Analyze the audience. Creative artists with a broad spectrum of musical performances often want to showcase their ability to move in and out of genres. For some audiences, however, this is a liability. A 60th birthday party would probably be better served with music from and around the era of the birthday boy or girl. Music festivals, however, often have music lovers with a wide variety of musical tastes. A repertoire across genres and styles would have a greater chance of acceptance.
Develop a list of prototypes. Prototypes are standards that are associated with a genre of music. Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ immediately conjures up visions of the 60’s. Joan Baez’s catalog is closely associated with folk music. Quintessential love ballads and party anthems abound throughout recent music history. Make a list of these prototypes and associate them with a genre. Determine a genre to showcase and select prototypes from that genre.
Understand comfort levels with musical boundaries as an artist. Stepping outside of a comfort zone is scary and exciting for an artist. She may long to develop a repertoire that includes rock alternative music that her R&B base wouldn’t like. Ultimately, it is a question of fear of rejection. If stepping out of the bounds of a standard repertoire means more than maintaining the same fan base, it may be a chance worth taking.
Decide how long the list will be. Longer lists provide more opportunity to experiment and come back to more comfortable standards. The artist also has the ability to showcase their abilities with more styles. Classical artists, for example, may perform concertos, sonatas and etudes instead of one or two styles. Short repertoire lists better serve more established artists who more likely have a proven track record with different styles.
Ask colleagues and teachers for advice. Students submitting repertoire lists for admission into school should consult with teachers to develop a repertoire lists. Other artists should ask their colleagues about songs that suit their talents. Often other people have a perspective on the artist and his style that the artist doesn’t have.
List pieces that have been rehearsed. A solid repertoire should include music that the artist is known for. Random selection of songs for their uniqueness should not be the sole reason for adding it to a repertoire. Arrange the song and practice it first before adding it to a repertoire. This will save lots of time in rearranging repertoire lists and musical sets.