Expectation to React in the Heat of the Moment

​Band/musicians expected to react and respond in the heat of the moment.
with several spontaneous changes being made to the schedule, and (without someone communicating) the band/musicians not being adequately briefed on these changes in advance but simply expected to respond instantaneously in the heat of the moment.

We were taken aback when the bride herself intervened and told the band to stop playing quarter of the way through the special request Israeli Dance Medley that the band had prepared especially for her, dictating the order of play and so on. She shouldn’t have been doing that; it had all been agreed beforehand.

1 - Set list - While the set list states that the Israeli dancing section was to last longer than 15-20 minutes, it was obvious on such a hot day that after 15 minutes everyone was clearly exhausted. My best man says that when he tried (not ZK) to cut this short RD didn't act calmly but stormed off and did this four times during the course of the day.

This in itself is not sufficient grounds to justify not paying. It wasn’t obvious on such a hot day that after 15 minutes everyone was clearly exhausted. Any schedule changes should have been explained to the band, at the very least, prior to the performance, and not during/in the middle of the performance.

Yes, ZK — in addition to the best man — did also try to cut short the band during the middle of the band's performance.

I acted in a controlled manner and there was no ‘storming off’. As explained previously, I calmly put my clarinet down on its stand, and advised the other musicians that I was going outside for a minute.

Please would the client clarify the other four times that I ‘stormed off’ during the course of the day? Please can they also clarify at what point the ‘throwing down of the saxophone’ occurred that they mentioned before? Please note I only met the groom once, at the beginning of the afternoon.

The clients cut off the band in the middle of our performance, and as far as we were concerned they didn’t require the band to play anymore.

ZK requested a selection of Israeli dance music, in addition to the 2 song requests, which the band agreed to perform at no extra charge. Knowing ZK was aware we’re not a specialist Jewish band, we took it upon ourselves to take the professional development needed to equip ourselves in the performance styles for the required repertoire. CB, who comes from a part-Jewish background, spent her own money on a Jewish singing lesson with Laoise Rosswick. On 16th March, CB & I got together and worked out the keys for the Simcha. Between 21-23 March I transcribed them using Simon’s scores, CB’s singing lesson recordings and various YouTube clips from Simon’s links and our own research. I made a rehearsal backing track. On 22nd April, I travelled to Manchester for a specialist Klezmer clarinet lesson with Daniel Mawson (£40 + travel + Airbnb), not to mention the £190 spent on a specialist mouthpiece, ligature and reeds, and all of the printing involved. Those are only the financial costs and don’t account for the 4 evenings of unpaid rehearsals (23rd March, 11th April, 30th April, 4th May) and hours of unpaid transcribing/scoring done between February/May, apportioning large chunks of time out of album recording schedules to ensure that the repertoire got the care and attention it needed. We even booked the same musicians and performed the same material on another gig a few weeks prior as a trial run. I understand that this was perhaps not necessary given the timings restraints of the wedding. However, it illustrates how much preparation both financially and temporally went into it. We liked that ZK was engaging with the band and responded accordingly. We wanted nothing more than to give her the show-stopping performance she deserved for her wedding. Then in the Simcha, the Israeli dancing set, because they got exhausted the best man and the father of the bride both came to CB to say, ‘make this the last song’ they are exhausted. Yes, we prepared a great 20 mins of Israeli dances, but I understand that’s not the point, it’s the Bride and Groom’s big day and if they are tired then we needed to cut it short — I shook my head, which was taken as a sign of inflexibility. That was my ‘knee-jerk’ reaction. I understand that they are the client and it was a reasonable request. At the very least, this should have been arranged before — not during — the performance. The way in which ZK and the best man came up to the band and cut us off mid-performance was so abrupt, so sudden and unexpected, it took everyone by surprise, especially me. CB was literally shouting at me and the band to cut to “Oseh Shalom” as that was the finisher. It was obvious that there was a struggle. How could I have noticed that the guests were getting hot and exhausted, when I was so focused on the music, directing the band and getting the performance right? If I was put on the spot like that, how was I expected to react? I couldn’t believe it, I was in shock. If they sprung that on me like that, what sort of reaction were they expecting?

I suffer from social anxiety, and I experience acute confusion and distress when I find myself under pressure to respond instantaneously if events don’t go to plan. If it’s helpful, I’d be more than happy to forward the relevant notes from my NHS assessment at Maudsley Hospital between November 2016 — June 2017. While it’s infrequently been an issue on wedding gigs in the past, I fully understand that it is my responsibility to ensure that the support networks are in place to ensure that there is someone to cover me in case this happens, in a professional environment. To give me that boost of confidence in dealing with people and situations more effectively. When I find myself in a situation in which I’m not comfortable, my coping mechanism is to remove myself from the situation as quickly and as quietly as possible, so that I’m not causing distress to others. Hence, I calmly put my clarinet on its stand and advised the other musicians that I was going outside for a minute. MK perceived this to be my 2nd act of ‘storming off’.

