Let’s Write a Song Together

During a recent 30-minute songwriting workshop following a ”Be a Peacemaker” anti-bullying assembly program at a K-5 elementary school, I collaborated with a group of students to write an original song that would reinforce the messages learned in the assembly program. I often wonder about how much impact I can have on a group of students in a 50-minute assembly program but it became clear to me that at least one person was paying attention to the messages in the program.

The #1 Anti-bullying Message

I believe that the most important message of my “Be a Peacemaker” anti-bullying program is that in order to respect others and receive respect you must first respect yourself. I believe that the more self confidence a person has, the less likely they are bully or make fun of others or to become victims of bullying. I do this by explaining that we all possess an “inner magic” which could be a talent, ability, a passion or a potential for greatness which sets us apart from each other.  I encourage each student not only to explore their inner magic is but I explain that the #1 rule for being a Peacemaker is to treat others like they have magic inside and to “bring out the magic” in others.

Tingles up and down my Spine

The “AHA” moment for me came at the beginning of the songwriting workshop when I asked the kids to come up with a related topic or song title that they would like to write about.  Then a fourth grade student raised her hand and said “you told us that we all have magic inside and that our goal as peacemakers is to figure out what our inner magic is and to treat others like they have magic inside and to help others find their inner magic. Let’s write a song about that”.  Her comment brought an immediate smile to my face and sent tingles up and down my spine. We went on to write and perform a terrific original song called “Everybody’s Got Magic Inside”. Moments like this make it all worthwhile for me because at that moment it became clear to me that this girl’s life was changed for the better and as a result, it had a ripple effect which spread to the other students in the workshop.

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment.

Jeff

OK… you have one minute. Ready, Set, Go!

Each day I am faced with the monumental challenge of having a life changing impact on a group of several hundred elementary, middle or high school students… in 50 minutes. Truthfully, I know that I have less than one minute to capture and engage the audience’s attention or else the next 49 minutes will be an eternity of wandering eyeballs, private conversations, yawns and lack of attention.

The obvious way to get these challenging groups on your side is to engage them by making the experience fun and entertaining. This is relatively easy to accomplish, however when dealing with school audiences, there is a greater challenge. The fun and entertainment must be combined with important, life changing, positive messages in such a way that the students are engaged and the administration is satisfied that the students are receiving a benefit beyond pure entertainment.  Truthfully, I shudder at the thought of presenting a program to a group of students without having the assistance of some form of entertainment to include in my presentation.  However, I must know my audience and choose my material very carefully.

The “Amazing Magic Talking Drawing Board” is an example of an opening effect that I use for my younger audiences which captures their attention and sets the tone for the rest of the program. Check it out.

It is for this reason that many motivational performers remain pigeonholed into one specific age group as I was when I first started out. My programs were suitable for Pre-K-grade 3 audiences but the first time I tried performing the same program for a group of grade 4-6 students, wandering eyeballs and private conversations made it obvious to me that changes were needed.  The same issues arose when I transitioned to middle and high school students.  Now I can proudly say that I have age appropriate, engaging school assembly programs for every group of students from grade K-12.

Thanks for reading and please leave comments.

Jeff Blum

Can I Ask You a Question?

Interestingly, one of the most important things I do as a motivational performer happens on the very first interaction I have with a prospective client. I ask a simple yet powerful question that goes something like this… “which assembly programs have you had in the past that have worked out the best for you?” I ask this question for three reasons. First, it tells me if this is my client’s first time booking a program or if they have done  it before. Either way I am now better prepared to offer my advice. It also gives me great insight into what my client is looking for so that I can better communicate how and if my programs can fill their specific needs. Second, I learn more about what is available in my market and what other performers are doing that works. As a result, I may get an idea that may help to improve the effectiveness of my programs by making slight modifications.

Horror Stories!!!

But the main reason I ask the question is because it leads into the natural follow up question “Which assembly programs have you had in the past that didn’t work out quite so well for you?” The response I typically get at this point is a smile followed by a pause followed by a horror story that goes something like this… “Oh my God! it was awful! The kids just sat there staring into space! He went on and on and on and he had no idea they weren’t even paying attention. The principal had to stop the assembly to quiet the kids down three times. It was so embarrassing! I have also heard accounts of performers using inappropriate language, questionable actions and subject matter that quite frankly were shocking to me.

Who’s Responsible for Booking This Guy?

When booking an assembly program, your reputation and hard earned money is on the line. The last thing you need is to get approached by angry staff members and students asking “who’s responsible for  booking this guy?” You need to be sure that the person you hire will deliver what he or she promises. In the past, this required either relying on the performer’s biased description, calling and hopefully speaking to a past client’s reference, travelling across the state to preview the performer’s program, or having to rely on written testimonials that could be taken out of context or possibly even fabricated altogether.   But there a much better and much easier way…

Get it on Video

Below is a video of my past performances. You can not only see the performance but you can also see how I interact with the audience and you can also see their response. I also have numerous unsolicited video testimonials from past satisfied clients who were nice enough to share their experience on video. This way you can see exactly what you are getting before you book the program.

I Guarantee that your assembly program will be a success

In addition, I offer a guarantee of satisfaction that simply states:

“If you are HONESTLY not satisfied with my performance for any reason I will not accept your payment.”

Thanks for reading and please leave comments. I look forward to hearing from you.

Jeff Blum