These 'graphs are interesting:
The location of the band is critical. "The musicians need a place to play that will honor the guests," explains Gedaliah Shofnos, a popular orchestra leader for more than twenty years, originally from America. "If they're stuck in a corner or put under a low ceiling off to the side, you get sound that's accentuated and louder than it should be -- not to mention disinterested musicians. The band also needs to have eye contact with the dancers." For these reasons, a central location in the hall, close to the center of the room, is crucial.People should be aware of these issues when deciding where the band should set up at their affair.
I hate it when this happens:
For example, at rabbonishe weddings, the entrance of every new rosh yeshiva invariably brings someone over to the orchestra to demand another round of "Yomim al yemei melech..."
"We can play Yomim for ten minutes until the guests have it coming out of their ears, but each time we start to play another song, someone comes over to tell us to play it again," Shofnos recalls. "The hosts should trust the band's judgment, and also assign someone as an intermediary, to tactfully say `no' to unreasonable requests."This usually happens on Purim as each Rebbi/Rov enters the room. It sometimes happens at weddings too.
Surprisingly, the catering can slow down the momentum of the band and the dancers... or extinguish it altogether. By serving the courses too quickly, too much time is freed up for dancing, which overtaxes the guests.This is something that many people don't realize. Often, the dance set will be either longer or shorter than necessary and people will naturally assume that this is the bands fault. The reality usually is that the caterer either needs more time to get the main course ready, or else, is trying to rush the event to keep it on schedule. In the NYC area, it's usually the caterer who decides the length of the dance sets and not the bandleader.
