As musicians, we were made to perform.
May 2025
Those of us who are old enough to remember sitting in front of the television, eating a bowl of cereal, wearing pajamas, while watching cartoons on a Saturday morning, I bet you could sing the theme song to the Bugs Bunny show.
For those who may not know the tune, I will provide the lyrics.
Overture, curtain, lights, This is it, the night of nights No more rehearsing and nursing a part We know every part by heart Overture, curtain, lights This is it, you'll hit the heights
And oh what heights we'll hit
On with the show this is it Tonight what heights we'll hit On with the show this is it
Ahhhhhh, memories.
I have seen a lot of memes stating, “This is how I first heard about classical music.” A picture that accompanies the statement shows Bugs Bunny standing next to Elmer Fudd. Elmer Fudd is in a barber’s chair while Bugs applies hair tonic, gives Elmer a scalp massage, and a shave. The title of the cartoon is “Rabbit of Seville” and is performed to Rossini’s, “Barber of Seville.”
This particular cartoon is a classic and was voted #12 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.
Cartoons, especially older productions, introduced many of us to music, both classical and contemporary. Carl Stalling, the genius who wrote and arranged the music for the cartoons, made animation come to life.
“Rabbit of Seville” took place at the Hollywood Bowl. The amphitheater, named as one of the top 10 best concert venues in the United States, has housed the best of the best performances of many artists. I wore out the 8-track recording I had of “Chuck Mangione, live at the Hollywood Bowl” while I was growing up. Yup, once again, I have shown my age.
Thanks to YouTube and other online videos, I have been able to watch Maynard Ferguson, Monty Python, and many other greats perform at the Hollywood Bowl. It would be nice to attend a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. It would be a dream to be on the stage as a performer.
In all honesty, every performance I do, be it on a stage, in a pit, or wherever the horn section is hidden, is like a dream for me. As a musician, performing is something that I have to do.
I have mentioned a few times in my blogs and writings that I enjoy helping people forget about life for a while. Escapism can be a healthy way for us to reset, refresh, and restart ourselves to have a productive life.
Recently, I have recorded a few excerpts that I will use for Disney and Universal Studios auditions. The difficult part about submitting recorded auditions, for me, is that those observing the excerpt do not get the opportunity to witness my interactions with the audience. They don’t get the chance to observe my ability to play multiple genres at a performance. What they see is a person who took the time to record an excerpt that may last 1-2 minutes with the hope of being chosen to perform for their show or shows.
As a former band director, I would tell my students that there is no need to be nervous, scared, or worried while performing at a concert. “You know the music, you know your instrument, you know yourself, and the people listening to you want you to succeed. So, there are no worries, just music.” I believe that my declaration helped some students. Once performers realize that the people in the audience want to hear a good performance and are not there because they want to hear something horrible, it alleviates the anxiety of performing.
The months of April and May are filled with multiple concerts. I have enjoyed listening to former students perform with their bands, small ensembles, and I will enjoy listening to former and current students perform in the weeks to come. It is a pleasure to listen to them play instruments that they have been playing for 1-3 years, while on stage.
For some of us, performing helps with expressing our emotions and feelings that we may not know how to express in other ways.
Maybe I will be able to submit my recordings and audition for Disney or Universal Studios.
Maybe I will be able to play in multiple groups and help people forget about the troubles they have in their lives for a while.
Maybe I will be able to play my trumpet and use it as a way to express excitement and fun.
A lot of maybe’s stacked on top of each other do not create opportunities.
I know that I will never be a Bugs Bunny and perform “Rabbit of Seville” at the Hollywood Bowl, but I do know that I will perform on as many stages as I can.
You see, performing is what I enjoy.
If I am performing at one of the major theme parks, I will guarantee that if you were to watch me, I will have a smile on my face. (When I am not playing my horn)
If I am performing at venues other than one of the major theme parks, I guarantee that if you were to watch me, you will see that I have a smile on my face. (When I am not playing my horn)
As musicians, it doesn’t matter if we are performing at the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, a Major theme park, busking on the street, or playing a mini concert for family, we need to enjoy performing.
Play, perform, and enjoy creating music. Not everyone can create music, but everyone enjoys it.