The local kids’ music folks gathered again to do a workshop, song swap and showcase/concert at the Springfield Free Library near Plymouth Meeting, PA. David Perry is our local CMN coordinator and he herds a bunch of us kids musicians for this annual meetup.
Tammy Keorkunian, a regional kids/parents facilitator did the morning workshop on her sessions with young kids along with their parents, a great way to reinforce the power of music for the young (and the family). She talked about the 3 C’s (Connection, Caring & Consistency). I think I freaked her out when she asked everyone to say what we wanted out of the session. I said that I wanted to steal all of her ideas, market them and become a rich and famous children’s star. Her eyes really lit up (she didn’t know me from Adam) and I quickly added that I was there for “the Sparks of Creativity”, which was closer to the truth. The other folks, thankfully, knew me and chuckled. It was a good workshop and we all pulled in some good ideas. Tammy finished with a nice, handy meditation that was good. She also works with scarves, too. Simpatico.
The song swap went well, where everyone gets to do one song, and it’s a good way for all of us get to see each other’s educational style and personality, but I always take in their performance chops. I can’t help it.
The showcase/concert started at 2:30 as families filled up the library’s open room. David put me in the middle of the list, saying that I could re-energize the show at that point. That was a nice nod from a fellow professional. We all got two songs (8 minutes?) and it was interesting to see my fellow artists work in front of a live family audience. I have great respect for those of us who do it for a living.
I did my power set of Tutti Tah and Giants.
Tutti Tah always sets a great tone, especially by getting everyone (including dads) up and physical. I find moments in the routine to point out the dad who isn’t taking ownership of it. Today, I pointed to one dad, and addressed him, “Sir. You’re not doing it.” He smiled and I caught him and his wife/young mother exchanging a chuckle. These are the payoff moments in mid-stream.
I did Giants sans Thunder Tubes today, thinking that I should be quick and nimble with the time restraints. It worked well and I was off stage in time.
I stuck around for everyone’s set, joined in when asked and had a chance to connect with my friends. I got to thank them for there set, and find ways to compliment them on their work. The feedback that I got that I appreciated was that I don’t play down the kids and that I treat them like people, not just kids. Bang. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do and I’m glad that they get to see it in action.
I really do go about this from a performance point of view.
I sold a set of my CD’s to one of the performers, but none to the full house of families. There ya go.