01
Charts
Writing one people can read at speed, and reading one you were handed ten minutes ago.
Lesson 06
Music director
A music director turns a set list into something a band can play together, then keeps it together while it is happening.
Drums, bass, keys and guitar in one room, with somebody in front of them making decisions.
- Format
- Live room
- Runs
- Days 02–03
- Works on
- A full band
- Kit
- House backline
Watch
Sessions from the room
Charts
What we cover
02
Cues
Hand signals, talkback and the small vocabulary a band needs in order to follow you.
03
Arranging on the fly
Cutting a verse, changing a key, adding a repeat — without anybody in the room noticing.
04
Playing for the song
Restraint as a technique. What to leave out, and why it makes the part.
What you leave with
- Charts your band can read
- A set of cues the team shares
- A rehearsal that fixes the right things
Before you ask
This lesson,in detail.
Do I need to read music?
Charts, yes — and you will learn to read one quickly. Full notation is only taught where it earns its keep.
Which instrument should I bring?
Whichever one you actually play. Drums, bass, keys and guitar all get time; the backline is here.
I am the only musician on my team. Is this useful?
Yes. Most of directing is preparation, and preparation is what a small team needs most.
What if I freeze in front of a band?
Common, and it fades. Three days puts you in front of one often enough that it stops being an event.
The rest of the programme
In their own words