Hi there!

If you're new to the forums, you may have seen references to forum events like concerts, playdays and studio recordings and wondered what they are. The quick answer is that they are a brilliant way for forum members to meet each other and get experience performing, knowing that there are lots of forum friends there to support you. This thread is intended to throw some light on the different types of event and how they work.

The events are very informal - they're just where like-minded people get together to share music-making, enjoy a pleasant day, make new friends, and come away with more performance confidence. And if anyone wants to play a new composition of their own, or practise conducting skills, a forum event is a great environment in which to do that.

So if you haven't yet been to a forum event, do come along and join in. You don't have to be an expert player - many of us are not much more than beginners, but if you want to make some new friends and to share music-making, everybody will try and help you overcome any nerves you might have about performing in front of other people.

Nobody would deny that the thought of playing in public for the first time can be daunting, but there ARE things you can do to make it easier for yourself - go to this post for some tips. And for proof of how useful these events are in building up performance confidence for exams, have a look at this post!


Each of the following links will take you to the relevant post giving detailed information about each type of event:

- Forum Users Concerts
- Adult Learners Concerts
- Playdays
- Players for Pleasure events
- Other Events


To see what events are coming up during 2009, go to the Forum Event Calendar 2009.

And if you want to see what took place during 2007 and 2008, go to the Forum Event Calendar 2007 and Forum Event Calendar 2008 respectively.

FORUM USERS CONCERTS

Forum users concerts are open to members of all ages, and are a particularly good way for adults to get experience playing in public - the "public" generally being other forum members together with their friends and families, so it is a very supportive environment in which to perform. The idea behind forum concerts is that adults very rarely get the opportunity to play in public, so when we come to take an exam, we're often badly affected by nerves and either don't do as well as we should, or we even stop taking exams altogether.

Solos/ensembles

At a forum user concert, you have the opportunity to play a solo or in an ensemble. If you play a solo, you select whatever music you want to play, and rehearse it well in advance of the concert so that on the day, you aim to perform to the best of your ability, whether that's at Grade 1 standard or Grade 8. Having said that, if you make mistakes, everybody understands because we've all been there. The main thing is that you've conquered the nerves and done it, even if what you did wasn't perfect.

If you would like to play in an ensemble at a concert, you would either ask on the relevant thread, or PM a few other members, or ask the organiser if s/he knows of an ensemble that you could slot into.

Typical format

The format of a concert is that we generally spend the morning rehearsing and socialising (it's normally very relaxed and informal) and then the concert usually starts in the early afternoon and lasts for around 3 hours. Each "act", whether solo or ensemble, typically lasts around 3-4 minutes, although it will vary with each concert. If you need an accompanist, you would either ask another forum member yourself, or the organiser may know someone.

Younger members

Organisers usually set a minimum age for performing a solo at forum users concerts , in order to give priority to adults who don't get as many opportunities to perform. However, younger members may be able to play in an ensemble if there's room. Everyone under the age of 18 has to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Applying to play

At some point prior to the concert, a link to an application form is posted on the thread, and you would complete the form - stating what piece you would like to play and/or what ensemble you will be playing in . You would then send the form back to the organiser with the performance fee. The performance fee typically covers costs such as the hire of the venue etc, and friends and family also normally pay a small amount to attend the concert. The performance fee is typically around £10-£15, and if there are any monies left over when all the expenses have been accounted for, the excess is normally donated to a charity of the organiser's choice.

Allocation of slots

There is normally a high demand for slots, and nobody is guaranteed the opportunity to perform until the organiser has allocated the spaces. Returning the form and the fee by the stated deadline is very important as spaces would not normally be allocated to any individual who had not done this. And slots for ensembles would not be allocated unless ALL the members of the ensemble had returned their form and fee.

If the concert is over-subscribed, organisers have to limit the allocation of slots - often this is done on a first-come-first-served basis, but each organiser will have their own way of allocating slots if necessary.


Photos of some previous Forum Users Concerts

Anglesey, March 08: go to this post and scroll down.

Woodford Green, Sept 07: photos are in this link and this link.

Leicester, April 07: go to this post and this post and click the links

Chester, Jan 07: start here and scroll for the next two pages.



For future events throughout 2009, go to the Forum Event Calendar 2009.

ADULT LEARNERS CONCERTS

Adult Learners Concerts are similar to Forum Users Concerts but with a few variations:

- Adult Learner concerts are primarily aimed at those who started or restarted learning music as adults;
- only adults are allowed to perform, but non-adult learners are welcome to attend as audience members;
- the performances tend to be solos or duets (possibly with piano accompaniment)
- other adult learners may attend, not just forum members
- the audience may be invited to give positive written feedback to each performer - the intention being that the performer finds encouragement in the positive reaction from the audience and gains more confidence from it.

