Preparing for a high school musical concert seems pretty straight forward. You have already planned the perfect set of music, your students are well rehearsed and ready to go, and you even managed to set up the stage during your prep period. Everything seems ready to go, but there are a few ideas that may help turn your normal everyday high school musical into a huge hit with your audience.
Never be afraid to try something new at least once. Any high school musical concert from the concert band to a full blown Broadway style show can always be improved, and the best improvements are those that leave the audience talking about them for years to come. Try these simple yet effective ideas to bring a little flash into your next music performance.
Mood Lighting:
Not all schools are blessed to have an auditorium to perform in. Especially in the elementary schools, a gymnasium is usually the only place your musicians can perform for an audience. Instead of leaving all the lights on in the gym, move your performing group to one end of the floor and turn off all the gym lights in the seating area, thus spotlighting your performers. You may also consider programming a special effects piece into your concert that takes advantage of whatever lighting effects you may be able to use. A personal favorite is Daniel Buckvich's “Electricity” for concert band. The audience and the students get a real kick out of something as simple as playing in the dark.
Special Events and Giveaways:
Once a year go through your high school's attic or your music booster's fund raising closet and dig out everything that is close to expiration, obsolete, or no longer used and put it in a box. Get permission to hold a raffle (check with your local laws on this one) or simply to a free door prize drawing during the intermission of your concert. You'll be surprised at how giving away an old “one-of-a-kind” license plate frame or a broken, cracked cymbal can get some laughs. Bill it up as a legitimate giveaway and write your script to take advantage of the kitchiness of the priceless artifacts that you are disposing of.
Decorations:
Even the simplest of decorations can really make a good high school music concert seem great. A little greenery thrown around the stage during the holiday concert or Christmas lights lining the edge of the conductors podium are great little touches to set the feel for the concert. Depending on the music being performed you can do other things as well. Imagine a Gershwin music concert with a custom made chandelier overhead. You can make such a chandelier by simply using a heavy duty hula hoop and long lengths of Christmas lights radiating out like spokes and attaching to the basketball hoops in the gym. Add a little thin white gossamer fabric to dissipate the light a bit and you have an instant ballroom atmosphere.
Never be afraid to think outside the box when planning your next high school musical concert. The whole point of a concert is to entertain and to remove the audience from their normal routine for a few hours. Sprucing things up a bit can dramatically change the way your audience views and enjoys your high school musical performance.