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Slideshow Party

Posted by Sound House on

Event Details

Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time: 5:30-7:30 PM 

Location: Sound House

Ages: 13-18

Max Participants: 10-15, sign up required

For this networking event, prepare a 5-10 minute Google slideshow about anything music-related and share it with other teenagers at Sound House. Slideshows can be funny and light-hearted or more serious and scholarly. This is meant to be an easy, fun, creative project that gives you an opportunity to practice sharing your interests with others. 

Let me know what you plan to make your slideshow about in advance so that we can avoid repeat presentations. Your slideshow must be shared with me via Google Drive by Wednesday, August 3rd. At the slideshow party, you’ll use my computer screen to present. At the end of each slideshow, we’ll open up the room for questions and discussion. This is a great opportunity to learn, share, and link up with other musicians who may be into the same stuff as you.

Slideshow topic ideas:

  • An instrument guide outlining different types of electric guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles, drums, etc.
  • A gear guide explaining different microphones, amps, pedals, etc. 
  • The best facts about your favorite musician or band.
  • The best facts about music used in one of your favorite shows or movies. 
  • A deep dive into one of your favorite songs, explaining the story behind the song, observations about the lyrics and music, and what it means to you. 
  • The story of a personal experiment or accomplishment, like how you started an indie band or wrote a song or booked a gig or joined an ensemble at school or auditioned for a talent contest. 
  • The story of your favorite live show. Who did you go see? What happened at the show? How were the live songs similar or different to the recorded versions? What was the venue like? What was the crowd like?
  • A guide to the inner workings of a fanbase. Are you part of this fanbase? If so, how did you become a superfan? Where did you link up with other superfans? What are the inside jokes, special words and symbols that get passed around in this fanbase?
  • A guide to what your favorite genre says about you. For example, “If you like bedroom pop, you probably sing in the shower and wish you could dye your hair a bold color.” Just make sure to keep it funny, friendly, and kind. 
  • A guide to what your preferred instrument says about you. For example, “If you play the drums, you probably don’t have an inside voice or you’re the shyest person in the room and really need to get it all out.” Just make sure to keep it funny, friendly, and kind. 

Other topics: Music videos, music business, social media promotion, home recording, studio recording, music education, an interesting skill you can demonstrate and explain, a music theory concept, costume design for shows, sound engineering, concert photography, etc. You can literally create your slideshow about anything music-related as long as it’s appropriate and kind-hearted. 

Example slides:

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Event Highlights

Nine musicians gathered at Sound House to present slideshows on the topics ranging from iconic live concert experiences to the history of metal to how your taste in Pop-Tarts might indicate your taste in music.

Before presentations, attendees each contributed a couple of song for a group playlist. You can listen to it below, but be aware that some of these songs do contain explicit lyrics.

After getting to know a little bit more about each others’ music tastes, we launched into slideshow presentations. Here are screenshots of some favorite slides:

Plenty of questions, comments, and conversations cropped up between slides and slideshows. Each presentation earned applause and a sticker (because you’re never too old for a cute puppy sticker). Participants were encouraged to share contact info with others who shared similar interests or had information to share with each other after our event.

Maddi, the owner of Sound House, shared a presentation on gigging which covered everything from preparing setlists to cold calling venues to following up with the DOS contact after performing. This information will be offered with more detail as a workshop in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who helped make our networking event a success. Stay tuned at SoundHouseVA.com or on Instagram @SoundHouseVA for more information about upcoming events.