Magnolia Jazz

Intellectual Curiosity and Wedding and Party Music

magnoliajazz — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Today it happened again! My curiosity did me in again. Like the proverbial cat.

“Intellectual curiosity” might sound pretty arrogant, I suppose, but it feels right. It’s the urge to think about ideas. The willingness to follow our nose and try to figure things out. I just wonder about all the ideas swirling around me, and my appetite for more information knows no bounds.

Today’s mail brought Foreign Affairs, and I felt like saying “Oboy, reading this is going to be so interesting” and “Oh Geez, I haven’t finished the New York Times Magazine yet”.

Does this dilemma happen to you, too? I keep thinking I want to know more, understand better, but there’s too little time to cram it all in.

I’m an impulse buyer for thoughtful opinions. So every year I subscribe to a few more periodicals and cancel a few others. This year’ revolving entries are the NYTimes (Sundays), The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and The Atlantic. And the perennial MacWorld and MacLife — they’re always on my list. Recent years have seen the the Wilson Quarterly, Hoover Digest, Lapham’s Quarterly, and many more.

Magazines subscriptions are small potatoes. Email newsletters really kill me. I already receive more personal and business email than I can handle. Nevertheless, every week I sign up for a few more free newsletters that look fascinating and useful, and every Monday morning I unsubscribe to at least as many. So much for my intellectual curiosity!

Despite the frustration, I’m glad for this torrent of ideas. I believe that the more wide-ranging information I acquire, the more effective and creative I’ll be at helping people plan music for their weddings and parties.

Still, I wonder: Is it just me, or are we ALL suddenly deluged with a tsunami of more information than was ever available? And at the same time, does it make us struggle to restrain our intellectual curiosity?

What a wonderful, frustrating way to live! How about YOU? How do you handle your intellectual curiosity?

Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate your interest and hope you get a few good ideas here. Please comment and continue this conversation. I’ll reply to you, and so will others who share your interest. You’ll make new connections.

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The Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood. In the meantime, please join our Facebook fans to receive daily tips for planning wedding and party music and to receive reminders for our public events.

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

magnoliajazz — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Apple

On a personal note, my wife loves oatmeal, especially with cinnamon on top. I know eating oatmeal is healthful, but what are the benefits of cinnamon? Anybody?

Every morning I wake up Bunch with a cup of coffee and a cup of freshly-made oatmeal. Yeah, right, what a guy! Thanks to The Bright Side, for this beautiful photo. One of these days, I’ll start adding some apple to the oatmeal.

Beside the cup, I always put an envelope of sweetener (which may be hazardous) and a shaker of cinnamon (which might be a wonderful remedy for her diabetes, if she had any). She’s never asked me about the benefits of cinnamon, but I’m curious.

This morning I set out to discover what I’m actually doing to my poor wife with all this cinnamon every day. Some years ago I studied nutrition. That was before they invented DNA, so lots of what I learned must be out of date by now, and I need to catch up. I’m no medical or health expert, but I am curious, I know how Google works, and I’m not afraid to use it!

For a little research project like this, Wikipedia’s entry on “Cinnamon” is usually my first stop. I understand that Wikipedia entries are continually rechecked for accuracy and updated, so I trust the information I find there.

On Wikipedia I learned about cinnamon’s History, Cultivation, Uses, Nutritional Value, as well as Medicinal Effects and much more. What about the benefits of cinnamon? So far, in addition to controlling diabetes, blood pressure, ulcers, and a few other things, cinnamon might have some anti-viral action, that might help combat HIV and some cancers. It’s all very unclear.

I found no reference to any serious hazards from a cinnamon overdose, so it looks like we’ll continue dosing Bunch’s oatmeal with cinnamon. Can’t hurt, might help.

How about YOU? Do you enjoy eating cinnamon? What other spices do you like? Have you looked into their health benefits?

I Thought I Knew How to Use Social Media

magnoliajazz — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

image from dmn3.com

I began blogging in September 2007. A few months later I posted a few thoughts about how to use social media, particularly those new online networking programs — Facebook, LinkedIn, and Plaxo.

At the time, I was excited about the prospect of online networking, and expected it would be a great way to be more efficient and effective. Actively engaging with people on these sites would add to how we share information, ask questions, and get answers. As we learned how to use social media, each new link would expand our circle of contacts, so more of us could work together.

