Making The Music Happen
Making the Music Happen:
Producing concerts and workshops for your favorite folk musicians, and expanding to music festivals.
by
Cathy Britell
Seattle WA
When you hear about a wonderful concert or workshop by a folk or acoustic musician, do you wish you could have heard it or taken part, or think about how nice it would be if these things took place in your community? And when you listen to a great recording, do you think, “I’d sure like to meet that person and hear that music in person,” and hope that performer comes to your town some day?
Well, having those things happen is quite possible…not a far-fetched idea at all. As a matter of fact, if you want to enable musicians you enjoy hearing to keep improving their art and craft, to continue making new recordings, and to share their music with others, wishing isn’t enough. Your are the one who can and must make the music happen. Most folk musicians can’t simply decide they’re going to play a concert or do a workshop in YOUR TOWN, rent a hall, send out advertisements, find a place to stay, drive there, and invest all the time and effort it takes to actually play in a concert, plus set up the chairs, do the sound, take the tickets, sell the product, count up the money, and sweep the floor afterwards. And the folks you love to hear play the traditional or folk music don’t have the kind of commercial attraction that allows them to pay a professional concert producer to do all these things. The music we love is folk music, and we are the “folk” who need to make this music happen.
The thought of producing even a small house concert can be a little daunting for most people. But once you do little planning and get some experience with concert production you’ll find it not only doable but also very rewarding. . The easiest way to get started is to get involved with a local organization that puts on concerts, such as a Folklore Society or other music sponsoring group. That way, you’ll be able first to volunteer at some concerts to see “how it’s done”, and learn about what goes into “making the music happen”. These groups also provide a publicity and planning structure that will make things a great deal easier. But, lacking that, you can still produce concerts and workshops in a very fun and rewarding way.
Here’s some information on Producing Concerts, Hosting Workshops, and Organizing Music Festivals that I hope will be helpful!