You would apply to play at an Adult Learner Concert in the same way that you would apply for a slot at a Forum Users Concert.


Photos of previous Adult Learners Concerts

Teddington, Feb 2008: click here and scroll down.

Stalybridge, July 2007: click here and scroll down.

Teddington, Feb 2007: click here and scroll down.



For future events throughout 2009, go to the Forum Event Calendar 2009.

PLAYDAYS

Playdays are where forum members, and sometimes other musicians from the community, all play together as an ensemble. Some of the more experienced players kindly bring music for everybody to play, usually in parts so that all levels are catered for. There's no audience and nobody plays a solo. The music is not available in advance of the playday - everybody just sightreads on the day. This is not as scary as it might sound to less experienced players, and I write this as a Grade 2 clarinettist! If you can't quite follow the music, you "fake" it - this was a new concept to me when I first started playing, but everyone does it at first! And it really is a brilliant way of improving your sightreading ability.

The size of the playday ensemble may vary from a small number of forum members only, to a large group incorporating members of local orchestras. A larger orchestra can include bowed strings, brass, percussion, orchestral woodwind and saxophones, and generally cater for players of grade 2 upwards. A smaller ensemble of mainly forum members may also be able to accommodate recorders and other non-orchestral instruments, and players below grade 2 may be able to join in.


Photos of previous playdays

Small ensembles:

Feb 07, Market Harborough
Jan 07, Market Harborough


Large orchestra:

Nov 08, Eccles, incorporating members of Lowry Strings and Abney Orchestra



Forthcoming playdays

For future events throughout 2009, go to the Forum Event Calendar 2009.

PLAYERS FOR PLEASURE EVENTS

Many forum members attend Players for Pleasure events - recent events include performing to visitors at Dunster Castle, a National Trust property in Somerset; playing in an ensemble day; and performing at a "friends and family" concert in Leeds.

Forum friends new and old are very welcome to attend Players for Pleasure events, which are organised by myself, skylark. If you have a look at the Players for Pleasure web site, you will find more information and if you have any other queries, do PM me.

The next event is an informal concert in Leeds on Saturday 30 May 2009. All levels of player are welcome, from beginners to advanced. There is the opportunity to play one or two solo pieces, in a duet or small ensemble, and in a few large ensembles. The forum thread giving details is at this link: Leeds "Players for Player" concert, 30/5/09

This will be the fourth informal concert in Leeds which forum members have attended and it looks set to be another fun and friendly day. Maybe this will be your chance to perform for the first time in public? If so, you'll find it a very supportive environment, where the audience will just be fellow performers, together with any friends and family who would like to come


Photographs of the Players for Pleasure concert held in January 09 are at this link:

Leeds, Jan 09

OTHER EVENTS....


The Forum Event Calendar highlights various other types of event which forum members are welcome to perform at - previous events have included a bandstand gig, a recording of a CD, a flute choir and a woodwind day.

The link to the Forum Event Calendar is here:

Forum Event Calendar 2009

and if any forum member would like to join in playing at one of the events, there will either be a link on the calendar to the appropriate thread, or you could PM the organiser.

I think that's all the events covered!

If anybody has got any general queries, this is the place to ask If your query is specific to a particular event, though, please would you post on the relevant thread to make sure that the organiser sees it.


(And if anyone thinks I've missed anything out or that something ought to be changed because it's wrong, do let me know)

A lot of work's gone on that skylark, well done you!

I will post some of my experiences on this thread in due course, there's been quite a lot of great experiences and good times in the year or so I've been on the forum.

Thanks for this, Skylark. Greatly appreciated, and I hope people will feel encouraged to take part in activities

Thanks skylark! May add all of that information to the FAQ

Car Expert

Just re-read it, and would like to make a suggestion for an amendment:Shouldn't it say, "only adults are allowed to perform, but non-adult learners can attend as audience members"?

Suggesting that because I went to last year's Egham concert as an audience member.

Car Expert

Thank you for some very useful information on this thread - and nice picture too.
a xxx

Is this just a post-count boost???

Fair enough.
The support of some of our younger forum members at the Adult learners concerts is appreciated, not only as audience but in the ways they have been willing to help with some of the 'backstage' things that are needed to make the day go well.

Not quite, noooooo

In future if somebody wants to know about a forum users concert, a direct link can be given to Post No 2, or if somebody asks what happens at a playday, a direct link can be given to Post No 4 etc.

Much more sensible than just boosting the post-count - a bit like me really, sensible

* boosts *


Ofc! Good idea!

* boosts again *

Very very sensible!!

