Ideas for funny schtick, jokes at concert

[Westlake Director]

We're a fairly new community choir in an area that doesn't have much exposure to handbells and we're having our first concert in June. Actually, it's a joint concert with a barbershop chorus, but still it's the most we've ever done in one event. The theme is patriotic as the concert will be around Flag Day. There are some serious selections and some fun ones. 

We want to make it fun for the audience. Any ideas for some funny shtick or jokes that have worked well in programs you've done. 

Here's one my husband came up with:

Question: What do you get when you hold a concert featuring a handbell choir and a barbershop chorus? Answer: A "hum dinger".

Please share either the purposeful or serendipitous stuff you've done which elicited smiles and laughs.

 

[Charles Peery]

I guess my response is going to be more general. I routinely talk to the audience in my community group’s concerts. Because I’m a forced extrovert I hate doing it, but I’m told I’m funny and really good at it.  The secret is:  I prepare.  I really do.  I write down what I’m going to say, I memorize it. (I sometimes have cheat notes in the front of the music on my stand.)  I practice it in the car.  

The main reason I wanted to respond is to encourage you not to “tell jokes.”  You want it to appear natural, more conversational than that, as if it’s an outgrowth of your personality.  In turn, the audience interprets this as “it must be fun to be in that group.” (As if you’re wisecracking your way through every rehearsal.  Wait, I do that… haha.) And it seems to be extemporaneous, specific, “custom” tailored to that day and time. The audience is (pretty easily) impressed by that. Only the ringers know that I try to say exactly the same thing every time, with the same delivery. (We generally give the same concert about three times.) I always tell the musicians, “Remember, this is not about what you think is happening.  It’s about what the audience PERCEIVES is happening.) This applies even more to your spoken comments. I hate it and I think I suck at it, and fervently hope to never have to do it again. Everyone else loves it.  Go figure. 

I’ve sat at the computer and looked up jokes on the Internet just to figure out what to say at concerts!  But then I repurpose them totally.

So, in other words, if you want to use this joke below, don’t just tell the joke.  Do it more offhand, like you thought it up.  Unless you’re a published writer or a professional comedian, there’s no shame in stealing such material. So, imagine, after your first piece, you welcome the audience and say, “This is going to be fun, we’ve never given a concert featuring a handbell choir and a barbershop chorus.  It’s bound to be a … hum - dinger.”  Then… WAIT FOR IT.  Seriously, stand there and stare at them with a funny look on your face until they get it and laugh.  Audiences vary in their response times, but they are easily trained.  From then on, you’re set—you can do no wrong. Because once you have them… YOU HAVE THEM. You’d have to work really hard to screw it up after that.  They know they better listen and think about what you’re saying, that it might not be what they expect, that it might be funny.

Think back on rehearsals, things that have happened at past concerts. Your own daily life (again, speaking for myself!) There’s plenty of material for humor.

At our last round of concerts, we were playing that Borodin Polovetsian Dance No. 1. I had mildly prepped this, referencing the musical “Kismet” but I wasn’t very specific. They had hauled in a busload of people from a retirement home, and after the extended musical introduction when the melody appeared, they unexpectedly all began to sing “Take my hand, I’m a stranger in paradise.”  It was quite disconcerting.  But it made me realize I had missed a huge opportunity by not setting that up. So I used it thereafter, I’d say “Put up your hand if you know the next piece listed in the program.” Very few hands went up. Then I said, “Well actually you DO know this piece, and when you figure it out, PLEASE DO NOT SING IT OUT LOUD. Really. Please. Don’t. It’s already happened once and I have enough trouble up here without trying to keep everyone in this whole room together.”  There was a mild laugh then, but the biggest laugh we ever got in a concert was right during the music when that melody appeared.

The ideas will literally fall into your lap if you leave yourself open to that.

Chuck in St. Louis

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[Charles Peery]

See now that I wrote that, I’d change it.  I’d reverse the order in which I said the groups to match the punchline.  Since “hum” is first, the barbershop group needs to be stated first. That’s what I meant by preparing and practicing.  I change it and change it until it comes out right on paper, then I have to practice it so it comes out of my mouth that way. A big pain.

C

[Stephanie Wiltse]

Welp, I have to admit I'm not a fan of shtick... but we do it once in
awhile. No funny hats... No sunglasses... (I'm no fun), but I do love
humor.

I think it's important to do what you and your group are comfortable with.
I've seen groups plop funny hats on their heads and play with obvious
discomfort, which leavves the audience squirming. But it's fun to watch a
group have a lot of fun with whatever it is they do, whether it be
movement or constumes or something else that's fun and works for them.

[Stephanie Wiltse]

[Stephanie Wiltse]

[Stephanie Wiltse]

I think I may have hit "send" too soon...

Welp, I have to admit I'm not a fan of shtick for shtick's sake... but we

do it once in awhile. No funny hats... No sunglasses... (I'm no fun), but
I do love humor.

I think it's important to do what you and your group are comfortable with.
I've seen groups plop funny hats on their heads and play with obvious

discomfort, which leaves the audience squirming. But it's fun to watch a
group have a lot of fun with whatever it is they do well, whether it be
movement or costumes or something else that's fun and works for them.

In our case, I like to use the setup time to talk about the next piece,
but not in a terribly academic way. I love looking for interesting
information about each piece, and the audience members say that it
enhances their enjoyment of the music. I do find that the information
often lends itself to pithy comments. But it's true that I can get off on
a tangent that may go on too long, so I agree that planning and preparing
are always good things to do. I have definitely gotten myself into trouble
when I start rambling.

But again, it needs to be what YOU are comfortable with, even if it means
writing prepared remarks and passing them on to a narrator or to members
of your group.

Good luck!

Stephanie Wiltse
Grand Rapids, MI

[Westlake Director]

Thanks, Chuck. I appreciate your excellent advice and I wholeheartedly agree that it needs to "seem" spontaneous, even though it may be rehearsed. I do always write notes and rehearse them, but I end up rephrasing things as the spirit moves. I'm not the smoothest public speaker esp. when I go "off script", but I think the audience forgives that if you are sincere and passionate about what you're saying. After all, they're there to hear the music, not to hear the director blab.

Sometimes during rehearsal, something funny happens that can be turned into repartee during a concert - happened just last week - a very funny comment was exclaimed which we will use the next chance we get.

I'm also big into educating the audience, not only about handbells, but also about music in general (trained as a teacher, always a teacher), so the set up times are a good opportunity for a bit of that, but just a bit.

Folks who saw us play last Christmas remember a couple of things, how spell binding Mary, Did You Know was and also some funny shtick we did with some Santa and reindeer hats. So you can make an impression when you're serious and when you're funny and I guess interesting and enjoyable concerts need to include a bit of both.

[Daniel M. Reck]

Hi all,

Two thoughts on the "funny schtick" and other conductor comments during a program:

1) If you're doing a show with a barbershop group, there's definitely a certain level of expectation of schtick that's higher than if you're doing a program of Bach and Mozart.

2) Regardless of your program type, WHATEVER you do between the music should be as rehearsed as the music itself. The delivery should be confident (like the music). It should be refined (like the music).  It should be carefully planned (like the music). And it should fit the program (like the music).

Ring on!

Daniel

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  Daniel M. Reck

  Director, Shadows of Bronze

  http://shadowsofbronze.org