Christmas and New Year may be over and done with, but that might not stop you from organising a house party all the same. Whatever it is you’re wishing to celebrate, hosting your own party can be a fun thing to do but can also be – as anyone who’s ever done it knows – a bit stressful. There’s usually a lot to plan and think about and a good host always makes sure their guests are having a good time.
So you’ve got the drinks chilling in the fridge or large, ice-filled receptacle. There are more than enough chairs and/or spaces on the couch to accommodate everyone. The food is on the dining table and you’ve played the thoughtful host by taking alternative diets into account. And if you’re playing it really safe: you’ve already stored away the breakable valuables for that extra piece of mind.
Image courtesy of Dana Robinson (Wikimedia Commons)
Now it’s just the music you need to sort out.
Crank it up
Music is a key component at any party and unless every guest likes the same genres and bands it’s always best to keep it diverse. For example: at our parties my housemate and his close friends all like the same music whereas my friends and I like a different sort. So it’s generally a 50/50 split in terms of what gets played.
So what are you going to play your music on? Everybody has their own different preferences for what audio device they use. You could stick to the classic Hi-Fi and basic speaker set-up if you’re only planning to play a select few albums from your collection or make a mix CD. Or if you’re a little bit more up-to-date you may have the latest digital MP3 player with an accompanying speaker and docking station. This method usually allows for greater selection without the changing of CDs.
Image courtesy of MIKI Yoshihito (Flickr)
Or a third alternative is to perhaps use a laptop or other mobile computer; perhaps hooked up to a speaker system as well. This is the option we sometimes go for at our gatherings (other times opting for a Hi-Fi system). Much like using an MP3 player it allows for more choice in what gets played with the ability to put everything into a neat playlist which can be added to and shuffled to hopefully keep everyone happy.
Whichever method works best for your own house party I can say from personal experience that it’s always a good idea to remain vigilant about what gets played, because you want everyone to get an opportunity to hear their songs without compromising other people’s tastes. Democracy, after all, finds its way into all aspects of our lives.
Glen Dorsett readily admits that he’s not much of a dancer at parties. But he doesn’t need to tell the people at Orgomans that fact.
