The Gig Must Go On

My friend and virtual assistant Christine Buffaloe went on a motorcycle ride last weekend and a bee went up her helmet and stung her. As she relayed her story to me, I was reminded of; not one, but two weddings where wasps flew up my dress as I played harp during the ceremony. I won’t tell you where I was stung (!), but it sure hurt. I continued to play as if nothing was amiss, even though I was in pain. The show must go on.

Have you encountered bugs and vermin trying to interrupt your performance, and how did you handle it?

(Note, my friend Chris finished her ride before seeking medical attention. So, maybe the “ride must go on” too)

When Your Client Isn’t the Bride-Part 3

This is the last in a 3-part series on the ups and downs with working with a client that is not the bride.

When Your Client is the Mother of the Bride, the Groom, or Other Family and Friends of the Bride

These people, the bride’s loved ones, are emotionally connected to the wedding details, unlike booking agents or wedding coordinators.

Most of the musicians I interviewed had no problems or issues working with the mothers of brides, or any of her family and friends, for that matter. They typically do not hover about musicians on the wedding day, because they are part of the wedding party and busy tending to other activities. As long as they are speaking for the best interests of the bride and groom, family members are a pleasure to work with.

The trouble arises when a loved one, typically the mother of the bride or the mother of the groom, makes decisions about your services without consulting with the bride and groom first. Then she is no longer working for the wedding couple’s best interests.

It’s rare when a conflict of interest arises between the wedding couple and the person who actually hired me. When it does, I try to be as diplomatic as possible. I listen to the bride’s concerns and then explain my situation: Her mother signed my contract, and therefore, I must follow her instructions. Then I ask the bride if she can discuss the issue with her mother and come to a mutual agreement.

The person who signs my contract has “veto power.” That’s the way it is, legally. So, I take the time to explain this to the bride and groom if differences of opinion come up. Open communication is the key.

I’ve barely touched the surface of the problems that can arise at weddings and how to solve them.

Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.

When Your Client Isn’t the Bride-Part 1

I am dedicating these next few blog postings to musicians with tips for when your client isn't the bride. This will be a weekly series, so stay tuned......

WHEN YOUR CLIENT IS A BOOKING AGENT

“My sole inspiration is a telephone call from a producer.”—Cole Porter

Good booking agents have a handle on their musicians’ talents, so that they can make decisions about who to hire at a moment’s notice. There are some booking agents who receive a commission from you to find you work.

Waiting for the phone to ring from a booking agent who hires talent for weddings may be a long wait. They work for the bride, not for you.

The booking agent is hired and paid by the bride. They’ll phone, fax, or email you with a job order, simply asking you if you are available. Then they’ll supply you with the time, date, location, and all the particulars in order for you to respond quickly with your price and availability. “Quickly” is the operative word here. A bride will hire a booking agent for the following reasons:
1. She hasn’t the time or energy to search for live entertainers on her own.
2. She has a lot of money to spare and is happy to pay someone to take care of hiring entertainment for her wedding.
3. She has looked for entertainers on her own, but has exhausted all the possibilities she knows of.
4. She needs to hire a musician fast!

Whatever the reason may be, the booking agent will need a response from you pronto.

The longer it takes for them to get back to the bride with your quote, the greater the chance that they will phone someone else and assume you are not interested. You stand a better chance of landing the the gig if you give them a small discount, because the bride is more likely to book you with a smaller mark-up. Also, a booking agent may be more likely to recommend your services if they know you’ll give them a discount.

If a booking agent contacts you about a wedding gig and you have never worked with them before, do some research. Phone other musicians in your area and see if they have had any experience working with the agent. You’ll want to find out if they were sent good wedding jobs and if they were paid in a timely manner.

When a booking agent hires you to play for a wedding, ask them to sign your contract, just as you would with all other clients. They may have their own contract for you to sign, as well.

