Hi to all of you that play arranger keyboards at Senior facilities such as retirement communities, senior centers, etc.

I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere in the past - but since it just happened to me *again*, I thought i'd bring it up to see if this is common everywhere. I'm in NC, USA ... it seems TOO common that there is high turnover in Activity Directors. And, almost always, the new person has NO info about entertainers that have played at their facilities for years.

I wish I had kept a "log" of all the times this has happened (and from locals I talk with, happens to all the entertainers at these places) ... an AD leaves (takes a new job somewhere else), a new AD comes in, and the new AD has NO files given to them on entertainers.

I have a place that I've played at for ~5-6 years. I probably play 6-8 times a year at this place. I did a gig for them just ~5 weeks ago. I usually hear back from them frequently. I hadn't heard anything so I called the AD. "She is no longer here, XYZ is now the new AD". So, I speak with XYZ. I tell them who I am, and ask if they have the info on me (and other entertainers) and they say, "No, I'm looking to build up a list of entertainers". This has happened at least a dozen times, in 5-6 different places, over the last bunch of years!

You'd think the old AD would leave files/info on entertainers for the new person! So, I have to start all over - try to reach them, try to "convince" them of who I and and what I do and that the residents always have liked what I do ... send them promo info, photos, price list, arrange to meet with them to "sell" myself, etc. etc. - and "try to get in" all over again. Frustrating!!! Then, all is good for some number of years, until the AD leaves and a new one comes in!

Is this a common thing that happens to others in other parts of the US (and other countries)? Has anyone found a "solution" other than starting over with a place and a new AD?

Oh well, I guess it's part of this business!

-Jim

When I was doing more of this, I made it a point to also meet the Administrator, invite him/her to the show, etc.
This way when the new AD arrives, and it WILL happen, you still have a friend in the building!
I also made photos and recordings of at least one show in every facility. Then you can use these to show the new AD what's up.

It's a very common thing with AD turnarounds, new AD's like to bring in their "OWN" people" nothing new with that & you get booted no matter how good you think you are,....It's their loss IMO, & most dont care anyway they just want to keep in budget and fill the entertainment slots per month so they look like they are doing their jobs, most ride on a high horse and don't even show up to the shows they just sending in just the assistant AD's to do all the work at the gig,,...............most times they move to a new facility and will call you to play there no biggie because they now you, ....
it's a never-ending cycle with AD's....and then wait 30 to 90 days for your $$$$
who cares?..... there so many NH places to play,...just move on to the next NH.
One OUT & Another IN simple..

Good luck.

But, I can imagine it's tough after you've formed personal relationships with the residents. Tough for them and you, and you don't want to just move on to the next NH.

It's part of the business.....residents, patients are always leaving after rehab, or sadly pass away also...nothing lasts forever in this game.
So you have to CONSTANTLY recruit NEW Work year round. !!

Admittedly. I don't work NH/AL places nearly as much as Donny, Gary and some others, but I have been fortunate in that I have not seen much AD turnover; in the place I had most of my work the AD was always VERY involved with the residents while I was performing, getting them to sing, dance, whatever they could do; and the MOST I've ever waited for a check was 2 weeks ... At one facility I even got paid the day I played ! ...
However, as I had posted some time ago, I did lose a fair amount of work because "they decided to try some new talent this year" ... well, that's how I got in last year, so I should not have been surprised ...

Similar experience here, I was a regular at a number of NH/Assisted linving facilities and once there's a new AD, things changed........and not for the better.

ADs are paid a lot of money in Maryland - A LOT OF MONEY. The turnover here is very light, might lose one every three to five years at most. When this happens, I have no trouble retaining my current schedule with the facility. There was just one exception to this, a place where I performed every month for 15 years, and every special function, which amounted to at least another half dozen jobs a year. When the AD left that I had worked with all those years, the new person that took his place, a lady, could have cared less. She even stiffed me for a performance payment, which I'll write off on my income tax. She's a nut case, to say the least, the residents want her out of there in the worst way, but so far, it hasn't happened. Consequently, I will no longer be performing there, and neither will any of the other OMB NH guys I know.

Good luck,

Gary

Hi ... just had another experience with this "issue" today. I called a place I had played at dozens of times in the last year. I called since there seemed to be no calls from them after they used to schedule me regularly.

Upon calling the place, I find that the AD I knew was no longer there. I spoke with the new AD. She asked all sorts of questions ... such as "what kind of music do you play"? What is your rate? What instrument do you play? What is your show like?" etc. Then she said she'd see about "perhaps getting me in to play sometime". I offered to come in to talk with in person (ideally, I like to meet AD's in person; it makes a better intro than just on the phone or through email). But she wasn't interested in that.

