Disney Magic

In preparation for Orchestra Kentucky's Disney in Concert in January, I took my family to Disney World last week. Well, okay, it wasn't to do research. And I'm not going to try to take a tax deduction either. No, the purpose of the trip was simply to have a week of family fun. (I told my kids that they had been there when they were five and seven years old and that they had a great time, but they still wanted to go back.) Any way, in the midst of enduring 95 degree heat and hour-and-a- half lines, something important occurred to me: Disney knows how to make people happy.

Despite the crowds, people were genuinely happy. There are many reasons for that, but one that stuck out for me is Disney's willingness to go the extra mile. Disney could be satisfied with having their guests ride rides and watch concerts and movies. But they don't settle for that. Each evening is capped with a fireworks show and parade. It's like the fourth of July every night. Going to a Disney park is more than simply attending an amusement park. It is attending an event.

Orchestras have a lot to learn from Disney. Our audiences would be a lot happier if we did more than just present concerts. If we went the extra mile and make our concerts events, people would come in droves. But how do we do that?

There are many ways to make the concert experience an event. In addition to music, we can offer visual experiences like films and slides that illustrate the music being performed. We can hold concerts in fun places like ballparks and barns. We can think outside the box. Imagine a concert with comedy as its theme. The orchestra could play Kabalevsky's Comedian's Suite and some PDQ Bach. But think how much more fun the concert would be if a comedian told jokes in between musical selections? Now that would be more than a concert. It would be an event!

Here is a challenge to my conductor colleagues. Tired of diminishing audiences? Worried that audiences are getting grayer? Take a tip from Walt. Make your concerts events. Make them fun.