For seniors, though, this connection is invaluable. Thank you, Allen, for writing this article, and thank you, Dave, for publishing it. Rose’s fee is usually $100, sometimes a little more or a little less. Some places only want to do $100-150. This is a study of low expectations with regard to pay. But , I have noticed that the age of the residents is getting younger and I now find that I play 1940’s to 1980 material, including some Billy Joel, Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor etc. But I’ve recently performed my Tour of the Universe slide show remotely and it worked well. The ones that sort of ‘wash out’ I have found don’t even adequately appreciate the initial free hour of music and I have learned to locate the better ones. That just tells me you are not confident in your professionalism and self worth. Thanx — very informative. I almost invariably get paid for seniors’ performances –– not to say I won’t do “freebies,” but I’m well aware that every seniors’ residence, nursing home, recreation program, and social club budgets for “outside” entertainment. Among the musicians “working the seniors’ circuit” in Rochester NY, I am mid-to-low-priced, and am booked more frequently than most others I know. Last year I did 165 gigs of which 18 were paid. Since I enjoy writing, and select topics aside from strict self-promotion, the newsletter seems well received. This means that you have to transmit your account info to them, which I wouldn’t do via e-mail; I sent it “snail mail” so it couldn’t be hacked. I play and sing for Seniors in the Tacoma, Washington area. How a performer adjusts to provide the best program is a function of a) pre-event discussions with the sponsor, b) flexibility, and c) experience. When playing a larger auditorium, or large outdoor space, I will bring a “column” PA; I use the Fishman SA-220 SoloAmp, which is adequate for up to 300 audience size. I haven’t booked with them in two years. Here’s a thought to help find appropriate shows for your venue: Ask your ‘Green Light’ acts if they know of anyone else who is willing to play. While the core of my seniors’ repertoire has remained fairly unchanged for years, I’m always adding and subtracting at the margins. I work with a jazz pianist, and we put together hour-long programs of music featuring songs plus a few stories about how particular songs came to be written. As was mentioned in another comment, the age and tastes of senior is changing. God bless em! Best of luck with your shows! Thanks! Contact Dr. Uke. My Wild Irish Rose* I’m very fortunate to have found and developed a “niche” playing music in my community (Rochester NY). Anyone have a template Agreement for the facilities regarding payment, etc. . Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Frosty the Snowman I rarely do homes where people have dementia. Thanks for a great read. Presents a songbook featuring 150 classic songs, including such favorites as "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Here, There, and Everywhere," and "Wonderful Tonight." Winter Wonderland I’m nervous, I’m scared, I’m excited & relaxed all at the same time. I keep spreadsheets of my gigs, including information about date, time, location, mileage, payment receipt, and a contact name and phone for follow-up if needed. All that came to a crashing halt in March, and I fear that senior facilities will be among the last places to resume having any kind of outside entertainment. Good to know I can still do this with early evening. Scarlet Ribbons Adelynn Wood Entertainment, Inc. I have frequently been on either side of this process. Hi, Pat Priority Mindset – We’re there for the residents. People whose only exposure to history class was in school, with dates and dates and dates, are pleasantly surprised my focus is on people. Have questions or looking for booking information? But in the end, any exposure is born by the presenter, not the performer. Makes sense, Bob. I will bookmark your page, Dave, and continue to watch for other helpful articles. (Piano Solo Songbook). 24 contemporary favorites arranged for piano solo, including: Ballade Pour Adeline * Bella's Lullaby * Cinema Paradiso * Hymn * Il Postino (The Postman) * Jessica's Theme (Breaking in the Colt) * The John Dunbar Theme ... Hello Folks! And some senior facilities are not-for-profit and/or religiously sponsored, others are profit-making. This year marks the 25th anniversary of undertaking these mailings, and I’ve found them very useful. We are in the process of beginning a ministry performing for seniors as I believe it is what God is calling me to do. My Blue Heaven Most of the songs I play/sing are 50s & 60s country, folk, and pop, and nowadays about the only venu for this era is nursing homes, etc. I can add to this since I don’t do musical performances but I DO perform in retirement communities. We have a couple of places that offered to pay us $150 and told us to charge that amount because we were that good! One of the most powerful things you can do is educate the customer. After a 17-year detour into the property management business, I’ve come back to being a full-time musician, and my experience managing rental communities gives me additional insight