If ever there was a testament to forum concerts, it was today at my Grade 3 - there was such a huge difference between today and when I did my Grade 2. When I did G2 last summer, I went completely to pieces with nerves - my hands were both shaking and frozen, and although I don't understand how they could be both at the same time, I know that they were! Today was nothing like my G2 - there were one or two points where I had a very tiny fleeting tremor, hardly worth noticing, and NOTHING like my G2.

What's happened in the intervening period to bring about this change? All I've done is more playing in public - I joined a learner jazz band and I've played in two concerts with them. I play with a clarinet ensemble, and I've played in a concert with them. And of course forum events - I've played at three playdays at Market Harborough, I played in the studio recording session last weekend at Egham, and I've performed at the Chester forum concert, including a solo.

So if anyone else is seriously affected by nerves in an exam, I can only recommend that you try to do what I've done and what many other forum members have done to overcome nerves, which is more playing in public. I can't deny that it's nerve-racking when you first start off, but you soon get over that and start enjoying yourself.

And re my Grade 3, I hope I've done well enough because I played my pieces as well as I've ever played them in lessons and practice, and I would NEVER have thought that I could do that in an exam situation. So if I haven't passed, it will be because I'm not yet good enough for Grade 3 - NOT because my nerves let me down **

So if you want to make a start on overcoming exam nerves by playing in public more, have a look at the Forum Event Calendar to see what events are coming up, and have a look at the first post in this thread if you want to find out more about forum events generally

And thanks to all those who've organised the events I've been to - Katyjay, barry-clari, Petrat and meerkat, I've really enjoyed them and now it's been proved how useful they are, so many many thanks


** Edit: My G3 result was 127, a high Merit, with two of my pieces at Distinction level, compared with 114 for my G2.

Thanks for such a positive response, Skylark. And well done on both your recent forums performances and also your exam experience.

It's great to hear how people have gained benefit from the Forums events. That's what makes doing them worthwhile

That's fantastic, skylark!

Wow, great to hear that Skylark. All the best for the results

I hope I've done well enough because I played my pieces as well as I've ever played them in lessons and practice

That's fantastic Skylark - sounds as though it went really well. Good for you! and hope the result won't be too long.

Hi Skylark,

I'm glad everything went well in your exam today. Good luck with your result - hope it comes soon.

hillyb

That's great Skylark.

One day it might work for me too.....

Sounds good Skylark. Well done.

Glad it went well skylark - how was the aural?

I agree with you about the confidence that playing at forums events and elsewhere gives you.

About the same as when we did Hofnote the other day!

Thanks for all the good wishes everybody

Pleased to hear your grade 3 went well skylark, and of how the forum events have helped you.

I second everything that's been said!

Well its just a case of waiting for the results Skylark. I'm really glad that people at events have encouraged you to have the self-confidence to feel comfortable in exams.

I very much hope the results will reflect this.

Jo

Good for you skylark! I hope you get some good results! xxxx

Thanks to everybody for your good wishes - I'll let you know when I get the result

If you haven't played a solo in public before and are wondering whether to take the plunge, I would say, yes, go for it - but make it easy for yourself....

- Choose a piece you like playing and would like to share with other people.

- Choose something that you find relatively easy to play, ie a bit below your normal level, so that if you do feel nervous, it's less likely to affect what you're playing.

- Practise well in advance so that you know the piece inside out when you come to perform it. This is really critical to giving yourself performance confidence, and conversely, not knowing the piece inside out is likely to detract from your confidence.

- If possible, bring somebody with you who will act as your "comfort zone" that you can go back to to re-gather your thoughts from time to time - spouse, parents, friends etc. If this isn't possible, and you'll be coming on your own for the first time, a "buddy" scheme is being introduced at the Leeds concert and may be possible at other concerts as well.

- If it's possible to get to a playday prior to playing in a concert, it might help to break the ice about playing in public.

- Be an active contributor to the forums, because the more you contribute, the more you feel as if you're getting to know people and then when you do meet up, you can look forward to meeting "friends" rather than "strange people off the internet"

Still no sign of your results?

No, 'fraid not ... It would have been nice ( ) to get them before Easter, but I knew it would be touch and go if I did so it looks like I'll have to continue being patient ....

Waiting is horrible isn't it!!

Someone told me there was post either tomorrow or Saturday - I forget - so you might be lucky.

Hoping mine'll come back more quickly as it was a special visit but then again it's Easter too which will slow stuff down. I've only waited a day and I'm already impatient - I think it's almost worse that it's my student's result and not mine...............

OK I got the result of my Grade 3 today - I got a Merit, 127

Well done skylark!!!

Congratulations, skylark.

Well done

welldone you deserved the great result

Well done!

Car Expert

Well done!!!!!!!!

Well done, skylark!

Go Skylark

Well done Skylark

Very well done!

W

Excellent!

Cool

Thanks for your support everyone And a special thank you to my teacher

Many congratulations skylark, a fabulous result.