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For the first time in nine years, Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy is breaking away from performing music by The Beatles with “Guardians of the Galaxy Live in Concert.”
Less than a week out from a scheduled performance in Vacaville, ticket sales are struggling.
“I’m a little frustrated that ticket sales are really low right now,” said President and Artistic Director Benjamin McClara of SPMA. “I hope that there is enough support to do the show.”
McClara says that if there isn’t a significant increase in ticket sales by the day of the show, it’s going to hurt the academy.
The “Guardians” show plans to feature selected songs from the first two films in the franchise. The music will be performed live by SPMA students and professional instructors/musicians.
The students at SPMA, all but one of whom practice guitar, participate in one private lesson and one group session each week. The students learn and practice the songs for “Guardians” as McClara writes them. The process has been two years on the backburner, but now it’s turned front and center.
“I transcribe and I score and I arrange all the music for the shows,” says McClara. “While I’m writing the music and scoring the music, at the same time I’m writing parts for my students to play.”
For those two years of composing, McClara has progressively given his students more songs to learn, now with enough for a show, he says.
The goal of SPMA is to teach students, not only how to play the guitar, but also the logistics of working as a professional musician, says McClara.
“We work year-round teaching students music that will ultimately be performed on a large stage alongside a professional rock orchestra, so it’s a tremendous experience for these kids,” says McClara.
The band’s show at Vacaville Performing Arts Theater is one of four on their tour, which McClara says teaches his students about a vital part of the music industry.
The band performing the songs is large, with over 30 people on stage, only nine of whom are SPMA students. The rest are professional musicians and members of a partnering choir, Reconciliation Singers Voices of Peace (RSVP) Choir of Sacramento.
One reason for low ticket sales could be the transition away from Beatles music, says McClara.
“The tradition of this band is, we’re The Beatles Guitar Project,” says McClara.
“I definitely think that there is a barrier that comes along with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,” he says. “People don’t know what ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is and so they dismiss it. So we’re definitely losing some fans and taking a risk.”
However, their first performance, in Folsom, proved worth it, he said. “The reception was enthusiastic,” said McClara. “The crowd was on their feet.”
Even for those unfamiliar with the box office success of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, the featured soundtracks are impossible to escape in pop-culture, with songs like “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede and “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5 enjoying a rebirth in popularity.
One former SPMA student, now an adult, is returning to sing “I Want You Back,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Cherry Bomb” by the Runaways, says McClara.
“All the songs, they really help tell the story in the movie, which is totally intricate and unique,” he says. “Guardians of the Galaxy is a diamond in the rough. It’s a needle in a haystack. It’s a total anomaly and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime movie.”
A fund-raising code can be applied to any tickets purchased online. The code, JEPSONAU20, supports Jepson Middle School Vacaville Band Boosters. The band director, Justin Au, plans to make a special appearance at their Jan. 18 show.
Learn more at sacprepmusic.com
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