So time will tell whether I ever get to play there again. . . I will send her my little "promo package", and follow up in a few weeks - but it does seem that I have to "start all over" at this place. Thankfully I have plenty of other places where I play regularly ... it's just frustrating at times though, when this happens ...

-Jim

The few times I played for a "for profit" nursing home, the whole thing was a rippoff!

VA's and other non-profit places are fine; fun to work.

At the "for profit's", staff members, including the AD's are generally hustlers. Not worth the time.

At least that's my experience.


Russ

Jim, one of the benefits of booking the way I do is that there is never a question about anything if a current activity director leaves. In all the years I've been in the NH circuit, I have only had a problem with one AD and she was just fired this past week.

In all cases, I book all of next year's jobs during the months of September and October of the current year. All bookings go on both my calendar and one that I provide to the AD at the time of booking, which is ALWAYS done in person.

Additionally, I snail mail two copies confirmation of booking and appearance contract to each and every one of them, along with a self-addressed, stamped, return envelope for them to mail me a copy back after signing. I've never had an occasion where the contract didn't come back within two weeks.

For all NEW accounts, I provide them with a full promo package, one that costs me about $4 to put together, which includes a cover letter containing statements from other accounts and private party folks that sent me thank you cards (with their permission, of course), photo of myself at the keyboard, short (600 song) song list, business card, CD, and it's all in a presentation folder that I purchased from Office Depot. Everything about it is very professional looking.

Now, for the wacko that claimed took over at the one location where I had a problem, I explained to her that I had a signed contract and that her predecessor singed the contract in behalf of the facility, therefore, they were liable for those dates under the terms of the contract.

She wanted to argue the point claiming that she was not the AD and SHE didn't sign the contract - I told her it made no difference. From that point, I went to the facilities administrator, and finally the corporate office. Two weeks later I received a very apologetic telephone office from the corporate vice president, who said there will be a check cut for me that day and they deeply regretted any inconvenience they may have caused me. I told them that I had performed their every month for 15 years and every NYE for a decade, and that I sincerely believed the residents would be upset - THEY WERE! And, that's why that lady was fired - The residents council dumped her. The new AD called me a couple days ago and asked if I was willing to come back, but I explained that I was retiring in October and would try to find someone else that would do a good job for them.

Jim, in this business, you must always treat every job as if you were Donald Trump, get those signed contracts up front and well in advance, and those problems quickly go away. If you would like a copy of my contract, I will be glad to email it to you, or even post it here, which I did several years ago.

All the best,

Gary

Jim,
I actually have walked into a place, setup and was ready to play when someone walked in and asked what I was doing and who I was. The Corp. had cleaned house and there were no records of bookings nor people left who knew me. I am constantly sending out cards to over 150 places to keep my name in front of the ADs, whoever they are, and that has worked somewhat. I keep booked as much as I want to play these days - but it takes and effort. Then there are the places I played weekly for over a year and suddenly nothing! Find out later the residency count dropped and the Corp. took the AD's budget away. Go figure. Then there are the places that I have played that got sold and the accounts payable did not go with the sale and I am still bugging them about being paid. No- only about 2% of them pay on the spot - submit an invoice and wait 2-4 weeks. And no, in Texas they don't do contracts.

I could go on.

Deane

Its happened to me many times also .....but where ever the AD goes usually to a new facility somewhere I'm teh first one she calls to book the NEW facility......it all goes around in a circle,......one goes down so what?
one comes up!!...... NEXT!!

I think Don and Donny (aren't they the ones who sang "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea".......no that was Johnny & Joe) made very helpful remarks.....

Don (a solution):

"When I was doing more of this, I made it a point to also meet the Administrator, invite him/her to the show, etc.
This way when the new AD arrives, and it WILL happen, you still have a friend in the building!
I also made photos and recordings of at least one show in every facility. Then you can use these to show the new AD what's up."

Donny (a mindset):

"It's part of the business.....residents, patients are always leaving after rehab, or sadly pass away also...nothing lasts forever in this game.
So you have to CONSTANTLY recruit NEW Work year round. !!....there so many NH places to play,...just move on to the next NH.

- * * * * *

Mark adds: When I was a teenager, a friend said something to me I never forgot to this day.......

He said: "I figured something out......all things, good or bad, come to an end!"

MARK