Everybody knows that planning the perfect music for your event can be stressful whether you are looking for unique entertainment or simply background moods. You may be booking for either wedding music, corporate event music or are having a special commission being performed and yet the anxious feeling still remains the same. In an ideal world you want to be complimented about your booking decision by your peers but when you are relying on other people to be on time, be professional and provide the goods it can make you on edge until after the event.
So here is some tips to help you get your day right!
What type of music do I need?
Firstly you need to decide what you are wanting to achieve with the music. Is it simply background music or is it a performance you require? If you think your guests are going to want to chat and not need to shout, you need to choose background music. A featured performance can be an excellent way to signify the event is moving into a new phase e.g. speeches or a lecture, or it can signify the end of your event.
Daytime Music
Now you know what the role of the music is going to be, now you need to consider who is attending your event and what music they may appreciate! Sometimes an event will have just the older generation, and some at a wedding for example, may be very mixed. So how do you cater for everyone? Well lets consider time of day first. If you have a morning or afternoon event then a full on musical assault may be not what people expected! Light classical entertainment is recommended. Consider instruments such as harp, string quartet or piano. If you want light entertainment that suits ages across the board and people are sure to remember and talk about after the day then you need to think slightly more ‘out of the box’. More unusual instruments such as the vibraphone can be an excellent choice as it has a beautiful sound which is not too loud and is capable of ‘wowing’ people. I encountered such an experience at a corporate event when I saw ‘Emma Welsby’ playing the vibraphone. She was accompanying people as they were entering a corporate event run by PIANC (The World Association For Waterborne Transport Infrastructure). The sound floated around the room and was a beautiful background sound to listen to. I took one of her cds home with me and subsequently visited her website on www.emmawelsby.co.uk which led me onto her www.youtube.com/emmawelsbymusic channel and I was captivated by what she could offer. She can even DJ great music in the evening whilst playing percussion! It is unusual finding a musician who is savvy with using modern technology to sell herself, hence why it can be so difficult to find these unusual gems.
Evening Music
Now your daytime event is over you need some music to kick start your party! This is where it can get tricky as you may have a multitude of age ranges to please. If you are on a budget then a DJ may suit who can play music right through from the 1950′s up to present day. If you want to do this with class this is where you really need to be careful. Choose a DJ website with a touch of class and one that is going to be flexible with the evenings playlist. Specify songs from each era you would like to hear and ask to have music played along the same lines of those songs. This will filter out any tacky songs you dread to hear! You also need to specify if you want the DJ to talk through the night, if you do then you need to say how much, when, what you want the content to be so you don’t get someone who loves the sound of their loud voice ruining the vibe of your room. I would highly recommend spending a bit of money here as you pay for what you get.
A decent band if you can afford it is well worthing paying for! You need to find a band which has a good online presence such as a myspace profile, youtube video, website and even a soundcloud profile. You have to be careful with demo CDs as modern music technology is so good now that it can make the worst band sound capable of pulling it off live. Ask if you can speak to previous customers who have booked them to get a real testimonial from a real customer and if you can get to see them live even better. Some bands are quite busy and won’t have any public gigs, in that case ask to go and see them in a rehearsal room. If your fronting up a lot of cash and they won’t bend over backwards to help, they really are not worth booking.
The Conclusion!
The bottom line with booking any musician is you need someone to be 100% reliable with equipment in good working order and be in good time for the performance. That person needs to be approachable, friendly and have a reputation they want to keep. If your gut feeling is starting to play up, listen to it!