Music Teachers, schools shows and non-technical people

[rob aylestone]

School show today - I'm production manager.

The sound op (skilled and been around)

This is some of the conversations w had during the rehearsal day of tomorrows three shows.

Angry Teacher - you played the wrong track, that one only had one chorus.
Sound - there was only one track, I played it.
Angry Teacher - but it was the wrong one.
Sound - do you have the right one?
Angry Teacher - no, I gave you what I had.
Sound - If you can give me half an hour during lunch, I'll edit in an extra chorus if you sit with me to make sure I do it right.
Angry Teacher - I haven't got time to waste sitting here with you - I have to look after the kids!

Angry Teacher 2 - what do you mean it won't play?
Sound - we asked for CDs of everyone's music, it doesn't play. Hang on, lets put it in my computer. Ah - it's an .aiff file.
Angry Teacher 2 - no it's music.
Sound - yes, it's music but you just copied the file from your computer to the CD, that won't play on a CD player.
Angry Teacher 2 - It plays on my computer.
Sound - yes
Angry Teacher 2 - so what's the problem.
Sound - Can you give me a few minutes during lunch and I'll sort it?
Angry Teacher - No I am taking the kids back to school at 12. You've ruined our rehearsal!

Angry Teacher 3 - what do you mean it won't play?
Sound - we asked for CDs of everyone's music, it doesn't play. Hang on, lets put it in my computer. Ah - it's an .mp4 karaoke file, with embedded words.
Angry Teacher 3 - we always turn the screen off.
Sound - I'll convert it to an audio CD in my lunch break.
Angry Teacher 3 (muttering as she walks away) - Idiot!

Angry Teacher 4 - There's no internet?
Sound - no sorry, there isn't.
Angry Teacher 4 - but I always play the music direct from Youtube. I don't have a CD.
Sound - ah?

Angry Teacher 5 - No I don't have a CD, I brought my school laptop. (Hands over a macbook)
Sound - fine, I'll just pull out the cable I used for playing the other school's music off that ladies iPhone. Ok - press the button.
Angry Teacher 5 - that's funny it can't find the server.
Sound - where's the server?
Angry Teacher 5 - In school, is that a problem?

Angry Teacher 6 - I can't read my music
Me - That's because you and the piano come on in a blackout
Angry Teacher 6 - Can we do the blackout with some light
Me - er, no because we don't want the audience to see the scenery and you coming on. Tell you what - you just wait for me to set it up, you come on, the lights come up and then you can play.
Angry Teacher 6 - (grumpily) - I suppose so.
Big crash of the teacher sitting down hard on the floor.
Angry Teacher 6 - Where's the piano stool?
Me - did you bring one with the piano?
Angry Teacher 6 - no, we don't have one
Me - neither do we.

Angry Teacher 7 - Cosmo should have a microphone
Me - oh, sorry, is that on the list? (Knowing it isn't)
Angry Teacher 7 - I thought you'd know this.
Me - ok, no problem, which one is Cosmo?
Angry Teacher 7 - how should I know?
Me - aren't you his teacher?
Angry Teacher 7 - No - that's why I don't know who he is
Me - does anyone else know who he is?
Angry Teacher 7 - I will ask Miss angry Teacher 8
Angry Teacher 7 - Miss Angry Teacher 8, do you know which one is Cosmo?
Angry Teacher 8 - the one with the Yve St Laurent T-Shirt
Me - which one is that?
Angry Teacher 8 - the one that is Moroccan sunset
Me - eh?
Angry Teacher 8 - That one with the Straight back
Me - they all have straight backs
Angry Teacher 8 - (sigh), that one! the one with the double stitching on the wrist
Me - sorry, it's very dark I can't see who you mean.
Angry Teacher 8 - Him! That one! (she points at a lad walking past me, about 3 feet away)
Me - the only black student out of 30?
Angry Teacher 8 - I can't say that, it's unacceptable.

I gave him a mic. He couldn't sing!

That's my day.

 

[Robus]

Sounds like everyone is having fun.

