Klarinet Archive - Posting 001560.txt from 1998/04

From: Grant Green <gdgreen@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Attracting Wind Ensemble Audiences
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 19:20:47 -0400

At 08:15 PM 4/27/98 -0000, a number of people wrote:
>Actually (WARNING: Heresy follows!), I DO think you should "dumb down" the
>program a little. I know musicians like to play new, serious band
>literature. but audiences like to hear things they know and understand:
>show-tune medleys, novelties, etc. So add a little, without subtracting
>the good stuff, and it might help.
>
>Of course, even more important than that is publicity. Get in tight with
>the newspaper. Our group used to have a member who worked on the paper and
>we got front-page coverage in the Life or Entertainment sections before
>concerts. After he died, the coverage dropped, and so did our audience!

I enjoy band music, and always have, but until a few years ago hadn't been
to a band concert (other than my kids' performances) for over a decade.
The thing that finally overcame my inertia was a concert by the San Jose
Wind Symphony featuring the Nuclear Whales Saxophone orchestra (a saxophone
sextet). I went mainly to hear the 'Whales, and ended up joining the SJWS.

Thinking back, I think there were two main reasons for my not attending
band concerts prior to that event. First, I never saw ads for concerts in
time to make plans to attend. I still only hear about SJWS concerts (and
the occasional concert notice by email): every now and then I'll notice a
small blurb in the newspaper entertainment section - typically a fairly
non-descript mention of the time and place.

Second is image. For those of us who don't play in a good band/wind
ensemble, the preconception associated with bands may be that bands don't
play as well as orchestras. I played in bands and orchestras throughout
school and college. If you ask me to remember what the music sounded like,
I find that I remember the orchestras as playing flawlessly (they certainly
didn't, but that's the first image that comes to mind), whereas I remember
the bands more for intonation and balance problems [and this is *not* how I
think of my present ensemble :-) ]. I suspect that many people are unaware
that there are community (and college, and HS) bands that are fully as
competent and musical as any community (or college, or HS) orchestra.

What I think would help the most would be: (a) more publicity, and (b) a TV
appearance or two. If anyone managed to get their band on Live at Lincoln
Center, or *some* cultured broadcast (i.e., hopefully not Jerry Springer),
it would help bands across the country, as people suddenly realized that
band concerts are not solely penance for forcing one's kids to practice an
instrument.

Grant

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Grant D. Green gdgreen@-----.com
www.contrabass.com Just filling in on sarrusophone
Contrabass email list: list@-----.com
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