Making the most of your live performances

If you’re a live-performing musician, that means you’re an entertainer. That means you should be thinking about how to entertain. The music, although important, is only one piece of the act.

If you want to perform live, you need to have something to show. That means you need to put together an act that can be repeated in multiple performances. If someone is watching your show, you need to find ways to keep them engaged. Why should they watch you? Give them a reason.

Think about visuals you can create to captivate your audience. Although you may not be able to control the venue itself, since it changes with each performance, there are many parts of your act that you can control, even when you’re first starting out with little to no budget. Here are some suggestions:

• Find a visual costume that is pleasing to look at. You might consider incorporating costume changes throughout your show.
• If you’...