Willson & McKee

Description

Hosting a musical concert right in your own living room is an excellent way to connect with great music and friends today. Doing a house concert is not a complicated thing but there are a few guidelines to make your life easier and to help you create a wonderful event. A house concert is quite simply a live music performance in someone's home. You invite your friends over to watch a live show. Each of your friends gives a small donation for the privilege. You then get live music in your home and your friends get a personalized and intimate performance to hear great music. House concerts are a vital part of the folk music scene throughout the United States. A recent book was published about this relatively new phenomenon called House Concerts: A Guide For Musicians And Hosts. Actually House Concerts are as old as folk music itself, for this is the way ‘folk’ made music long before record deals, stage lighting and reserved tickets! Hosting a house concert is rewarding and fairly easy to do. Plus, we will help you every step of the way. Who knows you may like it and turn into one of those people who host house concerts regularly! #1 The Setup An average concert will have an audience of 20-50 people and a home needs to be ready to accommodate them. To fit that many people into a home, move regular house furniture to the sides of the living room and, hopefully, do the same in a connecting dining room, kitchen or parlor. Then, bring in more seating. Often, a host can borrow extra seating from a local church or call on neighbors to loan folding chairs or ask guests to bring lawn chairs or pillows for the floor, whatever suits your space and your guests. • Set the chairs up in rows, just like a regular concert, leaving room for the musician at the head of the “stage” in the living room or parlor. • Be sure the audience will be able to see the musician, as this is an important part of House Concerts. • When setting up an outdoor House Concert, a host can choose to either provide chairs for the audience or ask them to bring their own. #2 The Donation Jar Typically, House Concert hosts will put out a jar or several jars marked with a suggested donation amount in the range of $8-20. A host should let attendees know ahead of time they will be asking for a suggested donation amount and all the proceeds will be going directly to the artist. This is important: All donation monies should be handed to the artist. Remember, they performed for free and paid for gas to get there. Plus, this avoids any sticky tax situations. #3 The Goodies A House Concert is often a pot-luck experience. A host can invite guests to bring a snack to share and a beverage to sip and set up a space out-of-the-way for goodies. Most House Concerts will allow alcohol but this is an individual choice. We don't mind either way. #4 Get the word out Remember, a hosts goal is to have at least 20 people show up for the concert and ideally closer to 30 or 40+ people. So, they need to get the word out about the amazing opportunity they're offering. Start with e-mail. Send out an e-mail buzz to live music-loving friends telling them about the show and the artist.

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