After years of training and hard work, you’ve decided you’re ready to hit the stage alone for the first time. Brilliant! But where do you start with organising it?

It’s always a good idea to do your first concert as a fundraiser, because you will be sure to attract an audience whether they’re there to suppport you or the good cause. I did my first solo recital for the youth charity Spun Out (http://www.spunout.ie) shortly after becoming a fan, and an audience of over 80 turned out, made up of well-meaning charity supporters and friends and family from the locality.

So first you need to make a list of what you need to get started…

• A programme, roughly 40-60 minutes long, that is within your performing ability
• One or two pieces for an encore – I made the mistake of not preparing for this!
• Choose a few dates which will allow you time to prepare – but no solid decisions yet.
• A venue – this can be a local hall, a church, a school, provided it is big enough. Find out if there is a fee and what dates are available.
• Equipment hire – in my case, this was a grand piano. Get a quote, and dates when the supplier is available.
• Contact the charity organisation – discuss ideas and see if they can provide any promotional supplies. Invite a speaker if possible.
• Promotion – now you can decide the date and get to work on posters and tickets. Decide your ticket charge which will go to charity.
• Sponsorship – I got sponsorship from local businesses to cover my costs, which was very successful. List businesses and amount given.
• Programmes – I made these at home. Write some programme notes to show your opinion on the pieces. List your sponsors here.
• Outfit – don’t forget to sort out your formal attire!

It’s really important that you keep careful track of money when you’re organising all this. When you’re selling tickets you’ll be bombarded with €5, €10 and €20 notes. The best way to look after all this is to get yourself a lockable money box, preferably one that’s divided into sections. That way you can distinguish which cash is for the charity organisation and which is for covering you’re expenses. They’re easy to get and will probably come in useful to you again in the future!

It may be useful to have a few words prepared for the end of the concert, to say your “thank-yous” and acknowledge any help you were given. This is where I really got caught out! If it’s possible, find someone to be your MC so you get an introduction etc., and perhaps have some background music to put on during your interval.

Hopefully I haven’t left any vital information out. Do let me know if there’s anything I’ve skimmed over!

St. John the Baptist Church, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare

Often listed among the “downfalls” of being a musician is the fact that you’ll most likely be the one working over the holidays. But holidays to me are the most exciting time for music, especially as I’m a lover of choral music. And this Easter brought out some wonderful surprises as I ventured back home to play my role as church organist. I’d been fearing a half-filled gallery of well-meaning but shy locals, with perhaps no director and too few rehearsals, depending on me to drag the tunes along with my accompaniments. Gladly, when I arrived home, my Dad told me that I’d been asked for by the director of the choir. I just felt relieved that everyone would know what they were meant to be doing!

So Monday night came and so did our first rehearsal. Expecting the same songs – and the same few soloists – as always, in I went mentally preparing last year’s programme. Instead, however, I was greeted with the organ opened and set up for me, with the score of Mozart’s Ave Verum. On the benches were gathered new faces and piles of new hymnals. Starting with the Mozart, I was pleasantly surprised continually as we worked through the programme. There were soloists whom I’d never even noticed in the choir before, and songs and chants that I would never have anticipated hearing sung by our group of predominantly untrained choristers. By the time we all left an hour and a half later, it was the first time I had felt sad about a rehearsal ending!

Also included in this year’s repertoire were Panis Angelicus; some lovely Taize chants (Sanctus, Gloria, O Lord Hear My Prayer, Jesus Remember Me); a few traditional hymns such as Were You There; some modern songs including Christ Be Our Light and Eagles’ Wings; and the popular Gospel hymns Honey in the Rock and Happy Days. Easter Sunday saw the church literally full to the door, the choir receiving an appreciative round of applause at the end of Mass.

There are many amateur performers and groups around the country who deserve to be credited for similar feats. I particularly respect the director of our new choir, who brings out musical talent from those never before known to have had it. My sister managed to catch a few snippets of the choir’s performance, so I decided to share a tiny taste of an achievement won over a very short period of time!

http://www.iamsteph.com/audio/Hear-my-prayer.mp3

http://www.iamsteph.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/honey-in-the-rock.mp3

http://www.iamsteph.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/gloria.mp3

Got the jitters?

Recently, I had a very interesting discussion with a cognitive behavioural therapist on stage fright. It’s that unpleasant feeling we all go through before a performance, even experienced professionals, and we’re always trying to find ways to relieve it or prevent it. What I learned was interesting and helpful!

So first, we look at the physical symptoms we experience when we get nervous – usually things like trembling, sweaty palms, heart beating faster than normal, and sometimes nausea. Now think – when else have we felt similar things going on in our bodies? What about when we’re getting ready to go on that big summer holiday in Lanzarote, or when we’re on our way to Oxygen for the weekend? The feelings we get when we’re nervous are exactly the same as when we’re excited about something… in fact, being “nervous” is just another term for being excited.

But somewhere along the lines we decided to associate some excitement with negativity. Our guess is that it’s because our body has gone into fight or flight mode, but as we’ve nowhere to fly to and nothing to fight, we’re stuck with an overwhelming amount of energy and alertness which feels horrible. But it’s the only way our brain knows how to deal with the situation!

So how do we deal with it? Well, the first thing I’ve found really useful is to replace the word “nervous” with “excited”. It’s surprising how much that helps! Secondly, just be realistic in the lead-up to the big event; it’s NOT going to be perfect, but you can increase the chances of it being ALMOST perfect by doing your best in preparation. Finally, remember that if you weren’t getting excited about this gig, no matter how big or small it is, it would mean you didn’t care…

So be happy about it!!