Posts filed under General
Online Survey
Posted on June 8, 2010
I have prepared a brief online survey as part of a Certificate in Small Business Management marketing module. Please take a moment to complete the survey by clicking on the link below. Thank you.
ONLINE SURVEY - LIVE BACKGROUND MUSIC
Waiararapa Times-Age
Posted on November 10, 2009
Received a mention in the Wairarapa Times-Age newspaper today following my People's Choice Awards win. A few errors in the story, but otherwise a fairly straight article and all good for helping raise my profile in the region. My thanks to Nathan Crombie of the Times-Age for the article, and to Mark Harris of Event Action for dobbing me in!
Background Music and the Dining Experience
Posted on June 22, 2009
The importance of having live background music in restaurants is often underrated by business owners who are only interested in the bottom line. And yet the value a live musician brings to the restaurant setting can have a subtle yet positive impact on that bottom line.
Background music serves the same function as do pleasing colours in the décor, without being as apparent. In a restaurant, however, both the selection and the volume of music call for something better than what is provided by the typical background music system. There are a number of reasons for this. Music in a restaurant serves several important functions:
- Conscious enjoyment of favourite melodies or familiar performances.
- Masking of private conversations from those at adjacent tables.
- Making an empty dining room feel less empty.
- Inducing relaxation and setting a mood consistent with the cuisine.
- Encouraging the staff to survive dull routine by providing enjoyment that does not interfere with their movements and interactions.
These functions require that the listener not have to strain to hear the music, yet not have to shout to be heard. Typical background music systems typically tend to achieve a subliminal effect, whereas one of a restauranteur's objectives is to have their patrons remember the music along with the meal and to recommend their restaurant because of that music.
Patrons often recall that the solo performances of a professional musician stand out as the epitome of pleasurable accompaniment to a relaxing evening meal - as much as a bottle of the finest wine with the most delicious selection of the choicest dish. If the instrumentalist is as skilled and as dedicated as the chef, and the dining room allows one both to watch and to listen to the performer, there is no better recommendation for a restaurant than to recall such an experience to friends afterward.
In addition, researchers have found that the presence and type of background music in a dining setting can have a profound effect on the behaviour and mood of patrons.
For example, one study found that different types of music had different effects on perceived atmosphere and the amount patrons were prepared to spend. Classical, jazz and popular music were associated with patrons being prepared to spend the most on their main meal. This value was found to be significantly lower in the absence of music.
Regarding the tempo, or pace, of music, it was found that patrons waiting in line for a period of time to be seated were more likely to leave if fast tempo music was being played. The average bar bill as well as the total bill average for meal and drinks was significantly higher (up to 30%) when slow music was played, whereas fast music had a negative effect on the very profitable bar tab!
Some researchers found that when calming instrumentals were played, most patrons even claimed that the food tasted better! Reportedly, they also had fewer digestive complaints.
One business professional concluded: "You put music on because you think it makes your restaurant better. You'd pay for it just like you pay for the flowers you put on your table. But it's not a lot of money and certainly not as much as you would pay for other ambience enhancers."
Music and Memories
Posted on June 14, 2009
Spent the day with friends and family in Wellington. Visited an old and dear friend dying of throat cancer. Spent time with my father at his rest home; he can't converse a great deal anymore, but it gave him (and others) a great deal of delight by my playing music of the 1920's and 1930's on the grand piano in the lounge. The smiles on the faces and tears in the eyes of the elderly when hearing music which transports them back to younger and happier times is a touching and rewarding experience for me, and I'm glad that I was encouraged from a young age to use what skills I have to impart a gift to others.
Wine and a Movie
Posted on June 4, 2009
Just received a bottle of White Cliff Merlot and Andre Rieu DVD (2008 Melbourne concert) along with a thank-you card from the very grateful parents of the couple whose engagement party I performed at on Sunday night.
