[This article was written by Maryann Harman, award-winning Children’s artist and founder of Music with Mar., Inc.]
You chose to be a children’s artist. Probably because you like kids. You’ve sung for small groups, and that was fun. Then you were asked to do a concert. You thought, “No problem. I’ve got this.”
When you get there, you start noticing things you didn’t think of. The first one is that concerts are different than singing to a group of kids at a party or in a school setting. Other things are:
1. Parents letting their kids run around;
2. Children trying to climb on stage;
3. Older children who will clearly get bored, and that leads to disruption;
4. Parents engaged in other activities (ie texting, conversation); and
5. The way the room is set up isn’t going to work!!
Ah!!!!!
As someone who has been through this, I’d like to offer some advice.
First of all, be sure to outline to the person hiring you what age audience your show is good for. If you do multiple age groups, suggest two shows – one for 3 – 5 yr olds; one for 6 – 9/10 yr olds. They can choose if they want one show or two. Make them a special price for having two shows with a half hour break in between. (In a previous blog, I talked about playing to different ages and what their attention spans are.)
Before the show starts, give the parents some direction. Let them know what you expect from them. Do it in a playful manner. I love how Mr. Billy tells all parents to take out their cell phones, check into his show, …read more
Source:: DIY Musician Blog