[Dixielandjazz] What music do young people hear?

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

One of the wonderful things about humans is that we want to try new things
and at the same time reject old solutions.  This is why teens rebel and
reject their parent's values at least for awhile.  Young people want to do
their own thing and that applies to music as well.  Kids tend to be very
close minded and even though they all say they want to be their own person
there is a terrific herd mentality.  Again, this applies to music as well.
Kids only want to listen to what the others listen to.  It's like a badge
they wear and it's almost impossible to crack that as you are finding out.

Don't despair some will eventually think for themselves and break away from
the herd as you have done.

If there are no trad bands think about the wonderful opportunity you have.
You didn't say if you played a musical instrument but if not that's no
barrier.  Get the gigs and the musicians will come.  You may have to be a
business person too.

When I was in HS there were lots of opportunities to play professionally.
Not so today.  Having said that I'll bet that there is a bunch of Senior
citizen , apartment buildings, assisted living communities that will pay for
music.  While not much it's pay.  I get $200 - 250 for an hour.  That's
great for two guys but if you had a 5 pc group you could pay $40 and take
home $90 for yourself.  Money talks and the cool kids will listen.  That's
just a suggestion but a lot of the Sr citizen things happen in the summer
when you are off.  All you need is 15-20 tunes that you can play well.  The
old folks will eat up everything you play.  They will love to see the kids
playing "their" music.  The best thing is that you will get a chance to
perfect your craft in a non critical atmosphere.  If somebody screws up
learn to cover, make the best of it and do better next time.

Get your HS drama/choir  coach to do 1940's Radio Hour  Its a play built
around an 18 pc band and OKOM.  It does require some good musicianship
though.  The "cool" musicians will get a chance to see if OKOM is a piece of
cake or not.

For you guys out there who want to promote OKOM start a kids band and book
them into some of the Senior circuit.  The old people will eat it up
especially if they get some 30's or 40's outfits.

Several years ago I was playing at one of the upscale business center plazas
with a Dixie band.  Two kids walked up just out of nowhere dressed in 40's
cloths.  The boy was wearing brown pleated slacks with suspenders, white
long sleeved shirt, a tie and hat.  The girl was wearing a black dress and
had a 40's style hat with white gloves and pearls.  Nothing real elaborate
or costly.  They started swing dancing to our music.  In just a few minutes
we had a crowd of about 200 people watching.  The kids danced for about 20
minutes and left along with the crowd.

People are visually oriented today.  They like to watch more than do.  Give
them something to watch not just someone that stands there playing a horn.
Think show biz.  People like movement and color.  Take a lesson from the
rock groups.  Why do they run around the stage so much thrusting their
guitars and prancing like ponies?  Easy people like to see movement.  You
don't have to do that but you can't just stand their either and be
successful.  Hire a couple of kids to dance.  I'll bet that there are a
couple of kids that would love to do that for you for a $20 bill.

Now you have a show and a place to do it.  What are you waiting for, the
field is open for you there is no competition.

Print this out and put it on your mirror and read it every day until
something happens.
Larry Walton
St. Louis


----- Original Message -----
From: <Tramette89 at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] What music do young people hear?


> In a message dated 5/1/2005 1:44:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> hcmsjo at gmail.com writes:
> The best way to get your friends interested in OKOM  is to lay hands
> on a lot of CD's   (or records if you are equiped to play them) and
> invite your friends over to listen.... and play along with the
> recordings.   In a month or two you will be playing without the
> recordings and you are on your way.
> Well, that's part of the problem. Getting other kids interested. The kids
who
> have talent generally don't want to screw around with this stuff because
they
> think it's uncool, or too easy, or something. I've gone through my CD's
and
> found songs that just excited me the first time I ever heard them, and I
play
> them for the other kids sometimes, but it just goes right over their
heads.
> "Why do you listen to this stuff, why do you want to play this stuff? I
can get
> you some good music, I've got an extra copy of 'Kind of Blue'..."
>
> It's a bit of a hassle because everyone's minds are closed enough as it
is,
> what with rock and rap and all that junk. It's almost a miracle if a kid
wants
> to listen to any sort of jazz, these days. I suppose it all boils down to
> pressure in the end. Peer pressure makes them want to avoid jazz in the
first
> place, and pressure from adults makes them only listen to the newer stuff.
The
> fact that there are virtually NO trad bands in the state doesn't help
things
> much. (I think a lot of kids have problems relating to a scratchy old
record, but
> hearing it live sorta opens things up for them. Of course, the fact that
most
> of the musicians are older isn't much of a selling point for them...the
other
> kids in band enjoy ribbing me about that!)
>
> -Lily Korte
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