Narrator/Emcee

Producer/Narrator of Concerts for Young People

John Bertles has worked with orchestras, salsa bands, woodwind quintets, brass ensembles and even dixieland and zydeco groups, as well as with the organizations that hire them. He has helped to write scripts, choose repertoire and craft concerts designed for young people (see also Concert Development ). Much of this work came as the National Creative Consultant for the "Grammy in the Schools Concert Series" from 1997-99. During this time he chose the musical groups, narrated more than 90 concerts with 10 different ensembles in schools throughout New York City, and helped to choose, train and write scripts for other narrators in Miami and Los Angeles. He was the narrator for concerts by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (during which he introduced and interviewed famed jazz drummer Max Roach in front of more than a thousand children). He has also worked as a narrator for concerts for the Leonard Bernstein Foundation and New Jersey Chamber Ensemble, as well as regularly creating pre-concert activities for Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic.

Here are some areas that he can address:

Advise on choosing repertoire that is appropriate for children. It's not necessary to shy away from long or difficult pieces. It is, however, vital to present them in a way that engages the children and invites them to understand and enjoy the music. By creating a partnership between the repertory and the concept, the pieces can help choose the curriculum at the same time as the curriculum helps to choose the pieces.
Help to choose and train ensembles to speak and perform in front of young audiences. Not all musicians have an innate ability to do this; however, it is something that musicians can be trained to do.
Write scripts for concerts. While it is not always necessary to write word-for-word scripts (which tend to lose a certain dynamic quality) it is important to craft individual segments of the concert to be performed in a sequential manner. This lends a sense of direction and completeness to the event, and drives home the educational goal.
Narrate concerts. Typically during a concert he will introduce pieces, make connections between the educational goal and the pieces, interview players, interview audience members, engage audiences in participatory exercises either during or between the music (see photo below), etc. Sometimes he challenges the musicians to compete against his homemade instruments (an oboe vs. a plastic straw oboe, for example) with the ulterior goal being that the children see a similar instrument in a much simpler form - and one that they can make themselves (he always loses these competitions...). Having a single narrator over a series of concerts has proven to be especially effective, with students coming to regard Bertles as an ally and a companion on a musical journey.
Emphasis on understanding the music played - how it works, how it is constructed, under what circumstances it was written, etc. It is vital to provide multiple entry points to students, who often learn in different ways. To that effect it is important to show patterns and forms in the music, as well as drawing comparisons to other subjects and artforms.

Performing student-written "skyline melodies"
with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

Contact John Bertles

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