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Too Cold For Strings? Indoor Flash Music Mobs For The Holidays

Published by StringOvation Team on November 20, 2017

It's never a bad time to put on a flash mob. Crowds always love them and they're great fun for your students as well. They get to be part of an Insta-Snapchat-worthy event, to say nothing of how it will boost their performance skills and self-confidence. For your part, it's a great tool for teaching teamwork and an effective way to boost your own reputation as a music teacher. Not only will the flash mob give you and your students awesome social media content to use in your own marketing and their portfolios, people in the audience will become your marketing ambassadors by sharing their own social media posts about their experience.

As it happens, wintertime is an awesome time to put on flash music mob.  Sure, outdoor venues are out of the question, but don't let that slow you down. People are especially open to enjoying a bit of unexpected cheer during the holiday season, so why don't you and your students be the ones that make their day?

The United States Air Force band has made giving a flash mob performance an annual event since 2013. Here's their 2016 holiday flash mob event, surprising visitors at the National Air and Space Museum.

Pick your moment – pick your spot

Because you can't hold the flash mob outdoors, you'll have to do a bit more planning with an indoor venue. Think about what indoor venues will have large crowds ­– large crowds of people who could use some good cheer ­– and space enough for your musicians to move through without creating havoc for everyone else.  You also want to consider acoustics. A transportation hub may be a great option, but not on the train platforms themselves. Too noisy, plus all those moving bodies in a narrow space could get a bit dangerous. But the waiting hall at the central station or large platform just outside the entry gates to the trains may work.

A shopping mall can also be a great option. There's definitely space and the right kind of crowd. Since most shopping malls often have their own holiday events, including musical performances, planned – take care not to step on anyone's toes. Indeed, it may be useful to coordinate with the facilities management of the place you select. They can help you make sure the event is done safely.

Picking the right music for a holiday flash music mob

Planning a successful flash mob takes some time. You check out our step-by-step guide to pulling off a flash mob here.  Yet for a holiday flash mob, venue selection isn't the only unique challenge. The second – and so critical – is music selection! You don't want just any ol' musical choices. Here are a few options of how to think what music to select for a holiday flash mob. You may even select songs from more than category.

• Classic Christmas classical music: You know what we mean. Parts of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, or Schoenberg's Christmas Music. You might also select a classical work with a religious theme, if not specific to Christmas, like Handel's Messiah.

• Classical work with winter theme: Vivaldi's "Winter" movement from The Four Seasons is the most obvious – and well-loved – choice. Although, Haydn has a winter movement in his Seasons as well. You might also consider Mozart's Sleigh Ride, The Skater's Waltz by Émile Waldteufel, or  the Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Prokofiev.

• Rework a holiday or winter classic as a chamber piece: You can find plenty of models to work for inspiration. Here's a chamber version of Rock of Ages and Joy to the World. You can also find sheet music for tunes like Winter Wonderland and O'Come, All Ye Faithful.

• If you want to get some more upbeat music in there, science has determined that Bon Jovi's Livin' On a Prayer is one of the 10 happiest songs on earth. There are also plenty of jazz, rock and pop artists that have holiday songs you can cover.

When determining what songs to select, you might want to consider joining forces with a local choir or other music teacher if you want to expand the range of instruments in your flash mob. Putting on a musical flash mob lets you get as creative as you'd like. Get your students involved in the decision-making and planning, and you'll end up with a flash mob that's a gift to participants and audience alike.

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Source: https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/too-cold-for-strings-indoor-flash-music-mobs-for-the-holidays

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