Well I was all ready for a little working road trip with a couple of gigs north of here. Today was a school assembly in Oregon City and tomorrow is a half day at a school in Estacada, which is in the same general area east of Portland. I arranged with a Portland friend to spend the night so I wouldn't have to drive up and back twice. I left the house this morning at 6am, since it was an 8:30 am school assembly two hours from here.
Guitar check, amp check, accordion check, percussion instruments check, guitar stand check, suitcase, uh suitcase, suitcase? God dammit, I left my suitcase back at the house so there goes the change of clothes, toothbrush etc. I guess that kind of thing can happen when you leave before dawn, and it was no big deal actually, as I had considered just going up and back anyway. There's something to be said for being in my own space, sleeping in my bed, getting to a zumba class for a good work out, so that's what will happen, plan B, and I'm fine with it.
The gig itself was very excellent, 350 kids from kindergarten through grade 6, and I had them with me from start to finish. I do have all kinds of ways to keep a group focused, and I used a lot of them. For starters, as soon as I'm introduced and get some applause, I thank the audience and then say, 'hey, let's try that again, but this time, if I lift my hands high, applaud loudly, and if I lower them get quieter', whereupon I do a little conducting and give them the immediate idea that something different is going on, and they need to pay attention. It's also a cheap laugh, and God knows, I'll use one of those 10 times out of 10.
I start with an up-tempo song called 'A Way in This World' and by the end they are clapping along. I noticed a male teacher in the back of the room who was clapping on 2 and 4 (the offbeats), and I asked all the kids to clap like that. Turns out he was the music teacher, so it was a great reinforcement of him as someone who understands music and who can be learned from. It gives a little style to the clapping along.... gospel feel, baby...
Right after that song, I said, 'Si entiendes lo que digo, levanta la mano' (If you understand what I'm saying, raise your hand). Twenty kids and a few teachers raised their hands, and a bunch of the other kids said, 'What?' 'Huh'? I repeated it, and the same people raised their hands. It's just a little way to identify how many Spanish speakers are in the audience, and also to throw a little reverse monkey wrench into the mix. A lot of times it's the Latino kids who might not understand what's being said, so I think it's interesting to reverse it and have them be the ones 'in the know'. It's also an intro to the song 'Be Safe Sea Seguro', which is a PBS (Positive Behavior Support) theme song I wrote for these types of gigs.
What makes the song work is that I teach the signs for safe, respectful and responsible, and the whole school can follow along by using the signs during the chorus. It's a nice mellow anthem, and it works on a lot of levels. It's good to see a gymnasium full of children signing and singing the same thing. There's also a spot in that song where I can get some kids or teachers to do a little spoken word about different ways to be safe or respectful or responsible. I forgot to do that this time around, but I covered that section easily. This is the one song in which I use the CD's backing tracks, so I can just stand up at the microphone without an instrument and lead the signs and the vocals. Nice response today.
Next I tell a story about the time that I didn't show respect, when I was helping the old lady move to a different apartment. It's the 'Syd story' about how I came to own the antique accordion that I use, and it's been a staple of my act for many years now. It serves a bunch of purposes. For one, it totally changes the pace of the show and introduces new elements (story-telling and the accordion). I like to use the whole room when I tell the story, so I'll walk up the aisle into the center of the group so I can get close to the kids in the back and so I can 'break the 4th wall' and connect with the audience. And the bit ends with me learning how to play the accordion and having everyone clap along. And finally I tell how when Syd died, I renamed the accordion Syd so I'll never forget her and the greatest gift I ever received.
After that, I return to the mic and sing the song 'Everybody Gets to Have a Chance' which has a strong 'call and response' section that gets them raising their voices. It's a good strong song, and the message is right. 'Doesn't even matter if you're short or tall, young or old, big or small. Each of us is different but there's room for all, when everybody gets to have a chance'. I will often use humor to get them to sing out. If they're too quiet, I'll stop and say, 'wait a second, I didn't sing like this.... and then I'll practically whisper... It's just some good-natured give and take which children understand instinctively. By the end of the song, they were rocking...
Following that song, I tell a bullying story about 'one of the older boys' who is a great basketball player because he's so aggressive. He can defend and rebound and he's the first one chosen in the game. But the trouble is that when it's time to line up after recess, Keenan is still aggressive and he'll push his way into line, or knock somebody down etc. He keeps getting in trouble for it, and then he doesn't get invited to his friend's birthday party because the friend thinks he might be too rough with the other kids. Eventually Keenan learns the lesson of 'Use your power for good' which is the theme and theme song of the story. It works, the kids are totally rapt and attentive.
For the finale, I'll ask the kids 'Would you rather have a slow, boring song or a Rock and Roll song? Of course they yell out Rock and Roll!. I invite 8 or 9 teachers up to the front to be my band, and I hand out some percussion to them. I get them playing along and ready to stop when I say the number 4. I sing the song 'Shine a Light' which is about as easy as a song can be. 'Everything we say, everything we do, shine a light on me, shine a light on you'. And it turns into a clap along, jump along high-energy closing number. If the group is under control, I'll get them up and moving, but then they have to freeze when I say the number 4. I've developed these performance chops over a bunch of years, and everything continues to work well. It's a good feeling to sing all original material and have it be received and enjoyed and appreciated. What a great gig I have!
