On engaging with teenage audiences.

We must connect with the audience through music. They come from an urban culture where they’re constantly surrounded and influenced by the beats and tunes that define how they identify and live everyday life in their hoods. These kids know their music; they dance, they rock out, and they thrash because it allows them to let loose. If we can engage with them – make them feel comfortable to open up about music, they’d probably have a lot to show and say.

There are so many different mini markets of music followers. Rock, hip hop, electro-dance, punk, metal. My knowledge of this wide range of music allows for me to share something in common with various audience members and draw out their own music knowledge, their likes and their dislikes. This is the most effective means of polling audiences. Ask them what they listen to. See what they have to say about it. You know, a lot of their music knowledge often comes from older siblings – their range of knowledge is probably vaster than we know it is. We can get to know what they listen to; promote their music to them and to the audiences at home.