How to Organize a Music Festival

You love music and you always have. You want to carry out a music festival designed to attract music fans of all ages. Follow the steps and you'll organize a successful one.

◆Start by making a list of the local bands and artists that you like. You've taken this job because you love music, so put your taste to work for you. If you like these musicians, many of the local people will also like them. . You need to have many kinds of music for all age groups.

◆Find a great location that has much open space for outdoor festivals. You need to build a stage so the musicians can be seen from distances. . Not all towns need such license but it is a good idea to check before you start building. For an indoor location, you need to find a theater that is willing to give you enough space. .

◆Hire sound engineers to give the musicians all the help they need. . You can't expect the musicians to handle these problems because they are playing. Your sound and engineering experts will allow your stars to keep the music playing.

◆. If you are planning your festival for families, the last thing you want is a beer-swilling crowd starting a huge fight. Security people need to be present to make sure that nobody gets the idea that they want to start any kind of ruckus (骚乱).

A．You need to find security people.

B．We can find enough songs to get a lot of money.

C．Bigger sports stadiums will be perfect as well.

D．But remember, you are trying to attract fans of all ages.

E．People should have practiced many different songs.

F．You can find a location by going to the local government and asking for permission.

G．The last thing you want is that a group is on the stage but the speakers don't work.

There's one patient that Sarah Rose Black still thinks about. Back in 2019, the nursing team at Toronto's Cancer Center called to ask if she could reach out to a patient who had been there for about a week. The man was struggling, and unwilling to communicate with the workers or be part of any activities.

Black isn't a doctor or a nurse. Since 2013 she has played an important role for patients at the center as a music therapist (治疗专家). On any day, she might see one person who's anxious about an operation, another who's in need of a calm moment.

So, Black walked into the patient's room and introduced herself. She asked if she could sit and offer to play some music. In an effort to persuade him, she said, "If you don't like it, you can just tell me to leave." After some gentle urging, the man in his 70s, who had lung cancer, told her a few musicians he liked and then turned away to look out the window. But as she started to play one of his favorites, a change came over him. He turned towards Black and started to cry.

She stopped playing. "Do you want me to continue?" "Certainly," he said through tears. "It was as if the music reached places that nothing else could," recalls Black. The music showed up at a moment when it felt like a hug.

As Sarah Rose Black says, people have been connecting with music for their whole lives— she is just helping them use it again at a time when they need it most. 

"We have a heartbeat, so we have a drum (鼓) inside us; we are wired to be musical people," she says. She smiles softly as she reflects back on the experience.