For those of us who contact lots of people all the time, learning how to use social media would introduce a new way to play the old game. Or introduce an entirely new game. Or both.

Well, that’s what I thought then. My perspective on how to use social media has shifted a little. I’m not a social media expert, and never will be. I spend my time as a musician, performing, managing my band, networking, and discovering how to use social media to market the band.

The world of social media has exploded since 2007. Facebook and LinkedIn are much more powerful and useful now. I’ve abandoned Plaxo, but I’m much more active on Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Pinterest. Who knows what opportunities will come along tomorrow?

These days, my blog IS my website. Despite the dramatic growth in social media, I’ve come to regard my blog as the hub of all this online activity. That is, all the contacts I establish on Facebook and all the rest ultimately wind up as traffic to my blog. And all along the way, I invite people to call or email me to either leave me a comment, ask me a question, or (whenever the time is right) reserve the band for their next celebration.

Five years from now, this assessment will probably seem hopelessly naive, However, these days, I believe the blog is “where it’s at”, and everything else serves to drive traffic to the blog. For marketing my band, Facebook and the rest are “the means”, and my blog is “the end”.

How about YOU? Do you know how to use social media? As the “best practices” keep changing, is your blog “the tail” or “the dog”?

Marketing with My Weekly Newsletter

magnoliajazz — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

My weekly newsletter helps me market the band efficiently. It keeps me in touch with friends, colleagues, previous clients, and prospects.

It’s content is simple. I select one of my recent blog posts, comment on it or look at it in a different way, and I announce our next public appearance. This picture is part of the weekly newsletter from last week.

Short, sweet, and informative.

Since 2008, I’ve been blogging about my life. Entertaining at weddings and parties, what it’s like leading a jazz band, the music we play, and some of my favorite colleagues, clients, and celebrations. The weekly newsletter always presents some (hopefully) new and interesting news.

The band has been entertaining people for over 37 years now. That’s lots of parties, lots of colleagues, and lots of clients. I’ve been emailing this weekly newsletter to every one of them (unless they’ve unsubscribed), and visitors to our website can subscribe right there, with just one click.

What’s this weekly newsletter’s purpose? I’m trying to attract people to visit my website regularly, not to buy my merchandise or online services, but to call and reserve us to entertain at their next special celebration. Or to recommend us to their friends and clients. I want to stay on people’s minds, and emailing my weekly newsletter accomplishes this, as does all my activity on social media.

The weekly newsletter is a guaranteed conversation opener, as are posts on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn. People regularly thank me for sending this brief weekly newsletter, and as long as it brings them to my website, it’s serving it’s purpose well.

How about YOU? Are you sending a weekly newsletter, too? How is it working?

Planning Music for an Elegant Event

magnoliajazz — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Magnolia Jazz Band in Saratoga, 2012

Here we are last Thursday, entertaining at a stylish cocktail party in Saratoga. What an elegant event! Set in the lovely patio of the Preston Wynne Spa, the party benefitted Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, a wonderful organization that provides support and education to end domestic violence. Thank you to Bettina Kohlbrenner, the event chairperson, for the beautiful photos.

Our mission: Provide an upbeat, sophisticated musical atmosphere that will encourage people to feel comfortable and enjoy their conversations at this elegant event.

Easy. This is something we do all the time.

How do we start? As always, we chat with the hostess and some guests and judge (and ask) what their favorite music might be. In this case, it sounded like a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” kind of group, so we began playing elegant favorites like “The Way You Look Tonight”, “Moon River”, and “All the Things You Are”.

Bingo! Everyone got right into the mood and the party was a great success from the start. Between visits to the lavish buffet, the guests sat at cocktail tables and enjoyed wine, hors d’ouvres, and the late afternoon sunshine.

They loved all our George Gershwin and Cole Porter tunes. Throughout the evening, we played a few requests, too. Occasionally we spiced things up with a few Beatles, Elvis, and Sinatra classics and an occasional Bossa Nova.

Midway, our hostess made brief presentation about Next Door’s current work and awarded a fabulous raffle prize (donated by Deja & Co). Then we resumed with more of the same music, and eventually brought this wonderful evening to a close.

