Listening Parties: Music Discussion Series

Listening Parties: leading a music discussion series • Michael V. Farley Bethlehem Public Library Delmar, NY • [email protected] • NYLA conference, Lake Placid 2015 Why have a discussion group about music? • Is it all that unusual?? • Promotes your CD collection. • It might bring new people into the library. What is it??? What do you do??? • We listen to music. • Then we talk about it. • It’s up to you to provide any thematic continuity, historical context, and the music you actually listen to. • Attendees are not expected to do any preparation (but some of them might!). • Don’t make assumptions about attendees’ musical background. What kind of music should I program? • Who is your audience? • What kind of music is popular in your service area? • Pick an artist, an album, genre, a time period, or an instrument. • What are you passionate about? Be enthusiastic about what you present; you will have to explain it to colleagues and patrons. Preliminaries • Give it a catchy name: “Listening Parties.” • Buy CDs for the collection. • Do you need a title for the book collection? • Are there any related DVDs? • Can you borrow anything from another library? Preparation • Create a playlist. • The time you would spend reading for a book discussion you will put in listening to music. • Have enough music (about 45 mins?), but be prepared to drop some tracks in favor of longer discussions. • Do research on the artist, but remember you are facilitating discussion, not teaching a class. You don’t have to be an expert! I Need Information Fast! • Wikipedia - for overview of the “facts.” • Allmusic.com – for recommended albums or songs. • Spotify (desktop) – to listen to almost anything. Plan Your Equipment Setup • The Music: is it on original CDs / CDRs / laptop / iPod? • The Sound System: Boombox, Sounddock, powered speakers? • Are you going to use your own system or the library’s? • Is the library’s system always available? • Does the equipment work? What does it sound like in the room? What Didn’t Work. What Did. 2010 September Beatles - The White Album 4 October Jimi Hendrix –Axis Bold As Love 2 November Miles Davis 10 December Steely Dan - Aja 1 2011 January Bowie - Station to Station 0 February Police - Zenyatta Mondatta 0 March Beach Boys - Pet Sounds 1 April Thelonious Monk 6 2012 January Charles Mingus 4 February Sun Ra 7 March Chet Baker 12 April Bill Evans 8 May John Coltrane 14 October Pat Metheny 4 November Herbie Hancock 8 December Billy Strayhorn 2 Top Attractions • John Coltrane 14 • MJQ 13 • Thelonious Monk 13 • Chet Baker 12 • Miles Davis 10 • Mose Allison 10 • Dusty Springfield 10 • Jeff Beck 11 • Nat King Cole 9 • Eric Dolphy 9 • Jaco Pastorious 9 • Be the DJ 9 My Format • Welcome any new members, review expectations. • Distribute playlist. • Brief overview of artist, group, etc. Hold some details until later in the discussion, if necessary. • Pass around books, CDs, vinyl. • Play tracks in chronological order. • Encourage discussion after each selection by waiting for a reaction, asking a question, or offering a quick observation. • Watch your time. Use Some Visuals • Show an excerpt from a DVD, or a clip from YouTube. • Create a YouTube channel to collect your clips. • Don’t overdo it! Visuals can distract from the actual music. Don’t forget the women! • Whatever the genre, women have been solo artists, leaders of bands, instrumentalists, composers, etc. Create a relationship with your group • Always bring a list of upcoming discussion dates. • Solicit emails and send group reminders. • Mention the series to members you see in the library and remind them of the upcoming discussion. Who’s in my group? • Age range: 30’s to about 70’s. Male/female equal! • Professional musicians. • Non-musicians with vast knowledge of music. • Casual listeners who enjoy discussion groups. • An established core group. • The one-time drop-in. • The short-stretcher. Shake it up! • Always accept ideas from the group (you don’t have to use them!). • Ask for a volunteer to lead one of the discussions. • Schedule a “Be the DJ” night where everyone is encouraged to bring some favorite music to discuss. • Guess the “mystery artist” (works better for instrumental music). • Play multiple versions of one song to compare. Shake it up some more… • Invite a local musician to play their own recordings and answer questions (be careful with this one!). • Have a live performance, involve the musicians in discussion. • Do a seasonal theme: “Halloween Special: what makes some music ‘scary’ ?” • “Listener’s Choice” – have the group pick from one of several ideas you’re willing to work on. Closing Observations • How often do you want to do the discussion? • Expect low turnout after breaks. Program a “big name” artist or theme after a break to stir interest. • Make clear in publicity it is not a concert! • Publish the series as a bookmark. • Publicize the whole series in your newsletter. • Send notices to local music blogs and calendars. What’s Next • Jan 21 Antônio Carlos Jobim Primary creator of bossa nova. • Feb 18 Dorothy Ashby Jazz harpist and composer. • Mar 17 1967 Amazing music from the “Summer of Love.” • Apr 21 Jim Hall This cool and subtle post-bop guitarist has inspired countless followers. • May 19 Shirley Horn Distinctive singer/pianist. • June 16 Be the DJ Bring a recording to share, any genre! Thank you and good night! • [email protected] INTERVIEW IN LIBRARY JOURNAL: • Music for the Masses: Music Clubs, Part 1 By Matthew Moyer on March 6, 2013 • Music for the Masses: Music Clubs, Part 2 April 16, 2013 .

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