Creating an audience

Nothing feels more rewarding for a musician than to play in front of a packed house of eager listeners. Creating an audience is an important aspect of leading a music program that can sometimes be overlooked. Most school ensembles have the support of their families built into the audience. When I was in high school band and chorus, my parents and grandparents were always in attendance. The harder group of people to market to are the peers of the student performers.

Some ways to draw in this group of people is to have a reception after the event. When I host my piano recitals in the winter and spring my students love to get the chance to meet and greet with the other performers and eat cupcakes. This reward after their hard work helps motivate them for the recital and it also gives the other audience members something to look forward to.

Another strategy for boosting audience turn out is to have concerts on Friday evenings instead of weekday nights. People are usually busy with other obligations during the week, so having the concert on a Friday or Saturday would make the performance more accessible to a greater amount of people.

One of the best ways to build an audience is to play popular repertoire and advertise it. The high school band from Thunder Soul built a huge audience by playing funk instead of standard jazz. Most people today aren’t interested in classical music or the great repertoire that we musicians value. Making a program of popular songs with some classical repertoire slipped in is a good way to draw an audience and expose them to great music.

Building a strong supportive audience for your music program is vital for the performers’ self esteem and motivation. If students know that they will be playing in front of a crowd, they will practice more. This non-musical aspect of running an ensemble is one of the keys to creating a successful music program.