Trying to figure out how to put on a concert or grade level performance can be a daunting task. There are SO many moving pieces. It can be hard to keep it all straight.
But don’t worry! Over my years of teaching, I’ve put on MANY shows of various types – musicals, chorus concerts and grade level performances. And I have compiled all my wisdom into this blog post to help music teachers like you feel a bit more prepared.
Planning Ahead of the Concert
When planning a performance, I always like to start with the big picture. When will the concert be? What else is already on the school calendar? Will there be a conflict? Will there be enough weeks to rehearse?
I always recommend at least 6 weeks of rehearsals prior to the show. But it will depend on how often you see your students and how complicated the show and the music are. Six rehearsals would be for a very basic show with memorized songs. You could maybe get away with less if they get to look at song sheets. For something like a full musical with dancing, songs and acting, you will definitely need more time than that.
Not sure how long you will need? Try planning backwards. Look at all the sections of the song you need to teach. Don’t forget to schedule time for memorizing, sing with a performance track (no singers on it), and adding dance moves if applicable.
Plus, I recommend having two to three rehearsals that are simply refining your finished product, getting on and off risers, etc. Now count backwards and see how many rehearsals you will need.
Planning Your Concert Performance Space
Most schools I’ve been at only have one main performance space. But don’t forget to consider other options – such as performing outside or even in a hallway or staircase (depending on your size, the event and the layout of your building).
But MOST of my performances take place on our stage. It is the area with the risers, sound system and, well, the stage!
Clear the Stage
Your stage may be performing double duty. Does after school care use the stage? Or is it being used as a storage area? Make sure you can have the stage area clean and clear for your show. It’s not just for aesthetics. It is a safety concern.
Communicate With Groups That Use the Space
Make sure you reach out to after school care, the gym teacher, or whomever else might use that space. Let them know when you will need to be in there for rehearsals so they have plenty of heads to find a new area during that time.
Maybe even have your admin get involved if needed to help find adequate spaces for other groups to use when you are rehearsing.
Put in The Requests for Using the Space
Every school is different. But odds are that you may need to put in at least one type of request for the night of the performance or rehearsals in order for everything to run smoothly.
These might include:
- Form for reserving the performance spot
- Requests that the A/C or heat be left on after hours in the building for the event
- Requests for janitorial staff for set up for the show
- Submitting set design plans to Risk Management for approval
Again, I cannot possibly know how your school runs. But your secretary should be a good guide on any forms that might need to be filled out prior to the performance.
Have a Staging Area
Don’t forget to think about where students will meet prior to the show, before going to the stage. In many cases, the music room makes a great meeting spot. For very large groups (such as grade level performances) you might have to look at larger spaces or splitting into two staging rooms.
Where To Find Music for Your Concert
If you are looking for music for a chorus or grade level performance, some of my favorite places to find age-appropriate music are JW Pepper and Music K8.
- Music K8 is great for finding cute songs on specific topics (peace, kindness, friendship, Veteran’s Day, etc). Their songs and recording tracks are very simple and easily accessible for rehearsal and performance.
- JW Pepper is my favorite place to get fun new pop songs or songs from popular new movies. They are also an excellent spot to look for more serious vocal works for your more advanced choruses.
If you are looking to do a show with speaking parts and music, you could create your own. I have seen lots of programs based off children’s literature, like the folk tale of The Stonecutter.
Or if you are looking for a read-to-go musical, JW Pepper can be a good resource.
How To Select Appropriate Repertoire for Your Chorus
When picking music, it is critical to find repertoire that is fun and challenging for your students without being above their ability level.
For less experienced groups, I recommend sticking to unison pieces. Also check the range to make sure it doesn’t go too high. Songs that stay pretty diatonic are generally a safe bet as well.
Once you have a group that can handle unison, you might try adding rounds or partner songs. And finally, for your more advanced groups, you could get into true, two-part harmony.
How to Organize Auditions
Do you plan to do a show where students have to audition for specific parts? Auditions can be a MASSIVE headache if they aren’t well planned out. So here are some things to consider.
Give Kids the Heads Up
Let kids know ahead of time when auditions are going to be and what will be expected of them. I like to create a specific form that shows students exactly what to do for the audition and what thinks I will be looking for as I pick for each role.
Keep Auditions Short
Only make the audition song or speaking part as long as you NEED to get a good sense of their ability. This will help you get through auditions easily – especially if you have a lot of students trying out.
Have a Rubric
To keep things as objective as possible, I create a simple rubric for scoring auditions. For speaking roles I might be looking at:
- Volume
- Expressiveness
- Correctly Memorized Lines
For singing roles I might be looking for:
- Correct notes
- Correct tempo (stays with accompaniment)
- Confidence level
Again, this is just very basic, but allows me (or other judges) to sort through the students a little more effectively. Which brings me to my next point …
Get Help
Do NOT try to do auditions by yourself for a large production! There are times, when I had judges I could trust, that I actually didn’t do ANY of the scores. I just picked the roles afterwards. It allowed me to help expedite auditions and helped show that I wasn’t playing favorites, since I didn’t even score them.
