It looks like they know what they are doing...

You'd think that the top groups and the top solo artists would totally have (so to speak) their act together. They would know how to put together a song list, how to figure out when to talk and when not to talk, what to say and how much of it to say, how long to go on and how many encores to plan for.

And in some cases you would be right, but in a lot of cases you'd be wrong. The truth is that all of those elements of a performance have to be learned, and a lot of that learning is available to you in our Performance Package.

A number of years ago a group known to many of you came through town and I chatted with them for a while after the show. They told me they had recently spent hours and hours with an outside expert rebuilding their show, then rehearsing it down to the detail for several weeks. When I say down to the detail, their rehearsal included exactly where to put a bottle of water as well as exactly when and how to take a drink out of it.

You see, a performance like this is like a Broadway show. Every aspect of it, from the time you walk into the location until the time you leave, needs to be planned out, thought out, worked out and executed. That doesn't mean you have to be a robot and it doesn't mean you can't respond to the crowd, it means you can't perform by the seat of your pants and expect the show to work, your message to get across, or an automatic invitation to return.

If you've ever had the pleasure of watching Do Good Music Master Bob Kilpatrick perform live, and then had that pleasure again at another venue, you'll see why a prepared, rehearsed show that has been well planned and is well executed works. I've seen Bob do his show often enough that I can actually say some of the lines with him, and amazingly the show still seems fresh every time. That same kind of performance can be yours. All it takes is understanding what works, knowing what doesn't, and putting it together in a format that carries the message you want to the audience in front of you.

Performance Packages available:

• Performance review: $125
  This one is tricky, but it can work beautifully. You send us a video tape or DVD of your performance (no more than 1 hour) and we'll critique it and send you a written review, along with suggestions for modifications. Not as good as being there live, but this is a cost effective way to get a professional assessment of what you are doing now.

• Performance builder: $1050, plus expenses
  This is a live one or two day package, conducted with one or more of the DGM Professional staff or Masters. We will get together with a stage, full sound system, and maybe even a small audience, and we will work on your performance from top to bottom. At the end of our time together you will have a show that works from the time you take the stage to the time you sign autographs.

To sign up for either of these packages or to get more information, call us at 650-858-1324.