The booking agent will tell you what to play, when to play it, and how to dress. They’ll give you directions to the wedding location and describe exactly where you’ll set up. They’ll even let you know if you will be served a meal at the wedding or not. They are your sole contact for the wedding. You will not be working with the bride.

This can be wonderful if the booking agent is truly on top of all the details and communicates them to you. It is not so wonderful when the agent drops the ball and leaves out some important pieces of information that you’ll need to know to do your job properly. After being booked for just one wedding job through a booking agent, you’ll know if you’ll ever want to work with them again.

If you decide to build a good, solid relationship with them, they will continue to think of you when a bride is seeking just your kind of talent. Get in touch with the booking agent right after the wedding job, thank them, and report to them how things went.

There is one thing you must never do when a booking agent sends you on a wedding gig: Never give out your business cards or brochures to a wedding guest when you are hired by a booking agent to perform. Instead, give the guests your booking agent’s card. This is the best way to say “Thank you!” to the booking agent who sent you out on that job.

Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.

The Wonderful World of Interactive Gigs

I started the New Year off performing for Edie’s 70th birthday party. What a blast. Her husband, Jack, invited me to play for the birthday dinner at a popular Chinese restaurant in old town Folsom, California. Jack made all the musical selections with me beforehand, and he asked many questions about the tunes. I just thought he was interested, but he made a game of it at the birthday party.

Once everyone was seated, Jack announced to all guests the instructions to the game: They would hear one tune played on the harp that was the love song from the movie “Ghost”, and another tune that was made popular in the movie “Ordinary People”. As soon as someone hears the song, they need to raise their hand and shout out the answer. That person would get a prize (a free sandwich coupon at a local eatery).

Not only did the guests become attentive to the music between their courses of egg rolls and chow mien, it struck up all kinds of conversations about music. And Edie, the guest of honor, was having a great time, as everyone sang “Happy Birthday” accompanied by me on the harp.

My next gig this year was performing for a corporate dinner party at the lovely Edgewood Country Club here at Lake Tahoe. A meeting planner booked me for the performance, and she didn’t know the age group that would be attending the party. So I brought along a wide assortment of sheet music, just in case guests would have requests. Turns out they began requesting music from the moment I began playing Sting’s “Field’s of Gold” and the Beatle’s “I Will”.

In the middle of the festivities, the host announced me by name and said I’d be playing something unusual on the harp for everyone. I selected “Stairway to Heaven”, which was met with “Woot! Woot!” from the crowd. Then, they held up their cell phones, lighters, and candle centerpieces to show their appreciation. I received a big round of applause, quite unexpectedly.

When a gig becomes interactive, it’s great fun for the musicians and the guests. It’s the reason to have live music at an event—getting the guests involved in music that is organically created at any moment.

Tips for Brides, Event Planners, And Anyone Hiring Performers

Invent ways to have your guests interact with the musician. You could include a musical guessing game, allow your guests to throw out requests to willing musicians, do live karaoke with your musicians, pair up songs to announce different events at your party, and more. The music can become the party game or centerpiece of your event, and people will long remember the music afterwards.

Tips for Musicians

Extend your repertoire. Be willing to take requests, accompany others, or simply show off a tune that people won’t expect. Learn to read the crowd by their age ranges and trust your instincts to play what you know they’ll enjoy. It’s a lot of fun to be flexible and surprise your audience.

I have a friend who leads a string quartet, and to this day, one of the most surprisingly popular tunes his ensemble plays is the theme from the Flintstone’s cartoon. Blows the socks off of anyone who may think they are a stuffy string quartet. And I can’t tell you how many people crave hearing “Stairway to Heaven”, “Free Bird” and perhaps a Nirvana or Metallica tune on the Celtic harp. You become a popular commodity when you can think outside the box and provide some unexpected entertainment for your guests. Word gets around about your abilities and you’ll get more bookings.

Have a wonderful New Year and make sure to check out more tips for musicians in my book “The Musician’s Guide to Brides” (which also contains great marketing ideas for all gigs) available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com , and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=9
I’m looking forward to reading your stories, comments, and feedback.