How will YOU plan music for your next elegant event? How about asking your guests about their favorite tunes?

Use Wedding Reception Themes for Planning Music

magnoliajazz — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Are you planning a party? Wedding? But you’re unsure where to begin? Here’s a tip. Select a theme — like any of the following wedding reception themes — to help you create the highlights and fill in the details.

Wedding reception themes make it easy to organize your celebration. ANY celebration, actually, not only weddings. Stretch your imagination — sky’s the limit! You can use wedding reception themes for graduation parties, a company banquets, informal block parties, festive holiday parties, or professional networking meetings. Anything!

Magnolia Jazz Band in Palo Alto, 2011

Here we are at a “Masquerade Ball” party last New Year’s Eve.

Using wedding reception themes gives you a tremendous advantage, which I referred to in a recent post on my Facebook Page.

Got a favorite secret for a successful party? I often recommend using a “theme” to systematically coordinate important details like arranging the music, and all the rest: invitations, publicity, food, flowers, colors & decor, photography, party favors, timeline, costumes, activities, and toasts.

I’ve seen hundreds of wedding reception themes, and any one of them can inspire your next celebration. Think of them by categories — here are just a few I’ve seen:

Holidays — picnic, Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, birthday, anniversary, Halloween
Books and Movies — Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Casablanca, Star Trek, Cowboys, Harry Potter, Tim Burton, Star Wars, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Historical Times — Roaring 20s, King Arthur, Big Band Era, Victorian Era, Rock and Roll, Wild West
Bride’s & Groom’s favorites — songs, places, colors, artists, hobbies, occupations, interests, ethnic background
Location, Cities, and Countries — beach, picnic, forest, tropical, Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Hawaii,
Seasons and Colors — summer, fall, winter, spring, pastel, pink, yellow, red, gold, black & white

Naturally, there’s more than one way to plan music for a party, but using a wedding reception theme is a great one!

How about YOU? Did you use a theme for your last party? How did it help?

Today I’ll Celebrate a Birthday

magnoliajazz — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Today is Family Day around here, and I’m going to celebrate a birthday! Nearly every day I’m helping people with music for their weddings and parties. And most of my blog posts focus on this music. I’ll entertain at cocktail parties yesterday and tomorrow, and I’ll blog about them Sunday. But today I’m breaking the routine to celebrate a birthday. Not my own, though.

Bernie Plasencia's pre-birthday party

My mother-in-law, Bernadine (Bernie), is 92 years old today! She’s been living with us a little over three years now. It’s our privilege to help her now that she needs our support. Here is a photo of a dress-rehearsal birthday party we held for her several weeks ago.

Parents take care of their young kids when they can’t live on their own, and the kids return the favor when the tables turn. It’s what moms and dads do, and it’s what their kids do. Last August I wrote my thoughts about why Bernie’s joining our household has been a blessing.

Preparing a party to celebrate a birthday for Bernie got me thinking about mothers. And how we return the favors for all the help they give us. Mother’s Day is approaching in a few weeks, and what better day to say “Thank you!” Of course, every day is the perfect time for a party, and last April I wrote a few thoughts about creating a Mother’s Day party.

Celebrating Mother’s Day is wonderful, and I hope you’ll get involved — giving a gift, or receiving, one, and maybe both. Here I am, about to celebrate a birthday for my wife’s mother, and we’re planning a great party. It’s part of how I honor the one person who most made my wife the person she is.

How about YOU? How do you like to celebrate a birthday? How about your mother’s birthday?

Wedding School – for Planners and Their Associates?

magnoliajazz — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

If you want to become a good wedding planner, you can attend a wedding school, read books, and sign up for a planner certification program, like the APCWC. Many sources of training are available, including the ever-popular “school of hard knocks”, where you learn whatever you can by recovering from your mistakes.

And as you gain experience, with or without a wedding school, it’s inevitable that you’ll make a ton of mistakes. The wedding planner’s job is extremely detail-oriented, calls for boundless imagination and vision, requires infinite patience and people-skills, and demands the relentless drive of an expert project coordinator. There are always SO many loose ends to create and keep tied up!

All of these training methods can give you a decent grasp of the fundamentals. But I believe you’ll receive the very best training when you assist an outstanding wedding planner. Select a mentor or two, and learn as much as you can from working with experts. Eventually you’ll develop your own style.

