Craig Parsons - Cell Phone Symphony

“CELL PHONE SYMPHONY” is a great interactive piece that makes a memorable ‘opening’ or ‘closer’ for any event.

The entire audience “plays” their cell phones along with an ensemble of pro musicians.

We use a tune that meets the following requirements: 1.) Everyone knows it. 2.) It’s easy to play with very few notes 3.) It’s ‘heroic’ or ‘inspirational’ 4.) It would be easy to orchestrate with professionals musicians

Here’s how it works:
• First, the audience takes out their cell phones and puts them on “speaker”.
• Second, they learn the tune on their phones.
• Third, ‘ringers’ come on stage – client people who’ve learned the tune in advance. They stand stage left and right holding their phones up to mics.
• Finally, we all perform the piece.

Dividing the audience into four groups (each with their own ‘note’) I conduct them—they play when I point at them. This is the same technique I use when doing the audience drum ensemble and it ALWAYS works.

On stage is a small ensemble of musicians (anywhere from 12 players all the way up to a full orchestra of 70.) The pros play the theme first and then the audience joins in.

The ‘ringers’ play and their sound is amplified. They are like the section leaders in the church choir; they do it right and all the rest follow along and feel good about the results.

OPTION: We can also have the orchestra play other ‘cell phone tunes’ in a medley to set this up—thus, adding to the entertainment factor. With any of the options, this is great fun and a totally interactive crowd pleaser. Yes, but what about the business message behind this?...

THE BUSINESS MESSAGE OF THE “CELL PHONE SYMPHONY”—

* Working outside your comfort zone. * Integrating your contribution to the whole effort. * Creating as an ensemble. * * Embracing play as an agent for excellence. * Putting ego last and performance first. *

All of my presentations relate directly to a business message. The interactive parts are always fun, there are always a lot of laughs and there are always messages delivered.

The “CELL PHONE SYMPHONY” relates to the workplace in several ways. All of the following flows out of my “ORCHESTRATING THE FUTURE” speeches and workshops. These business points can also be adapted to incorporate client messages.
• PERFORMING AS ONE—Just as the symphony is made up of talented individuals who come together to create something beyond the scope of one person, so to is the company and its effort to look forward to even greater accomplishments. The better we work together the better the result.
• THE SPIRIT OF PLAY—We play music, we don’t ‘work’ it. Psychologists have documented changes in brain activity that increase productivity when we are relaxed and having fun. Maintaining that sense of well being and positive energy while doing something work related is key to fostering growth.
• MANY VOICES, ONE SONG—In an overwhelmingly complex and noisy world, a single voice is seldom heard. But together we can rise above the din and our message can be heard. A single cell phone playing by itself is too feeble to make an impact but combine it with a couple hundred others and it’s a force unto itself. It adds to and strengthens the ensemble of the orchestra.
• THE VALUE OF EACH PERSON—Dividing work between departments is the definition of corporate organization. In our Cell Phone Symphony, we divide up the tones that make up the tune. By itself any single tone is meaningless; however, together they create an anthem of inspiration. Conversely, if you drop out any one of the tones, the piece falls apart and is incomplete, just as the corporation would be if you removed any single department, division or, in some cases, person.
• INSPIRATION COMES FROM UNLIKELY SOURCES—Who would look at an everyday object like a cell phone and see the makings of a new orchestral ‘voice’? This is the nature of creativity—looking at the world around you and seeing it in a new way, then acting on that vision to invent startling new innovations.