Why do you go to band concerts?

Or, why don't you go to band concerts?

Yup, I'm talking concert band, wind band, wind ensemble. I have to admit, I don't go to a lot of band concerts myself. At least not locally. Maybe this has to do with the busyness of my life when I'm at home, maybe there are other reasons. I don't go to the symphony much and I rarely go to the opera. I will catch a couple of concert each year that come through town and I do make a point of going to conferences where I can hear great concerts. I listen to a lot of music on CD and from download sites and obviously, I'm involved in making music many hours of each day.

What I'm interested in is what makes other people get out the door to hear a good concert of wind band music. Is it that the ensemble is good? Is it that the quality of the repertoire is good? Do you want to be challenged as an audience member? Or do you want to hear familiar melodies? Are you looking for variety or do you know what you like and that is what you want to hear? Do you want to hear great soloists? Do you want to hear other ensembles rather than hearing the whole band all the time? By this, I mean do you want to hear guest ensembles and groups formed of members of the full ensemble? Do you want to learn something from your experience? Do you want escape from the daily grind?

This line of questioning could go on forever. Press the comment button below and respond to any or all of the questions. Give me your thoughts on other aspects of the concert experience.

Happy New Year!

Marc