 

[Tadpui]

Good times, good times...

 

[witzendoz]

I have something like this coming up soon, a cultural night with bands, dancing, speeches, etc etc.

Still awaiting tech sheet, which won't be right or won't turn up at all, and the same backing track problem I suspect.


Alan.

 

[rob aylestone]

I actually tried emailing every single one of the heads of the individual schools participating, to get a common format. I had hoped, because computers are part of every school's infrastructure now that I could get them all as digital files I could play out in lab, as we do for our professional shows, but nearly a third of the schools responded saying they were NOT ALLOWED to have usb sticks in school! Network or nothing. I mentioned this to the bar manager in the theatre and he had just had to ban his bar staff from plugging in their phones to the usb sockets on the tills because many of the phones then discover the computer and try to get it to install software, which crashes the limited feature Windows version they run!

I'm guessing USB allows the kids in schools, who know more than the teachers about computers in many cases, to corrupt, get access to, or otherwise compromise security?

Just seems so odd these people live in little non-technical bubbles. The teacher solved her sibelius problem - she held a zoom recorder in front of the computer speakers and was very happy with the result! On this forum it makes me wonder if we waste out time sometimes, thinking about ultra-tiny differences between mics, when the user didn't even notice somebody slamming a door in the background.

 

[witzendoz]

Not live stuff, but Wednesday I spent and hour setting up the studio for the talent school that was coming in Thursday night and tonight (Friday, it's late afternoon here), this was booked last month.

Well, no one turned up last night, tried ringing every number I had, no answer, left messages, sent texts, nothing, after an hour of waiting around went home. Tried all day today trying to find out if they were coming in tonight, 5 mins ago (3pm, we were starting at 5pm) I get an email saying they cancelled the recording last week via email? I can tell them for sure I did not get an email, but it would have been sent from someones phone and it probably bounced and they did not notice.

Arghhhhhh,

Alan.

 

[Deadendkid]

I do video sometimes for schools...usually the last guys work gets posted and I get the job after showing them mine...too many guys out there shooting shaky video...letting Zoom get into the edits...etc...its not hard to show them up...smh...

 

[witzendoz]

I have something like this coming up soon, a cultural night with bands, dancing, speeches, etc etc.

Still awaiting tech sheet, which won't be right or won't turn up at all, and the same backing track problem I suspect.


Alan.

Did this show last Saturday, not as bad as I thought.

Finally got a complete running sheet with all the acts and times, longest act on stage was 15 mins, most 5 to 10 mins, changeovers Arghhhh! No stage hand available so one of the husbands offered to help.

OK, the 1st problem was the MC, turned up 10 mins after the show was due to start, so we were 10 mins late on the program. I set up a mic for him and the mayor who was doing the speech.

After the speech we had set up gongs and bells etc that were played in traditional style. Oh did I say that the speech mic was left in the middle of the stage.

This part finished and the MC runs on stage to announce the dance act that was on next, this is while the instruments were still being removed and the mics put to one side, where was the stage hand? having food at the rear of the hall So i fight my way to the stage and move everything out of the way, including the MC mic which I set up at the side so he can announce the acts to follow. Except that as soon as I got back to front of house he carried the mic to the middle of the stage, announced the act and left it there He did this all through the night including after I told him not too several times.

And the usual mobile phone turned up with backing tracks on it for one of the singers, even though everyone else managed to get their tracks onto a CD in the order of the show. I told him that he would need to arrange somebody to play the phone as I would not be messing with it just plugging it in and turning it up. Well, he walked on stage, stood in front of the mic and ....You guessed it, no phone. Then his wife rushed up saying here is the phone, so while he is standing there I try to plug it in, except that it won't plug in with the case fitted, try to get the case off the phone, he is still standing on the stage, everybody is waiting and finally music.

The usual late program changes, singers turning up on stage with the dance acts that no one told me about, the acoustic guitar with the flat battery that fritzed out in the second song of the set, etc etc, but as they say the show must go on.

Alan.