into the workings of that type of facility, and the daily routines of the people who hire me. A fantastic collaboration between two titans of pop. Nobody owes us a great wage we can live on; it’s up to us to cultivate those opportunities. Thank you, Allen, for writing this great article and thank you, Dave, for sharing it with us via your hugely helpful web site. Do a lot of hellos and how are you doings. Going rates will vary by area, definitely, and also by type of entertainment. (Recipients include not only seniors’ venues, but libraries, clubs, historical societies, local festivals –– anyone who’s booked me in the past, and prospects for the future.). I am a tenor banjo player in Northwest NJ and my husband and I have a jazz band called Sycamore Banjo Band. Ukulele songs and tabs by Richard G. ... God Only Knows F /12 - Beach Boys. I got started playing for seniors through a short-lived local Rochester agency, ArtsReach, that was funded by the NY Council on the Arts to send artists and performers to “underserved audiences,” which meant seniors’ facilities, hospitals, group homes, prisons etc. You never know what you’ll get and you just have to roll with it. Positive contacts prior to a gig, a written or verbal “Thank you” afterwards, and accommodation to the specific needs of a particular venue, go a long way toward building an ongoing relationship. Still need the high frequency of gigs to keep me sharp. Thank you! In 2002 my mother-in-law moved into a retirement community in Virginia Beach, and she asked my wife to put on a show. E-mail for sure, so I have a record if there’s a problem. There are people singing along with EVERY song that we do in our standard “oldies” program. To almost all my seniors’ gigs, I bring an acoustic guitar, five-string banjo, and taropatch (double-strung ukulele). Do they bring it up or do you? I could have – maybe should have – written it myself. Small living rooms or lounges are often used for performances; another favorite space is a facility’s dining room. Since I’ve left my paid work at the facility I still visit with the residents and having been thinking of coming back there and other senior care facilities to do music gigs. Abi Gezunt (Yiddish for "So Long as You're Healthy"), After You Get What You Want (You Don't Want It), (Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young, All In the Family Theme (Those Were The Days), All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, All the Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-Bye), The Alphabet Song/Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Andy Griffith Show Theme Song (The Fishin' Hole), (Hey, Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, Are You Sleeping/Frere Jacques/Bruder Jakob, Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do), At the Hop/Palisades Park/Do You Wanna Dance, Autumn Leaves-Sung by my daughter Jacqueline, avec les paroles françaises, Baby, I Need Your Lovin'/It's the Same Old Song, Basin Street Blues/Birth of the Blues medley, The Best That You Can Do (Arthur's Theme) -Bill Fischer on sax, The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing, Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair (San Francisco), Bicycle Built For Two (Daisy Bell Medley), Change Partners/Blame It On the Bossa Nova medley, Blame It On the Sun/Lately (Stevie Wonder medley), Can't Help Falling In Love/I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, "C'est La Vie," Say the Old Folks (You Never Can Tell), Blame It On the Bossa Nova/Change Partners medley, Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, Charlie Brown/Yakety Yak (Don't Talk Back! Again , I suppose you found out that most health care professionals hire price, NOT talent or even what the audience prefers. I help run a small concert series, Tunes By the Tracks, in the public library of the village of Clifton Springs (look it up!). Luckily, I don’t need the income, but I have come to realize how much I miss performing for ‘my seniors’. It is true that the initial “complimentary” hour works. Oh the horror. They are lying. What each performer charges for a seniors’ performance, should be determined by his/her financial requirements, schedule preferences (a few higher-paid gigs, or lots of lower-priced ones? What a useful, informative article! Other than that, we Love performing for the elderly. Hope this might help those of you understand better where your activity director is coming from. Thank you for the article. It keeps my on my toes, Choosing songs that appeal all can be a challenge. It is fun and so meaningful. MacNamara’s Band* I live in a Senior community located in Fairfax County Virginia. This Land Is Your Land, Molly Malone I hope you can give advice from the opposite side of things. I want to start by saying this is a great site. I don’t perform for many senior facilities, but I know some very talented people who do. (Arlo Guthrie comes to mind.). I don’t do these senior center gigs precisely because I can’t make a living doing them, and I rely on performing to feed my family of four. You can also subscribe without commenting. Making me chase down a lousy fee is a pain. 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