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EngineeringMusic

Concert in Crisis: Live Production Command

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Grades 6-860-75 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students become the tech crew for a live concert with limited power, equipment, and time. They design the stage layout, how the sound travels, the lighting, and a backup plan. Then they keep the show going when something breaks just minutes before showtime.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • Decibel meter school device appBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • tape measureBorrow or school hasuse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

About $65 (estimate, some items still being priced) per class (class of about 30, 6 groups). Exceeds $25 per class.

Classroom cardboard or boxes can lower the cost.

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • LED lightsRequired224 lights with CR2032$9.99Amazon
  • rechargeable AA batteriesRequired212 batteries$17.71Amazon
  • small speakerRequired1price not confirmed
  • floor tapeRequired11 roll / 2 in x 36 yd$9.60Amazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

About $65 (estimate, some items still being priced) per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Materials

Microphone, speaker or music player; Cables; Lights (string lights or battery LED lights); Painter's tape (cable paths); Decibel meter school device app; rechargeable AA batteries; small speaker; tape measure; floor tape

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

  • Microphone, speaker or music player

    Microphone, speaker or music player

    No link

  • Cables

    Cables

    No link

  • Battery LED lights

    Lights (string lights or battery LED lights)

    Shop

  • Painter's tape

    Painter's tape (cable paths)

    Shop

  • Tape measure

    tape measure

    Shop

Steps

  1. Write the production spec. Criteria: sound level at the back of the room between 60 and 75 dB on a decibel app, every performer lit, set changes under 1 minute. Constraints: total LED and speaker battery use no more than 4 rechargeable AA batteries per show, cable runs no longer than 3 m, crew of no more than 4 students, and no cable crossing a walkway without tape-down. Note that sound spreads out and gets quieter with distance and that each light in a circuit uses battery energy. List impacts on the audience, like hearing safety (keep sound under 75 dB) and trip hazards from cables. List one impact on the natural environment, such as dead batteries thrown away, which is why the battery constraint allows only rechargeable batteries and a fixed number per show.
  2. Design at least two different stage plans, each with layout, speaker spots, light positions, cable paths with lengths, crew jobs, and a power budget showing battery count.
  3. Build a small model of each plan with LED circuits and a school device or small speaker. Measure sound at three audience spots including the back row, check light coverage, measure each cable run, count batteries used, and time a set change.
  4. Score both plans in a decision matrix against every criterion and every numeric constraint in the spec, using the measurements. Mark any plan that breaks a constraint.
  5. Build the winning plan. A circuit, microphone, cable or music player fails minutes before showtime: troubleshoot, change the plan live, and record what changed.
  6. Run the mini live show and turn in a technical report after the show with the spec, matrix, measurements and troubleshooting notes.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-1

    Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-2

    Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.