Group Performances

Jerryc41

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Our group occasionally performs for seniors and community events. We're trying to polish and improve our public performances, and we're looking for ideas.

Group members are submitting suggestions, but I'm sure that some of you perform regularly. I'd appreciate any ideas you could offer for things like selection of songs, maintaining lists of performance songs, starting/ending the songs, placement of players, clothing - basically anything that could help us to present a better show.

We typically have a dozen or fewer people playing at a performance.
 
I think that stage presence is as important as what you are playing and how well you are playing it. It is something hard to practice though. I guess that it is almost on the job training. Maybe going through your playlist for the people in your group that are not involved would be a friendly audience to practice on. But I think that music is just one aspect of the whole performance. You are not going to connect with the audience with music alone. At the least, everyone should be aware that the audience is watching them as well as listening. Body language is important. Standing there stiffly playing songs results in a stiff performance. If you look like you're having fun, likely the audience will too.
 
My group, The CC Strummers, perform for senior groups, Alzheimers care facilities and children's hospital gigs all the time. Our leader, Cali Rose, is a seasoned performer and her great quality is stage presence. That for sure is an important element of performing, to be able to engage the audience with talk, introducing us, acknowledging the audience and just having fun.

She also picks a few songs with which the audience can participate, and specifically asks them to, like "Hokey Pokey," and songs that relate to certain groups, like "La Bamba" and "Hava Nagila."

Have one of your members with the most outgoing personality take the reins on stage. We're very lucky to have her as our leader.


9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 8 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 33)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video
 
Our large group tried matching logo t-shirts and that quickly became a bad idea. We then went with Hawaiian theme shirts, but most of our songs are 50's to 90's, so while ok, it is also not great as it kind of limits things imho.

I am also with a small music club at school, and we just went with wearing anything, and that works the best. We just played a nursing home as part of the MLK Day of Giving. We put the lyrics up on the wall with a projector and everyone sang along. Let It Be was a favorite.
 
While not specifically ukulele group related, any band needs someone who leads it. You can rotate it for different songs, but someone has to make sure everyone starts and stops at the right time.

Arrangements are also important so you don’t just have mass strumming of the same chord. Ideally people have different parts that can be incorporated throughout a song... some “lead” type fingerpicking, a baritone or at least a low g tenor; adding a bass would really help break up the monotonous sonic tones of everyone strumming at the same time.

John
 
Pick not only an orchestral leader, but also one (or two) MCs who do the in between talking, and prepare those talks. Not than the others can't introduce songs anymore, but you rely on her/him/those two for making sure the announcements fall in place.

Uniforms aren't always flattering and can be expensive. Asking members to dress up a little, and use a matching colour is easier: shirts and flatcaps, or black basics with a yellow scarf, or all different hawaiian shirts. If someone always takes the lead singing, they can stand out dress-wise.

The classic scene set-up is UOGB: one row of seats and music stands. It's not wrong by any means, but a bit of movement always catches the interest: adding a game of musical chairs (one seat short), having members enter and leave before or during songs, have someone stand up and walk around from time to time.

Personally, I like a bit of comedy in music. Some people are naturals when it comes to facial comedy, timing, but you can prepare bits where one member keeps shuffling the music sheets during songs, or keeps anticipating a solo that never comes (but that she/he eventually almost misses)... If you're out of ideas, any theatrical director can help you. Audience interaction is another great thing which makes performances an experience rather than a listening session: have people shout out the last bit of a chorus, correct the wrong lyrics, count how many times the wind actually blows, sing the oooh-wah backing vocals parts.

Intros are highly recommended, they help to get the strumming bits tighter. Arranging is also a good thing: use some G and D tuned ukuleles, have some play inversions or backbeats, have another play the riffs and the riffs only...
 
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Pick not only an orchestral leader, but also one (or two) MCs who do the in between talking, and prepare those talks. Not than the others can't introduce songs anymore, but you rely on her/him/those two for making sure the announcements fall in place.

Uniforms aren't alwasy flattering and can be expensive. Asking member to dress up a little, and use a matching colour is easier: shirts and flatcaps, or black basics with a yellow scarf, or all different hawaiian shirts. If someone Always takes the lead singing, they can stand out dress-wise.

The classic scene set-up is UOGB: one row of seats and music stands. It's not wrong by any means, but a bit of movement always catches the interest, by adding a game of musical chairs (one seat short), having members enter and leave before or during songs, have someone stand up and walk around from time to time.

Personally, I like a bit of comedy in music. Some people are naturals when it comes to facial comedy, timing, but you can prepare bits where one member keeps shuffling the music sheets during songs, or keeps anticipating a solo that never comes (but that she/he eventually almost misses)... If you're out of ideas, any theatrical director can help you. Audience interaction is another great thing which makes performances an experience rather than a listening session: have people shout out the last bit of a chorus, correct the wrong lyrics, count how many times the wind actually blows, sing the oooh-wah backing vocals parts.

Intros are highly recommended, they help to get the strumming bits tight. Arranging is also a good thing: use some G and D tuned ukuleles, have some play inversions or backbeats, have another play the riffs and the riffs only...

Thanks! Great ideas.
 
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