Accordion Presentation

[Anatomicarnie]

Good Evening all, can any of you assist with a question; I have to give a 20 minute presentation at work and would like to talk about the accordion. My goal is to deliver a presentation which will give people with no knowledge or interest in the accordion, or music, an introduction to this wonderful instrument. The main problem is how to explain simply how notes, keys and chords work without labouring too much on theory, so that they understand enough to get the most out of the talk, but not so much that they become baffled or switch off. I would appreciate advice from anyone with experience of this sort of thing on how to construct and deliver the talk for the best results. My rough idea is to break it down into : 

Introduction - brief history
Workings - how it actually operates and produces sound
Demonstration - A few and styles and excerpts 
Instruction - get one of the panel up and show them some basics, hopefully to awaken musical interest in someone who has none and inspire them to learn.

 
The overall object of the presentation is to demonstrate one's communication and instructional skills. Given that I am a relative amateur to both accordion and public speaking, how best to achieve this in only 20 minutes?

Any advice much appreciated, thanks

AA

 

[Jim2010]

Good Evening all, can any of you assist with a question; I have to give a 20 minute presentation at work and would like to talk about the accordion. My goal is to deliver a presentation which will give people with no knowledge or interest in the accordion, or music, an introduction to this wonderful instrument. The main problem is how to explain simply how notes, keys and chords work without labouring too much on theory, so that they understand enough to get the most out of the talk, but not so much that they become baffled or switch off. I would appreciate advice from anyone with experience of this sort of thing on how to construct and deliver the talk for the best results. My rough idea is to break it down into : 

Introduction - brief history
Workings - how it actually operates and produces sound
Demonstration - A few and styles and excerpts 
Instruction - get one of the panel up and show them some basics, hopefully to awaken musical interest in someone who has none and inspire them to learn.

 
The overall object of the presentation is to demonstrate one's communication and instructional skills. Given that I am a relative amateur to both accordion and public speaking, how best to achieve this in only 20 minutes?

Any advice much appreciated, thanks

AA

---

Dear AA,
I have a lifetime of public speaking experience, but that doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about. I am only offering suggestions and they may not be appropriate for you or your style or for the particular setting where you will make your presentation.

Since you say that you are a relative amateur on the accordion and as a public speaker, it might make sense to focus your presentation on why you are interested in the accordion (rather than getting into the history or the mechanics of the thing. (Maybe devote one or two sentences to each of those things.) If you can play examples of what music types of music interest you (either on your accordion or with the help of a CD or other music player) it might interest them as well. Generally speaking, more interesting music and less "lecturing" might be the best bet. If there is a requirement to be "academic," you might give excerpts of many types of music, for example: classical, jazz, popular (from a variety of cultures) , traditional (from a variety of cultures) and so on. Similarly, you could show pictures (PowerPoint?) of different types of accordions. Then, as you planned, you could show a couple of people how to play your accordion.

The idea is that you are excited (not apprehensive) to tell them about something that you find interesting (not lecturing them on something) and you can't wait to show them what it is. Then if any of them are interested, you give them a chance to be in on the act.

It is common to try to get people to participate right from the beginning, such as asking if anybody plays a musical instrument, asking them which ones they play, then start telling the about your favorite instrument in a style that says "I'm a music lover like you, here is why I like accordion, and if anybody is interested, I'll show you how to play it.

I hope this give you some ideas.

Jim

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Arnie,

Twenty minutes isn't very long, so only key points should be discussed. Like Jim, I have spent a lifetime addressing live audiences of between thirty and eight-thousand people. (and even more on radio)

It would be advantageous if you could add a Q&A session onto the end of your twenty minutes. This would give you the opportunity to address any misunderstandings within the group, as well as fostering interest in a much underappreciated instrument.

Never assume knowledge, and always take your audience from the known to the unknown. With this in mind, it may prove useful to start your session by gauging the average level of subject knowledge within the group. This is a skill which is developed over time, but it is possible to ask a few salient questions before you begin your delivery.

Always keep a close eye on the faces of your group, and react to anyone who looks confused by saying: "You look puzzled." "Is there something I have said which you don't quite understand?" This tactic may well attract questions from several members of the group, but do remember to smile when you ask the question. After all, you don't want to alienate anyone by making them look dopey.

The most important thing you can do is to look relaxed and happy to be there. Use humour whenever you can ...... that is really important.

Good Luck & Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[Glug]

As somebody who knows almost nothing about public speaking I'm going to suggest playing something from a CD as they walk in / sit down / or at the start that they might recognise (and maybe like) and then fade it out: You can't assume they all know what an accordion sounds like.  Something like the start of Allo Allo or maybe Maigret (Ron Grainer version) or the Amelie tune that's currently in a (UK)  advert, but there could well be licensing issues.  It runs the problem of being stereotypical but might get their attention and break the ice.

The other thought I had was that they will probably relate to PA better than CBA because they almost certainly have an idea of how piano keys work.

And demonstrating bass chords by playing the same chord on the treble first happens quite a lot.


Anyway, good luck with it

 

[Anatomicarnie]

Some brilliant ideas guys, thank you alll for your help.

Arnie

 

[AccordionUprising]

Only 20 minutes isnt very long, so dont try to say too much. Very worthwhile to practice with a timer in advance so you can decide what to leave out. 

Answering the basic: What the heck do all those buttons do? is a fun thing people can take home:
They play chords and make it easy to play waltzes, right next to each other, see?

If you can show them a reed block from inside, and how you can blow into it like a giant harmonica, thats an easy eye opener too.

I like to emphasize that the instrument is not that old, dating from the time of the typewriter, the telegraph, and steam ships. It shocks people if you tell them that pirates didnt play accordions or concertinas because they hadnt been invented yet.

And that its played in very different styles all over the world. Many people just think of it as an old fashioned thing in their particular region. So I like to mention classical players and punk-rock and metal bands using it. 

Tell a few stories about your own experience and how you came to like it. Or colorful stories about players you admire. Those human stories hold peoples attention i think.

That seems like a fun topic to talk about!

 

[JerryPH]

A few hours on YouTube will find you a lot about how its made and how they work, use that as a place to gleam ideas from:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+its+made+accordion