Thanks again for your advice, it's exactly what I wanted.

[Nanohedron]

1) Consider your audience. Size, type of people, age, etc.

Absolutely.

2) Based on my experience, I'd definitely put lots of chat in and, if possible, get feedback as well. They're probably going to be grateful for the opportunity to interact with someone new. (Or at least some will.) If it were me, I'd certainly talk about the instruments. Apart from anything else, if it's just you, solo, that's got to of interest to anyone, I would think. Well, it would be to me.

I agree with Ben on this. If the venue lends itself to chat and feedback and interest is shown in your instruments, then by all means honor that and talk about it. This stands in opposition to what what my entertainer friend said, but I never fully agreed with that because there are always exceptions according to time and place. Let the audience be your guide.

I wouldn't mind betting that, overall, the key thing will be to engage with your audience, and get them to become part of the event. (I don't mean by them playing, but interacting.) I'd be wary of telling jokes. To me, there just seems too much risk of them being misinterpreted. Better to keep things direct, I think, with less possibility of ambiguity.

Yep. And fair enough about the jokes (although I draw a perhaps unnecessary distinction between jokes and humorous stories). I admit I had a twinge of misgiving when I wrote broadly what I did earlier; one must go by one's audience first. For example, telling a story that involves drinking would obviously be a poor choice when playing for an AA group. When playing for victims of violence, the story of the blind O'Carolan beating up another harper would be a bad idea. I would avoid either when performing for a group such as accordionstu's, just in case.

When in doubt, it's better to keep things direct as Ben said.

[cboody]

Seems to me a bit of conversation with the folks operating the facility is in order. Violent folks might have triggers that various kinds of music, or perhaps comments might trigger. The professionals should be able to advise about that. Beyond that I think the advice here is good. Vary things, talk (particularly if you can get responses), avoid the very shrill whistles for extended periods, and be relaxed.

[An Draighean]

I have played a fair amount in nursing homes and dementia/memory care facilities. As it happens, I also have some experience counseling convicts and ex-convicts, both in and out of correctional facilities. One thing I can tell you, is that almost everybody appreciates being treated like a normal person and a human being, even if they are not normal. Even if they know they are not. In other words, just talk to them as you would anyone else who was not in their situation. If stage patter is a part of your normal gigs/performances, then do it there too. If not, then no reason to do anything special or different for these folks. The large majority will sense and appreciate your sincerity and your treating them as equals in the scope of your entertainment - the shared humanity of music and all that.

[Brus]

A friend of mine, a veteran entertainer, once said, "Never educate the audience," meaning don't drone on with dry academic detail about a tune, musical style, or instrument; that's a sure way to lose them and derail yourself from the business of entertaining them.

Alas. Some of us (like me) would prefer more of this.

[Nanohedron]

A friend of mine, a veteran entertainer, once said, "Never educate the audience," meaning don't drone on with dry academic detail about a tune, musical style, or instrument; that's a sure way to lose them and derail yourself from the business of entertaining them.

Alas. Some of us (like me) would prefer more of this.

If you're longing for the finer details, I totally get that. As a Trad geek myself, I live, breathe, and frankly wallow in the minutiae. But in most performance venues such as bars or festivals, the majority audience will not be people like me. They are deserving of at least some mercy. If I want minutiae, it's better that I should go to seminars and the like where unbridled geekery is not only expected, it is the order of the day. There, the nongeek is a fish out of water and can fend for himself.

[Brus]

A friend of mine, a veteran entertainer, once said, "Never educate the audience," meaning don't drone on with dry academic detail about a tune, musical style, or instrument; that's a sure way to lose them and derail yourself from the business of entertaining them.

Alas. Some of us (like me) would prefer more of this.

If you're longing for the finer details, I totally get that. As a Trad geek myself, I live, breathe, and frankly wallow in the minutiae. But in most performance venues such as bars or festivals, the majority audience will not be people like me. They are deserving of at least some mercy. If I want minutiae, it's better that I should go to seminars and the like where unbridled geekery is not only expected, it is the order of the day. There, the nongeek is a fish out of water and can fend for himself.

Yeah, I like the minutiae, as you call it. I really think festivals are better for this than bars. There are enough geeks at festivals, especially at the smaller stages featuring the trad-est performers, to make this worthwhile.

At least in the northeast USA, where all the festivals I've been to are.