Whether you’re planning a product launch party, a milestone celebration, or a farewell dinner for your CEO, you should hire a jazz band. That’s because, in addition to food, your guests will be expecting high-class musical entertainment.
In the context of a corporate party, music needs to do more than entertain guests. It should also create an environment that encourages socializing, networking, and bonding. However, the type of music you provide will determine the quality of interactions your guests experience.
If your music is loud, your guests will have trouble communicating with each other. Agitating music will leave your guests on edge. If your music is soothing, your guests will feel relaxed. Further, if you choose music that is soothing, yet also activates the brain and stimulates creativity—like from a jazz band—your guests will feel deeply fulfilled and connected.
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Which Type of Music Should You Choose?
Knowing that music has the power to organize physical matter and affect people’s moods, it’s imperative to choose the right kind of music for your corporate event. Let’s look at the pros and cons of a few popular choices.
Hiring a Professional DJ
Your first thought might be to hire a professional DJ for your event. They’re readily available and really know how to pump a crowd. That kind of environment is great if you’re hosting an event where you want people to get up and dance. However, at a networking event, loud dance music makes it difficult to converse. Hiring a DJ is a better option for a party where dancing, not conversation, is the focus of the event. At a cocktail party, people are more interested in relaxing—and talking—with their fellow guests.
Hiring a Tribute Band
Tribute bands are fun, and people love watching their favorite legendary bands recreated without having to donate an entire paycheck for a ticket. Tribute bands present concerts where guests want to spend their time close to the stage, singing along with a beer in their hand. However, unless your guests are expecting a concert and happen to be fans of the particular band being featured, a tribute band will clash with their desires to converse and socialize at a corporate event.
You want your guests to connect with each other instead of focusing on the band. After all, you’re planning a corporate event, not a concert. Therefore, you should opt instead for a much more sophisticated style of music—like jazz from a jazz band.
“What is unique about jazz is that, while it is a popular form of music that will delight those guests who want to give it their attention, in the context of a cocktail party it also functions very naturally as ambient background music,” explains Chuck Braman, of New York Jazz Bands.
A Jazz Band Is the Best Choice for Your Corporate Event
When you consider all the angles, jazz is very likely the best choice for your corporate event. It’s the only musical style that:
- Is elegant, sophisticated, and intimate.
- Is uniquely appealing to all ages and all demographic groups.
- Can be listened to as well as function as background music.
- Is scalable to a wide range of budgets.
- Incorporates some of the best crafted popular music of all time, from the Great American Songbook standards popularized by singers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, to the classic Bossa nova music from Brazil.
According to science, jazz music relieves stress, boosts creativity, and stimulates the mind. When your guests are networking with each other, they’ll be exchanging ideas. And jazz is the only musical style that can facilitate and enhance that communication.
With its unique feature of musical improvisation that’s both stimulating and soothing, jazz will create a memorable experience for your guests.
