A-one, a-toohoo, a thrrreeee…CRUNCH!

Remember how I said that Make Music PDX teaches lessons beyond just being in a band?  Well this week was a prime example.

The best news of all is that our trio is determined to stay with the project so this week we actually started picking out songs!  What an odd thing for a band to be doing.  Several songs have sounded pretty good in their first run-throughs and it looks like we’ll have a set that sounds pretty good by show time.  Next week we’ll be looking at some more song possibilities and discussing who will be doing what for each song.  It’s a phase that can be challenging as you try to decide what mix of voices and instruments sounds best, but it’s a part I really like because it’s a way to translate the imaginary music one hears into reality.

In true show biz fashion, there could be more changes coming down the road.  Because we are a single small group, our set will be a little shorter and so the possibility has been raised of moving our show and combining it with a concert given by the band at Lane Middle School (where MMPDX classes are held).  This gives us an extra week of rehearsal, which is great.  But the more pieces you add to a puzzle the harder it gets, so I’m sure there will be more figuring-out of things in the coming weeks.

The lesson?  You’ve got to roll with whatever comes your way.  It’s true everywhere, but I find I use this lesson a lot more day-to-day in the performing arts.  Maybe that’s why I like show biz–so much of it involves improvisation and creative problem-solving.  Or maybe I just don’t have any better sense.