Movie Themes
Posted on April 30, 2009
Compiling a repertoire of movie theme music to perform at a corporate function tomorrow night which has movies as its theme. Just added The Godfather Theme (Nino Rota). I was familiar with the tune but don’t recall having ever played it… until a few moments ago. Beautiful tune, now committed to memory, with a refreshing key change in the middle. Remember the theme from A Summer Place (Max Steiner)? I don’t recall ever seeing the film, but the theme music remains one of the most melodic melodies of the 1960’s. The most popular version was recorded by Percy Faith, which earned him a Grammy Award in 1961. A Summer Place was the first movie theme and the first instrumental to win a Record of the Year Grammy.
Declined Music Director Position
Posted on April 20, 2009
Was approached by a local theatre company to consider being music director for an upcoming production but have decided to decline the position due to other commitments.
Selecting Music for Wedding
Posted on March 27, 2009
Selecting music to play at a wedding function at Trentham Gardens in Wellington tomorrow.
Referral Bookings
Posted on March 26, 2009
Just accepted a referral booking for a corporate function. Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising.
Pacific Songwriting Competition
Posted on March 17, 2009
Didn’t place in the Pacific Songwriting Competition but received some constructive feedback from the judges regarding one of my songs. See Songwriting page.
Booking Cancellation
Posted on March 12, 2009
Just received a last-minute booking cancellation. People are tightening their belts.
Music and Eating
Posted on July 1, 2007
Researchers have studied the effect of background music on eating habits. In one study, they counted the bites of food people took at meals while listening to various types of music. The Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter reports that when no background music was played, the participants ate at an average rate of 3.9 bites per minute. However, when calming instrumentals were played, the pace slowed to 3.2 bites per minute—and the bites became smaller. In the latter instance, most left feeling full, and they claimed that the food tasted better. Reportedly, they also had fewer digestive complaints.
Music and Driving
Posted on July 1, 2007
A car driver can become aggressive if he is listening to music that has recognizable lyrics, claims a music researcher in West Berlin. “The reason is that both parts of the brain (the left side records speech, the right side music) are being taxed simultaneously,” explains the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. Since instrumental music has no lyrics, and songs in a foreign language are not understood by most drivers, such music would be preferable. The study reveals, however, that the volume of the music also influences driving habits: The louder it is, the greater the strain on the driver.
Music and Hearing
Posted on July 1, 2007
More and more performers are discovering that their hearing is permanently damaged. Repeated assaults by loud music (over 100 decibels) cause the sound-carrying hairs located in the inner ear to flatten and lose their resilience permanently. One audiologist said that hours of music blasting through stereo earphones has the same effect as if the nozzle of a fire hose had been stuck down the ear canal. Pete Townshend of The Who once told The Toronto Star that “one of the great agonies ... is that long before you grow old, you can’t hear what children are saying to you.” Of his years of blaring rock ’n’ roll, he adds: “I think it’s worth saying that there is a price to pay for that: it’s premature deafness.”
Music and Health
Posted on July 1, 2007
“Among the reasons for the existence of music in virtually every culture is its ability to elicit and maintain human health and well-being,” says the book Principles and Practice of Stress Management. When we are singing, notes another reference, our entire body resounds and vibrates. In turn, gentle vibrations help tissues relax and dilate, which may help to reduce pain. Accordingly, some therapists encourage patients suffering from stress to listen to soothing music, which can also improve one’s mood. Some hospitals even pipe music into intensive care units. Premature babies as well as surgery patients often respond well to pleasant music. According to Principles and Practice of Stress Management, studies suggest that listening to relaxing music “produces significant reductions in stress hormone levels during surgery.” Music may also reduce anxiety in pregnant women by promoting relaxation during labor and delivery. And dentists sometimes play soothing music to create a more relaxed atmosphere for tense patients.
Piano House of New Zealand
Posted on June 22, 2007
Around 1982-3 I performed at the official opening of the Piano House of New Zealand (officiated at by then-MP David Lange) when I was 17 years old. I have fond memories of the owner Kanti Vasan and other gentlemen employed there whose names I have since forgotten. Whenever I made subsequent visits Kanti always made me feel most welcome and almost a part of the team, and I was very sad to learn of his death in 2003. Obituary: Kanti Vasan