When I was a student, the picture on the right described me quite often, and I would like to help you not ever be in this situation. By the end of this season, I would like for each of you to have 3 short pieces “in your back pocket” that you can play reliably and on-demand in any situation. We will do one piece per term. Here we go:
- Let’s pretend that your best friend invited you to their family reunion. They want you there in case there’s nobody interesting to talk to, or in case they need an accomplice to sneak out.
- You show up about one hour after the party started, because you were coming straight from rehearsal, so, you have your instrument on you.
- You go in, people notice your instrument and they DEMAND that you play something for them. They start chanting your name. You look around and find your best friend all the way across the room. They shrug and mouth the words “I’m sorry..”
- So, you’re stuck and you HAVE to play. You have no sheet music.
- As you reluctantly and awkwardly take your instrument out of its case, you look around to room to get a sense of your audience. Among the multi-racial, multi-generational guests, you see: 4 young kids running around (elementary school age), several middle-age relatives, and 3 older guests (grandparents, perhaps?).
- WHAT DO YOU PLAY? You have 1 minute to play something by memory that will definitely be a crowd pleaser. It can be anything from any genre, as long as you can make it work on your instrument. And even if not everybody knows what you’re playing, they can enjoy it in some way.
So, start thinking about this. Find ONE piece that you can play by ear or memorize. It should be about one minute long. Starting in October, I will pull 3 names randomly each rehearsal, and you will get to play your “back pocket” piece for all of us. Nerves and all. You’ll thank me in a few years 😊