Have a Backup Plan
When picking the roles, make sure to have an understudy for each part. You never know when your leading star might get sick and you don’t want to let it make or break the whole show.
And while I’m on the topic, it isn’t a bad plan to have an understudy for the other lead role – YOUR role. I know there have been years where I lost sleep worrying I might be sick for the show. Having someone who could step in, or training your kids to be able to perform without you waving your arms around can help give you a back up plan should you be sick. The show must go on!
Group Rehearsals
For some concerts, your groups may have been practicing together during every rehearsal. For others (I’m thinking of grade level performances), you might only get one full rehearsal before the show where everyone gets to rehearse together.
If your concert falls into the later group, then you might have to figure out where and when you are going to have joint rehearsals.
- Can the entire grade level come during their specials time?
- Do you need to have a special practice before or after school?
- Make the rehearsal would take place during a planning period.
Whatever the case, you will have to figure out what works for everyone’s schedule. And don’t forget to look at other things that might be affected, like the lunch schedule, for example.
Parent Communication
Ah, parent communication. So first, realize that there will always be one student or parent who “never got any information about the event.” This is simply the life of a music teacher. But, with that said, make sure to send out multiple communications via email, messaging systems, and hard copy paper handouts.
For grade level events, you can even have the teachers add the info to their weekly newsletters. Give a copy of the info to the front office staff for any parents calling with questions while you are in class.
And speaking of parents, let’s talk about …
Use Parent Volunteers to Get Ready for the Concert
Do not be a rock. Do not be an island. There is no medal for staying until the building closes every day doing everything yourself. (And even if there was, I don’t want it!)
There are tons of parents out there that have awesome talents and would LOVE to help out. Give them that opportunity. I used to feel like I was inconveniencing parents by asking for help. Now I AM a parent and I realize that parents WANT to help.
You might look for parent volunteers for:
- Making costumes
- Building the set
- Supervising students before the show
- Creating concert programs
- Handing out concert programs
- Operating the music
- Any other thing you can think of that needs doing
Keep make signing up to volunteer as simple as possible by using a website like Signup Genius.
The Sound System
Test It Out Beforehand
The sound syste can make or break your performance, so make sure to give it some of your attention before the show.
Test it out. Make sure everything is working, and if you are new, that you know how to work it. Have backup batteries for microphones ready to go. And don’t forget to test out the music levels during your first rehearsal with all students.
Have the Music Ready
Make sure you know the format you will be using for music during the show. Some musicals still have the tracks on a CD, but that is starting to feel a little old school and will probably only become more so after this posts!
Many companies are switching to digital downloads. So you will need to see what type of inputs your sounds system will allow. Will you be tapping into computer audio or an iPad? Make sure all the music files are organized and stored in an easily accessible place, like an iTunes playlist or on a Google Drive.
Props
Let’s just take a moment to talk about props. Props used to give me the biggest headache. Then, I was in a musical performance of Hairspray and saw what a stage manager was doing with props, and it changed my life.
The stage manager had a table and it was covered with masking tape boxes labeled with each prop’s name. When the actor was done using the prop, they simply put exactly where it goes, all labeled and ready to go for next time.
It took “a place for everything and everything in its place” to a new level. But it was freaking effective!
What To Do The Night of the Show
When it is the night of the show, kids will be showing up excited and a little nervous. Untapped, this energy will turn into loud talking and other chaos.
I like to focus and harness this energy. My formula for pre-concert looks something like this:
- Some gentle warmups that they are familiar with
- Maybe sing one song, or a section of it
- Do a quick mental run through of the order of the show and key moments to remember
- Head to the stage!
- Go with the flow – once the performance has started, just go with the flow and have fun!
After the Concert
After the show, your tasks are almost done! But there are a couple important things to consider.
At schools where my custodians had to do quite a bit of heavy lifting to get things ready, I made sure to bring them a thank treat the next day, like donuts or something. If there were any other staff who were big helpers for the show, I would do the same for them.
If you still have one more choir practice date after the show, it can be a good time for a watch party. Students can watch the performance and then you can lead a discussion reflecting on how the show went.
Now, there is just one more person that you need to recognize at the end of a concert cycle, and that’s YOU! All the craziness of putting on a concert can be really overwhelming. Take some time to relax after putting on a concert. Get a massage. Binge watch your favorite show that weekend. Maybe even take a mental health day. But find a way to treat yourself for a job well done.
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3 Responses
Great blog most helpful covering everything needed to put together a concert or school production. Thanks
Dee
Thanks, Dee! I tried to cover everything I could think of. There is so much to think about!