Online Music Concert – Join The Band
What: 1st Join The Band Online Music Concert REVIEW
When: August 16, 2020
Where: YouTube: Subscribe to the Join The Band channel!
http://www.youtube.com/c/JoinTheBand
8/24/2020
Uploading and Downloading
You did it!
The online concert was a blast! Over the course of the day, we had over 650 viewers on YouTube for three sets of music! As of this writing, there have been over 800 views since concert day.
Although we did not have to physically load and unload equipment from our trucks, we did engage in different forms of loading. The uploading and downloading of tracks to students, teachers and parents. We also reviewed and edited many hours’ worth of performances. It was quite a process, but in the end a gratifying process.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
We have a great team of teachers at Join The Band. Not only do we have some of the best teachers, we now have a team of audio and video editors. Without their skills, I would not be writing this review.
We carefully reviewed every video submission, asked for “2 more takes” when necessary, and made audio edits where needed to sync all of your tracks together.
After having the first concert set completely rendered and uploaded to YouTube, the publishers of one of the Beatles songs decided it would be a good idea to BLOCK the entire video. Arghhhh! We were forced to remove the song from the concert lineup. Which meant re-editing, re-rendering, re-uploading, re-downloading and re-uploading again. What is bizarre about this whole thing is that we have the EXACT same band video as a stand alone video on YouTube, and it is not blocked. Go figure that one out…
THE PROCESS:
I think I can safely say that no other program has accomplished what all of you accomplished. All together (students, parents, and teachers), we produced over 50 music video performances from our Band Members. Wow! This is really an accomplishment.
In this process, students discovered that recording is a skill, and that it places you and your playing under a microscope. As a result, I know many of you discovered more about your playing than you would have without having been in lockdown.
Recording exposes both your strengths and weaknesses. There are no stages, no lights, no audience or other distractions. Recording music tracks is all “ears” and the “tape” doesn’t lie. Musicians need to be totally focused on what they are doing in the present “now” moment. Are you really playing along with the track, or are you just floating around without any sense of time?
LISTEN AND LEARN:
Try this. The next time you listen to, or play music by yourself or with friends, close your eyes and truly listen to the music. No Peeking! Whether a recorded or live music experience, you will be surprised how closing your eyes brings all the focus to your ears. Closing your eyes is a great way to enhance your listening skills. With your eyes closed, feel the pulse of the rhythm, listen to how loud and soft the instruments are in the mix.
BACK TO THE PROCESS:
Throughout this process many of you improved in ways you may not have had we been proceeding as “normal.”
And that’s the point. Though the current situation has been challenging for everyone, we learned how to continue on and play music. Yes, you did that! We learned how to still meet with our friends and continued being creative and learning new skills/techniques. We learned…it’s not the situation we are in as much as it is how we make the best of what we are presented with.
Was it different? Yes. Was it normal? No. But, given where we are right now I would argue that yes, now it is normal. Was this the best we could do? That’s not an easy question. Yes, it was the best we could do given our talents in the current moment. But no, looking back, this will not be the best we could do when we inevitably compare it to how much better we will be as we continue to learn and grow from this experience.
BABY STEPS:
Everything learned well is learned in Baby Steps. If you broad jump yourself through life and learning, you will miss the nuance, the detail, the inquisitive questions that turn the “just okays” into the “THAT’S FANTASTIC,” and the “I think I got this” into “I TOTALLY GOT THIS!.” And this baby-steps approach to learning always leads to, “What’s next?”
So…What’s next…..?
We kook forward to creating more music with all of you!
See you at the next Online Music Concert!
John Mizenko
Join The Band
Play Music – Make Friends – Have A Blast!
If you liked this article you may like these:
100th Concert: JTB 100th Concert Review
Join The Band Online Vocal Choir: JTB Online Choir
Online Lessons at Join The Band: Online Lessons at Join The Band
Band Classes at Join The Band: Band Classes at Join The Band
