Are you currently performing the last piece of your senior recital? Are you wondering who’s in the audience and why they bothered coming? Hello and welcome to Specht Pages, the true and supreme voice of Lawrence University. In this celebratory 31st issue, we will help you understand the motivations of the attendees of the capstone of your four years at Lawrence as a ukulele performance major. So sit back, relax and delight in reading Specht Pages as you perform your finale that you have secretly memorized.
Active Listener: These listeners actively try to absorb the spiritual-in-art which Kandinsky so famously wrote of in Freshman Studies. They potentially listen for a host of things such as intonation, phrasing, general effect and perhaps even musical expression (whatever that means). They likely will be watching you actively in addition to listening actively.
Passive Listener: These listeners appreciate your music. However, their preferred musical experience is as a passive listener. These concertgoers may enjoy reading, playing chess, texting, writing the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Specht Pages, day-dreaming (or downright sleeping) or even solving complex equations (or, more realistically, Sudoku) whilst you play your heart out. These listeners revel in the increased brain stimulation that occurs only at a concert of live, art music. They are likely to be in the back of the hall to avoid distracting others. Alternatively, these members of the audience may even feel ostracized enough to not even enter Harper Hall and resort to sitting on the couches right outside and listening on the television simulcast to avoid any judgment. Interestingly, your passive listeners can be transformed into active listeners given a particularly interesting moment of music.
Supporter/Patron: These folks may be your friends and sometimes family who attend your recitals and concerts. They encourage others in your friend group to attend as well as support you by saying that you have been working so hard. These people might very well be in the front row and will cheer the loudest. They might even make signs that say: Anthony Caparalli is my Homedog! The cool thing about this demographic is that there is a strong positive correlation between how much you participate on campus and the number of people who fit into this category at your recital. For each extracurricular group you are part of, you can expect at least one quarter of the members to attend as a supporter/patron. So, if you would like to increase the number of people in this category, join a non-music fraternity or sorority, a sport, a theme house and a variety of clubs such as the Secret Order of Kevins and Outdoor Recreation Club.
Obligatory Attendee: These folks can easily be mistaken to be a supporter/patron, but they may be attending against their preference. These are the people in your friend groups that your supporter/patrons invite, the members of your studio who would rather be practicing or be at a wine tasting, and your younger brother. They will be the last to stand during your Lawrence-sanctioned obligatory standing ovation. However, these members of the audience will really appreciate your post-recital food. Note that just as with your supporters/patrons, the more extracurricular activities in which you participate, the more obligatory attendees you should expect to see. In fact, there might even be more obligatory attendees than supporters/patrons in the audience. Also, if you perform well enough, you have the power and potential to transform obligatory attendees into supporters/patrons.
There you have it: An exposé of the people sitting right in front of you at this moment. We hope this has been enlightening for you, and don’t forget the F-sharp at the end!
“You heard it first from Specht Pages!”