Robbie Schlosser chats with Sasha Sousa

Wedding planners rely on many associates, including facilities, florists, photographers, caterers, and entertainers like me. Regardless of how we learned our own craft, how do WE learn to work effectively with a planner?

Here’s one way: Talk with wedding planners. Here I’m chatting with outstanding planner Sasha Sousa at a recent reception. Thanks for the photo, Danny Nguyen.

In my own experience, I recommend speaking with many planners, to gain a broad appreciation of the scope of their work and how your contribution fits in. Speak with each planner you’ll work with to learn specifically what she expects from you. And she will want to know specifically what you expect from her. Learn her style of working and communicating, and adapt to it. Offer to help, and be useful.

When it finally comes time to “do your thing”, do a perfect job, on time, first time. Always be prepared to do more than she expects.

A wedding planner’s associates don’t need to attend wedding school (although it couldn’t hurt). In my experience, speaking and working attentively with a variety of planners provides excellent training.

A formula for continual improvement: Give each event your all, and regard each event as a dress rehearsal for the next one.

How about YOU? Have you trained formally for whatever you do? Was working with a mentor helpful??

Planning Anniversary Music

magnoliajazz — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Planning anniversary music for a memorable party is easy, despite this list of exclusively contemporary music. Instead, we planners have several “built-in” landmarks.

For example, we know the year the happy couple got married, and we know how many years ago that was. So we can search for songs that were popular that year, and we can search for song titles and lyrics that contain that anniversary number.

In addition, most cultures have traditional wedding anniversary music. With a little creativity, we can tap these traditions according to the couple’s family backgrounds, where they met, or where they’ve lived or visited.

Of course, when we help anyone plan their party’s anniversary music, we rely on a few tips that apply to planning music for any party. Let me describe some of my favorites.

First, early in every planning conversation I ask the couple, “What’s your favorite music?” — songs, artists, bands, instruments, eras, and styles. Do you enjoy dancing? Singing?

Their favorites often include sentimental songs from their courtship days, wedding reception, and other personal landmarks. Their favorites also might include songs with their names in the title or lyrics.

I recall one wedding processional when the bride named Wendy asked us to play “Windy” (recorded by The Association back in 1967. Remember that one?). I bet she’ll include the same song in her party’s anniversary music some day.

How about YOU? Have you ever helped anyone plan their party’s anniversary music?

A Successful Blog for Wedding and Party Music

magnoliajazz — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Magnolia Jazz Band's first blog, 2007

Everyone wants a successful blog, but what makes a blog successful?

Depends on what you’re aiming for. For example, I’ve been blogging since 2007. The blog has changed quite a bit since then, but my objective has always been to market my band.

To have colleagues and prospects think of us whenever they need lively, elegant music for a wedding or party. The successful blog keeps loyal clients loving us — returning and recommending us to their friends and clients.

For me, the band’s successful blog adds new engagements to our schedule. Along the way, the blog reflects my thoughts and feelings and invites a steady flow of interesting conversations, online and off.

Do you know how many blogs exist today? I recently read it’s estimated about 250 million, and I’m sure they pursue a great many objectives. For example selling something, sharing ideas, spreading information, building a mailing list, or advocating a cause. Often several of these. Sometimes a blog simply serves as a creative outlet.

Whatever it’s objective, the successful blog achieves it’s aim. No surprise here.

There are many variables. For example a successful blog may need to reach only a limited audience or it may need to be accessible world-wide. It may require 100,000 readers or it may require only 100 to be successful. It may require readers to keep returning or it may accomplish the goal in one visit. It needs to consider how important is content, posting frequency, structure, promotion, engagement, and “voice”?

To cover all these situations, and more, we can learn blogging strategies and techniques from hundreds of “experts”. People with all kinds of backgrounds in fields like internet technology, SEO, marketing, psychology, as well as practical business experience, offer advice reflecting their expertise. They teach us so many ways to regard our blog, and who knows, probably all are important.

Thank goodness for all these experts! Blogging is still an infant phenomenon, and we’re wise to develop a well-balanced perspective.

How about YOU? Are you a blogger? How are you learning to create a successful blog?