Planning Party Music. Just Ask the Right Questions.

Thanks in advance for reading this article. I appreciate your interest and hope you get a few good ideas. I'd love to hear what you liked. Please write me a little COMMENT below. Start a conversation. Tell me what you think, and I'll reply. Promise.
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Planning party music?  Wedding music? Not the easiest job.

But it’s close.  Just ask yourself the right questions, and the answers will appear.  More in a moment.

I find planning ANYTHING seems to work the same way.  First, you need a vision of what you want.  That’s easy enough, especially if you’re like this fellow.  From what I recall, his kindergarten ambitions way back in East Rockaway focused on cookies and milk, naps, and getting a red crayon during coloring book time.

Not too many years later he was playing trumpet in a zany outfit called the “South Happiness Street Society Skiffle Band”.  Photo taken in Toronto at the Mariposa Folk Festival, 1969.  From today’s perspective, that fellow’s ambitions weren’t much further developed, just more complex, and with more at stake.

Who could have predicted that six years later I’d be in California, making a living entertaining at elegant celebrations? I love saying “Everything counts”, whenever I look for the “dots” to “connect”, but I confess my journey through life appears at first glance to have followed a haphazard path.

Well I’m sure I had SOME notions of what I hoped the future would bring, but I doubt that I arrived here according to some grand plan.  Who could have planned all THIS?

But I exaggerate.  Gradually, all along the way, I learned to assess my situation, set an ambition, ask the important questions, and assemble the answers into a plan of action.

So, back to planning party music.

I’ve been helping people plan music for their weddings and parties since 1975.  By now the procedure is simple and straightforward.  Just like trying to solve almost ANY problem, I find that asking the right questions is 90% of the solution.  Then assembling the answers is just “taking care of the details”.

If you’ve never planned music for a significant event before, the job can appear daunting, but trust me, it needn’t be.  The most important first step is Clarify Your Vision.

So, at last, what are the right questions? I encourage people to keep it simple and answer just a few questions.   All the details will follow.  Here are typical questions I could ask:

• What mood do you want for the event?  And is it one mood for the entire time, or several moods at different times?  For example, a garden party, a wedding ceremony, a cocktail party, and a dinner party, followed by a dance party.
• What favorites do you or your guests have?  Songs?  Musicians?  Composers?  Singers?  Musical styles?  Would you like me to recommend more examples in any of these favorite categories?
• Do you wish to select every song to be played, or just a few for significant moments?
• Will you need to address personal preferences?  Will other people need to be involved in planning the music?
• Finally, a few simple practical issues:  Is there enough room for the musicians?  Do we need electricity for amplification?  Do we have time to find or learn new music?

That’s it.  Can you suggest another good question to include?  Please tell me.

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Thanks for reading this article. I appreciate your interest and hope you get a few good ideas here. Got one or two? I'd love to hear what you liked. Please write me a little COMMENT below. Start a conversation -- I'll reply. Promise.

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Meanwhile, the Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are ever nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood.

How can I help you? Call 408-245-9120 or use Robbie@MagnoliaJazz.com. Planning a celebration? Ask about our availability.

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