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Audience Participation How-To

We’ve probably all been at shows, just minding our own business, enjoying the music, and the singer suddenly says, ‘C’mon now! Help us out!’ But then he goes on his merry way, leaving the audience to figure out what they’re supposed to be singing.

There’s a right way to do this so the audience is not left hanging and can confidently sing along. The wrong way is the paragraph above.

Before I talk about ‘how’ though, I need to talk about ‘when’. You should not ask an audience to sing along if they aren’t ready. You will know this by watching them – by reading the audience. Are they enthusiastically clapping and whistling? If the response is lukewarm, they probably won’t be too excited to ‘help you out’ yet. Timing is important.

Ok. So let’s say you’ve got a really catchy hook on a fun song. (See Big Fun moment, page 91, Tom Jackson’s Live Music Method Book). This is an ideal time to ask them to sing along, but they have to be clear on what they’re doing. … Read More, Watch, Comment – Backstage Pass Required