Bread and Roses sounds like a GREAT organization. The promotional film was simple but well presented.

Around here, you get what you pay for. Most of the people who play nursing homes aren't good enough to do anything else. Lots are older folks who have been at it for a long time and gravitated to Nursing home work because of the short hours and appreciation of nearly ANY live performance. Few ever worked mainstream venues.

Seems like their hearts are in the right place, though.


Russ

Russ, I do all those things too. Thought I was the only one that did. I'm the only one around HERE that does!
I actually cleaned a booger off the rest room wall a while back!
DonM

RUSS good points I always tip the bartender also ....

Don,

Did you really clean a booger of the wall, what did you get it off with, if you don't want to tell us well will all understand, yuck, anyway Don big day for you all tomorrow, I wish you all the best whatever you are doing.

Tony

BTW hows that Pa3x doing, have you got the hang of it yet.

I do about 440 shows per year, almost exclusively at nursing homes and retirement communities. I used to do over 500 before the economy went bad.

My shows are typically 55 minutes long. It wouldn't be tactful for me to say how much I get. I'm told that it's more than most of the other entertainers, but I'm not the most successful entertainer in the Chicago area elderly circuit.

I agree, $100 does not cut it here in the Chicago area when you factor in all the driving, setup, take down, time making appointments.

I think that the most important thing is to do a great job. I've been doing this for years. I know hundreds of old songs. I've learned and created hundreds of one-liners and puns. If you say something like, "My dad was a great dancer. Mostly because he grew up in a house that only had one bathroom," you're going to see a lot of laughter, and you're not going to annoy people who just want to hear music. Or, "I learned this song in second grade. I had a cross-eyed teacher. She couldn't control her pupils."

I don't know. I get consistent great feedback from my audience because I'm taking time to learn some good chops on the keyboard, I play the songs they love to hear but I don't play too many ancient songs, and I make people laugh.

I've found it helps after the show to thank everyone in the audience if I have time. I show that I am grateful that they came - even if they didn't have a choice and can't move! I feel blessed that I can get paid to play the keyboard and share some smiles, and I want to show my audience that I care about them individually. It takes 5-7 minutes.

Other factors that help are dressing nice. I'm not the best dressed, but I always come with a tie. I have a collection of music-themed ties that I always get compliments on.

A website with videos and endorsements probably contributes 10% to my business. If I create a new video (and I'm due) or get a great endorsement from the head of marketing - I make sure to email it to all of the folks who aren't using me or haven't used me in a while. So it's important to have the emails of as many of your clients and potential clients as possible. I personally don't have time to be doing mass mailings even though some might get a lot of bang for the buck out of them.

Have great equipment. I play the PSR-S910. It's not the best, but it's a great keyboard. I have a great mic and great speakers. One sign that I have great speakers is that almost no one tells me that I'm too loud.

Don't race to the bottom on price. Be better than your competition and justifiably charge more.

I agree, Larry. I performed at a location last Friday where there were two performances taking place a the same time. I was in a relatively large hall, probably about 100 people in the hall when I arrived, and more came in later. This time of year I typically wear black slacks, shiny black shoes and a sharply pressed Hawaiian shirt.

The guy performing on the next floor above me was wearing ragged a$$ed shorts, a wrinkled shirt and sandals. He looked like he just crawled out of a wine bottle and hadn't shaved in a couple days. This was the first time I saw this individual, and hopefully, it was the last.

Cheers,

Gary

Gary scary part is he was hired and working .....

Yes, hired and working on that ONE occasion, Donny. I'd bet he's nowhere close to the number of gigs many of us fellas on here enjoy.

Thanks and Keep all that good info comin'. I would like to try to break into Nursing Home entertainment and these discussions are valuable ...
Ciao,
Jerry