CB’s relayed to me what happened afterwards. MK came up to her asking what was wrong with me. CB was upset and had to keep on singing. At that point, she said it was a misunderstanding and that I’d be back. But I didn’t come back and I didn’t put on the agreed iPod. The other musicians all had to clamber around to help get that sorted and apologise on my behalf. While this was happening, my mum was trying to get me to do deep-breathing exercises on the phone because I was hyperventilating, still in shock from what had happened during the Simcha. I received no information about when to start playing again (because I knew we had our 2nd set following the Simcha). No sign or cue to turn on the iPod music. I was relieved to learn afterwards that WM (bassist) had turned on the iPod music on my behalf. No attempt from the event organisers to even make contact with me to provide me with any further instruction. From my side, it appeared that they didn’t want the band to play at all, or at least until their signal, which never arrived. I interpreted that the clients wanted no further involvement or participation from the band in the wedding. Perhaps that was a misinterpretation/misunderstanding in itself? How can one expect such misinterpretations/misunderstandings not to happen when there is no communication between parties, no advance notice or clarification, especially under considerable time pressure?

MK claimed: "CB was trying to keep them going as they were clearly unorganised between songs”. We knew that we were there to make their final set with the dancing great for them, and even though they were running behind schedule (it's a wedding, this is common) we could still get through lots of songs and keep them on the floor dancing. During the 3rd set, people were walking up to the band, asking us to change the songs on the spur of the moment from the requests I’d arranged with ZK and MK — which included “Call on Me” (1st dance) and “To My Daughter” (father-daughter dance), which we performed as agreed — to something more upbeat. After "Sunrise Sunset", the best man said ZK had requested 'no more traditional ones now' so we adapted accordingly and made sure we were playing upbeat danceable numbers. Fortunately, we were able to adapt because we had plenty of prepared jazz and swing material left over from the 2nd set that hadn’t already been performed, which we could incorporate into the 3rd set to accommodate these requests, and we did. MK pointed out that 'CB was trying to keep them going as they were clearly unorganised between songs’. Clearly 2 differing perceptions of what went on. How are we expected to respond when the client’s agreed one thing and their guests are requesting another? What were we supposed to do? Given the tricky circumstances, I believed we coped as best as possible. Still, it wasn’t easy being put under pressure to respond so quickly to the rapid changing requests we were confronted with and I’m surprised MK’s appraisal was ‘unorganised’ on our part when we succeeded to adapt accordingly.

In terms of my social anxiety, and my difficulties reading and conveying emotions; I’m not trying to present it as an excuse for MK’s assessment of me. If my facial features were arranged incorrectly, or my expressions and/or failure to recognise subtleties in nuance and form made me come across as temperamental then I’m sorry — this wouldn’t have been directed at MK intentionally but would have reflected any internal discomfort, stress or insecurities that I was feeling about the event and my role in it at the time. I believe it’s important, to be honest, and come clean about my difficulties with social interaction and relationship management, and to present it as an explanation for the client’s feedback. I do know, for sure, that I didn’t say anything that might have been overheard and/or considered impolite. My condition has never been noticed nor hindered our work thus far. I understand it is our responsibility to ensure that the necessary frameworks are in place, and that both parties are assured. Perhaps this is an extra we as an artist need to implement from our side, even if it means that this will increase the act fee for weddings? Incidentally, many of our agents have commented how our fees are relatively moderate compared to other acts’ fees. Perhaps this is something we need to address so that we can match this to the heightened expectations of a wedding scenario, considering the high calibre of talent we work with. We (the label) book some of London’s top session musicians, and we’d be upset to think that they, or the client, or our reputation, would be affected by this relatively minor shortcoming.

Title
Expectation to React in the Heat of the Moment

Description
The band/musicians were expected to respond instantaneously to several spontaneous schedule changes without prior briefing. This included the bride intervening to stop the band mid-performance of the Israeli Dance Medley.

Action Taken
The band attempted to adapt to changes as they occurred. RD calmly put down his clarinet and advised the other musicians that he needed a moment outside due to social anxiety and the sudden pressure.

Resolutions
The band managed to perform requested songs and adapt to on-the-spot changes, but the abrupt nature of these changes caused significant stress and confusion.

Notes Comments
Clients should ensure that all schedule changes are communicated to the band in advance. The band should also have a clear understanding of the expectations and flexibility required for the event.

Reported
Reported Date: 08/05/2018
Reported By (Individual): AT
Reported By (Organisation): WE

INDIVIDUALS

Involved, Active, CB, Vocals
CB actively worked to keep the band on track and adapt to the changing requirements, including directing the band during the Israeli dance set.

Involved, Responsive, MK, Client
Assist in communicating with the band regarding any immediate changes or requests during the event.
Provide support to ZK in ensuring that the band is informed and able to adapt to on-the-spot changes.
Help manage the expectations of the guests and the band to ensure a smooth performance. MK supported ZK in managing the band's adjustments to the changes but was not the primary decision-maker or communicator regarding these changes.

Responsible, Responsive, RD, Producer
Lead the band in adapting to any schedule changes and spontaneous requests.
Communicate effectively with clients and event coordinators to ensure smooth performance transitions.
Manage personal stress and social anxiety in a professional manner to maintain performance quality. As the band leader, RD managed the band's adaptation to on-the-spot changes, although his stress and temporary withdrawal limited his ability to take a fully active role in resolving the situation.

Involved, Active, WM, Bass
WM stepped in to manage the iPod transition when RD was unavailable, demonstrating a proactive approach to mitigating the disruption.

Responsible, Passive, ZK, Client
Communicate any changes to the schedule or set list to the band in advance.
Ensure that the band is aware of and prepared for any spontaneous requests or changes during the event.
Coordinate with the wedding/event planner to manage the timing and flow of the event effectively. As the client, ZK was responsible for ensuring changes were communicated in advance but failed to do so. Her role in addressing these spontaneous changes during the event was minimal.

ORGANISATIONS

WE