Anne :-)

Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

(And contact me at anne@celticharpmusic.com for personal consultation and mentoring—Make a living while gigging)

3 Money Saving Tips for Audio and Video Demos

When a potential client is intrigued by the services you have to offer for their wedding (perhaps because of your wonderful business cards and brochures), the very question they are likely to ask is, “Do you have a demo?”

If your answer is "no", read on for 3 money saving tips:

1. Incorporate video clips of your live performances at weddings into your demo tapes. As long as the film quality is apparent, you can save a bundle in shooting costs. You’ll need to get permission from the bride to use the video as a demo. As a gesture of goodwill, you will also need to credit the videographer in the film.
2. Record the video demo first, and then use its soundtrack for your audio demo.
3. Extract stills from your video demo to use as promotional photos.

Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.

Four Print Advertising Vehicles to Promote your Wedding Services

1. The Yellow Pages of your local phone book.
Old-fashionedas it seems in this Internet age, this is one form of advertising you should not pass up. If you do not invest in any other print advertisement, you should invest in this one. The Yellow Pagesis the best-distributed print vehicle that you’ll find. They aren’t just found hanging from metal cords in phone booths (which are becoming obsolete with the high use of cell phones). TheYellow Pages are dropped off at the door of all local residents and businesses for free. They are inside hotel and motel rooms, and most businesses have one stashed somewhere. It reaches many, many people within a specific geographical area, and it exposes people to your ad for at least a year. (Some Yellow Pages are reprinted more frequently than others, so the length of exposure depends upon region).

2. Newspapers.
With newspaper advertising, you have some control over how long you want your ad to run. And like theYellow Pages, you can select a local regional newspaper to reach local brides. Newspapers are also like the Yellow Pages, because you reach a large, general population of readers who are not necessarily brides.

3. Magazines.
They are not published as frequently as newspapers, so the exposure your ad gets depends upon whether the reader hangs on to the magazine issue, passes it along to friends, or just throws it away.

4. Radio and Television.
Radio and television advertising is very cost-prohibitive, and commercials only work when they are run frequently when your target audience of brides are listening. Leave this advertising to bridal fair promoters, restaurants, and receptions halls that book weddings.

Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.

Essential Items Needed When Gigging

Here is a list of essential items you will need when traveling to a gig. Don't leave home without them!

1. Your instrument, of course. You should have a protective,waterproof case for it, either a soft gig bag or a hard shell case. Pack with your instrument,
all of the items that you directly use with your instrument (a full set of strings, drum sticks, bows, rosin, etc.).

2. Your favorite seat to sit upon. Your comfort is tantamount to having a good time
performing. Bring your favorite portable chair, bench, or stool. If you don’t, your client is apt to
offer you something that will be uncomfortable. A client once offered me a chaise lounge chair to sit upon while performing. Can you imagine playing harp while sitting on one of those things? I couldn’t either, and thankfully, I brought my own folding chair instead.

3. Strong, waterproof bags for your sheet music. In case you need to scribble a line or two of music at a gig, also keep some blank manuscript paper, a pencil, and an eraser handy at a gig. Post-it sticky notes are good, too, because you may need to write some last-minute cues on your sheet music. My favorites heet music gig bags are Tuxedo Bags, made by Humes & Berg.
These cordura bags are indestructible, and they’ll fit tons of sheet music. (Humes & Berg also makes a wide selection of cordura soft cases for instruments.)

4. A music stand. Invest in a solid metal music stand, and save the cheap wire stand as a spare. A solid stand is less likely to fall over in the wind or when someone backs up into it, and if you play a cello, double bass, or harp, you’ll avoid scratches on your instrument. You’ll also be able to place large books or heavy binders on a solid stand without their falling off . Manhasset has a solid, fold up stand called the Voyager. It’s more money than a wire stand, but it’s worth the added investment.

