Live Holiday Background Music at the Nature Center
When Becky, the assistant manager at Runge Nature Center, contacted me about playing holiday music at an event in December, I jumped at the opportunity.
I have always enjoyed visiting Runge to hike the trails, view wildlife, and attend educational programs - and bringing live music to the space was going to be such a treat!
They needed two hours of holiday background music for an event where families could drop in to learn about nature, do activities, and enjoy the day together. The music would provide an added ambiance to the space and an extra festive touch.
I pulled together some of my favorite holiday music - everything from “Silent Night” to The Nutcracker to “Jingle Bell Rock.” Several of the pieces were for the solo flute while others had a background track accompaniment to add a little extra pep.
When the day arrived, I fell in love with the space, the volunteers, and the lovely guests who dropped in throughout the event. The room was ideal for live music with the flute’s sound floating effortlessly around the conversations. It was enough for guests to enjoy without distracting from the main event.
For most people, seeing a flutist playing alone is quite unusual, and many were intrigued by the experience and surprised at how beautiful it was.
There were several chairs set up, and I’d occasionally have a small crowd of people sitting for a bit to enjoy the music and beautiful Christmas tree next to me.
Some of my favorite moments from the day were:
A volunteer commenting about how much he enjoyed my selections from The Nutcracker, because it brought back memories of when his daughter danced to it when she was younger.
An active toddler sitting still and listening for half an hour! I was so surprised at how engaged and absorbed he was in the music, and I’m sure his grandmother appreciated the break!
And at one point, I looked up from my music and saw a young couple relaxing together to the familiar Christmas melodies. They seemed so much in love, and it was a pleasure to have facilitated such a sweet moment.
The two hours of background music flew by, and before I knew it I was finished playing! I felt so happy being able to share music with everyone, and was rewarded with several generous compliments as I packed away my things.
A few days later, I received this wonderful note from Becky, the manager who hired me:
Katie's music enhanced our family-friendly event and created an ambiance that all visitors could enjoy. The music was appropriate for all ages and the mixture of music melodies was a perfect fit for our needs. I would recommend Katie for any event as she was an absolute pleasure to work with and from our visit beforehand, created the perfect list of music to engage visitors.
- Becky Matney, Assistant Manager, Runge Conservation Nature Center
What an all around wonderful experience - I really can’t wait to do it again!
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