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What Should I Wear for a Performance?

Question

I feel that I should be allowed to express myself any way that I see fit for a performance. I do not think the conductor should have the final say. What is the right way to go?

Answer

Many musicians and groups wonder what is best to wear for a performance.  So many of us think that it does not matter, nor should it.  We believe that the sounds we make should be enough to satisfy the audience. After all we have spent years and years perfecting our craft.  Why should what we wear and how we look matter?

I believe that first and foremost you must consider your audience by remembering what you are doing up there, and that is performing.  Oh yes, the music quality matters.  It is indeed number one, though it is not the whole picture.  People are at your concert to be entertained and they will not just hear you, they will also see you.  In fact, they will be staring at you the entire time they are at your concert.  You physically are part of the show.

Most successful groups establish a look for the performers if it is a group.  Lean into the look.  Slight variation is often acceptable, though it is important that that variation be minimal and agreed upon.  What you wear, hair, makeup, shoes, all matter.  Just look at the Beatles when they first launched.  Their hair had a snappy new look, their suits all matched, their tunes were fresh and easy to sing along to, if not their best music, which came later.  They were the heart throbs of many young girls around the world.  Their look made a huge difference.

If you are part of a new group work with the team to establish a look.  If you are joining an established group such as a band or orchestra, follow the leader’s instructions.   Longstanding groups will already have their look determined.  I recommend just going with the formula the group uses.  Once you are a seasoned member, it could be time to suggest a change.

If you are starting a group you have a wonderful opportunity to create the look and feel of the group.  It will factor into your success, so do give it due diligence.

When is a Musical Piece too Hard to Perform?

Question

When is it a good idea to reach to perform something difficult, versus being safe with a piece you have played many times before?  My group wants to try some new music, though we do not have time to perfect it before performing.

Answer

Reaching to perform a difficult piece has a time and place.  We all know as young performers how we yearned to play the flashy pieces that we heard professionals play.  We would practice them in our practice space repeatedly, not making the grade but trying non the less.

Playing a piece at a performance for a paying audience should be practiced, practiced, practiced, and rehearsed.  That is individually and as a group.  The time for a difficult piece that may or may not be your best sound is when it is family only or a school event where most of the audience is comprised of proud parents. 

The reason you hold off on challenging pieces when you have a paying audience, is because you want to build your audience base, not decrease it.  It takes so much effort to build a following that there really is not too much room for error.  People expect excellence regardless of the piece.  They are at your concert to be entertained and can spend their time and dollars elsewhere.  If you do not produce, you will not build a loyal base. 

What you need to be doing is selecting music that you can perform well every time and figuring out how to do it even better.  Once you have a base you can once and for a while perform something difficult, as a small part of your program.  That would be only after you have adequately perfected the piece.