Putting on a musical with pre-kindergarteners is an absolute adventure, full of tiny stars and big dreams! I always find it rewarding watching the kids come to life while performing.
While the focus is always on their performance, helping to remove some of the stress over setting up the sound makes a huge difference in ensuring everyone in the audience can hear the little ones belting out their favorite song!
You definitely don’t need to be a sound engineer to make your pre-k musical sound great, but there are some things that can help. Here’s a rough list in no particular order, of the audio tips that have helped us over the years.
1. Location, Location, Location: Choose Your Space Wisely
This one is probably not too much of an issue sound-wise, as I imagine you’re surrounded by books and tables and chairs and rugs and pictures and a thousand other trinkets scattered all over the place! These are all good for audio as they stop the sound from being too echoey. However, if you find there are echoes in your space, consider adding temporary sound absorption like blankets, curtains, or even MORE rugs to help “soak up” some of the sound! This will help the sound come across more clearly. The space leads us to the next point…
2. The Audience
This is not at all a deal breaker, but if possible, consider a performance for the caregivers. The amount of people likely to show at the performance will affect the space. We usually have more than one parent per child come along – so make sure there are enough seats!! Doesn’t matter if it’s a bit squashed. But if the space is too small, a filmed video of the performance goes down very well with the caregivers!
We sometimes use a little library space in our school – loads of books and rugs and chairs and room for the kids to perform and the parents to watch. Often we use a local church – they have the stage already set up, with lots of space for the audience. Plus they’re extremely nice people!
3. Basic sound set up
This is very dependent on where you choose to set up your musical, and how technical you want to get. I’ll write some more articles to help you choose the setup you want, but for this section we’ll go with a small very basic set up.
Your absolute best bet are decent bluetooth speakers connected to a phone or an iPad. If you don’t already have one, I can thoroughly recommend JBL, Ultimate Ears and Bose as the best bang for your buck. Bear in mind that the size of the room dictates the size of the speaker – for an average classroom something like the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 will be plenty of volume.
4. APPS!
You’re going to need something to play the music on. If you don’t already have an app you use, I can recommend VLC for iOS (iPhones and iPads) and for Android, I hear good things about Musicolet, and AIMP
5. Playback Practice!
Whatever you have the backing tracks on, you need to practice using the apps and equipment to make sure you have a handle on troubleshooting in the event of an issue. Most audio equipment these days is rock solid, but knowing your way around the bluetooth settings on the speaker AND your phone or iPad is important! If you’re not sure, a lot of bluetooth speakers also have an 1/8th inch input jack you can link directly to your iPad or phone, which will guarantee sound comes out of the speaker!
6. The Importance of a Sound Check
Before your audience arrives, do a full sound check with your performers. This is crucial for two reasons. Firstly, for the kids, it’s important to get them used to the space if they haven’t sung there before. Secondly it’s important to make sure it’s working well before the audience shows up. Have them speak and sing at their normal volume. If you’re using microphones, adjust the balance of microphone and music playback levels to ensure everything is balanced and clear. Listen from different parts of the room to catch any dead spots or areas where the sound is unclear. REMEMBER – encourage the kids to sing loudly and confidently! If an audience is there, it can be a bit of a shock for the little performers, and they’ll need continuous encouragement to sing out!
7. Cables: Tidy and Taped!
Loose cables are a tripping hazard and can lead to connection issues. If you have cables running on the stage, use gaffer tape to secure them all to the floor, especially in high-traffic areas. Labeling your cables can also save you a lot of time and frustration during setup and teardown.
8. Recruit some help!
I’ve placed this last, as it’s not possible for everyone. But if you can, even with a simple setup, find a dedicated person to manage the sound during the performance. You’ll find it invaluable, and you’ll be able to concentrate on coaching the kids. This could be a parent volunteer, another teacher, or even an older student. They can adjust volumes as needed, mute microphones when not in use, and troubleshoot minor issues, allowing you to focus on directing your little stars!
I hope this helps a little bit. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have more tips that have helped you out over the years, or questions that we or someone else in the community may be able to help out with!
