Conductor's Notes

Good afternoon!! Got a long update email for you all, so I guess let's just get into it!

FIRST, and this is comes with a big asterisk but it's still super awesome: on paper we're looking at the largest PlayaPops Orchestra SINCE PRE-COVID. Currently sitting at 49 registered players! This is amazing and all thanks to you and all your efforts to hit up your camp and friend networks to bring this group back into healthy numbers. KEEP IT COMING!! Please keep your ears open, and keep putting it out to the world that we are actively still seeking members. But by all means: recruit, recruit, recruit. Of course, feel free to send folks straight to me if that helps with questions etc, or just refer them to the "Participate" tab of playapops.com.

Okay here's the asterisk, and the main point of this email: Sign-ups on a website don't mean jack shit until we're actually all out on the playa together with instruments in hand. So in the spirit of "let's get as many registered folks feeling confident that they can actually pull this off," I would love you all to MAKE A PLAN and check all these boxes some time in the near future:

  • Do you have a ticket and are still planning to come out to the Burn? If you're still figuring that out, is there anything that's within our power to get you there? (And if you've already canceled but you're still on this list, please let us know so we can plan accordingly)
  • Check to make sure you have a playable playa instrument, music stand, and chair (for you sitting musicians)! If not, please let me know, that's an issue I might be able to help with. Bring extra valve/slide oil, reeds, repair kit, and make sure you know where you can store your instrument during the day so your shit doesn't get wrecked in the heat or dust.
  • Print your music and place the pages in a sheet protector, and place that shit in a binder! And then grab some chip clips and throw them in your concert bug out bag. Trust me, you're going to have a bad time if you just have loose sheets of paper out there.
  • PLAY ALONG WITH THE RECORDINGS! We only have 2 rehearsals, and some of you won't even be on playa until after the first one, so it's imperative that you do the prep work at home! The recordings of all our pieces can be found under the "Music" section of our website. Percussionist LUAP tracked down the recordings of Dance of the Hours, and Grieg's Peer Gynt/Morning Music, which are currently not uploaded.
  • Save our rehearsal/concert schedule on your phone, or your cal, or scrape it into your camper wall with an exacto knife - whatever helps you remember when and where we're playing. Note the distance from your camp to each spot (which we don't know yet but Poppy will message when we get that), and make a plan that will ensure you can get there on time! Speaking of which, here's the schedule...
    • Monday 4-6 rehearsal @ Red Nose
    • Tuesday 12-2 rehearsal @ Skinny Kitty
    • Tuesday 6:30 performance @Skinny Kitty
    • Wednesday: NOTHING
    • Thursday: 10:30am performance @ the Temple
    • Friday: 4:00 performance @ Red Nose
  • I messaged each section separately so you could start a conversation with one another regarding parts. If you're unsure of what part to play, feel free to message that group and see what the consensus is regarding need. You could also bring multiple parts and figure it out once you're there, but that would require you to either sight-read like you're Paul MF Fleming, or practice 2 parts, so beware on that one.
  • In case you're concerned with chop endurance and time commitments: We're looking at about 45 minutes of music if we go straight top to bottom without pausing. Adding in talking and claps and pausing for passing sound vehicles, that's an hour set. The Temple one is going to be a lot shorter but the other ones you'll probably be out of there in an hour. So you trumpet players out there, that's your endurance goal.

Okay, is that enough to-dos? Many of you are already on top of all this stuff, but if you've never played in an orchestra in the middle of a desert that is constantly trying to kill you, these tips should make for a smoother playing experience.

Hey! Thanks you all. As always, email Poppy or me with anything you got for us!

Love,
Ring Finger (aka Paul)