5. A soft case for your music stand. It’s a nuisance when a wire stand suddenly opens up while carrying it, and it is pretty painful to drop a Manhasset stand on tender feet. These are reasons enough to have a soft carrying case for your music stand.

6. A tough waterproof bag on wheels. Place all your small peripheral items in this bag. What works best for me is a 20''rolling carry-on flight bag that I purchased from a factory outlet store. Purchase it in person, not online, so that you can see the capacity, the design of the interior, the number and size of pockets, and the quality of the bag. Don’t purchase a bag that will fall apart in a few months. It needs to be rugged. Fill this bag with:

a) An electronic tuner and an optional alligator clip cord or another cord to connect it to your instrument pick-up. Itis easier to tune in noisy environments if you can plug yourtuner directly into your instrument pick-up.

b) Extra batteries for your electronic tuner.

c) A fix-it kit for your instrument: wrenches, pliers, wirecutters, you name it. I place all this stuff in a Dobbs kit (a men’s travel toiletry kit) so that I can easily find it inside therolling gig bag.

d) Gaffer’s tape and masking tape. Don’t bring duct tape, because it will leave a sticky mess wherever you use it. Gaffer’s tape looks just like duct tape and is just as strong, but it can be easily removed without gummy residue. I have used gaffer’s tape for anything from sticking a loose pick up back inside my harp, to taping down cords on the floor to avoid accidents, to fixing the hem on a gown. It’s truly indispensable. Masking tape is also very useful to have handy, just in case you need to write on it. I also use masking tape to cover unused input or output holes on my amp when I’m performing outside (it keeps bugs and sand from ending upinside my amp).

e) Sheet music clips to hold down your music in breezy conditions or to keep your music books open. Don’t use clothespins; they look too tacky for a well-paid musician to use at weddings. You can purchase see through clips at standard music stores or any number of online retailers.

f) A doorstop. Keep doors open while you are loading and unloading musical equipment.

g) Instrument polishes and polish cloths. You’ll be amazed to see the gunk that can get on an instrument, especially when performing outside.

h) Personal emergency items. In the summer, I take mosquito repellent lotion with me, along with antihistamine, since I am allergic to mosquito bites. I also bring along sun block. In the winter, I take hand warmers with me, the ones that can be purchased in camping stores. I place them in my pockets so that when I have some downtime at a wedding, I can keep my hands warm. Aspirin and Band-Aids are year-round emergency items for me, along with a nail file, Kleenex, and cough drops. I usually keep them in my purse or car, but they can also be contained in the rolling gig bag. You might have others items necessary for your own personal comfort that you’ll want to drop into your bag, too.

i) Extra business cards and brochures. You may wish to keep business cards in your wallet or purse, but it’s good to know that you have more in your rolling gig bag if you run out. If you are using amplification, also store the following items inside the rolling gig bag.

j) Lots and lots of extra batteries for all of your electronic devices.

k) Power AC adapters to recharge your electronic devices. If you are using a battery-operated amplifier, these adapters will save you if your batteries run low.

l) Warranties and instruction booklets for your tuner and amplification devices. When your equipment malfunctions, you’ll be able to trouble-shoot on the spot.

m) A wide assortment of cords. Over the years, I have collected cords that I don’t presently use with my equipment. I still carry them with me to all my gigs. Why? I can plug into house sound or into onsite P.A. systems that will enable my harp to be heard well in that particular location. Some of these spare cords will just do the trick, fitting right into asound system built for the wedding or reception site.

n) Velcro straps for tying up your cords neatly.

So, now you are fully prepared to anything unexpected that may come along.

Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.

3 Easy Steps for Creating and Updating Your Wedding Music Repertoire

Step 1. Take out a few peices of paper, and some colore pencils, too. On one page scribble down the kinds of music that you play right now, making a list of your present repertoire. Be as detailed as possible. Don't stop to analyze whether your music is approppriate for weddings. Just write down the titles of every tune you know how to play comfortably, music that you know you can perform in front of an audience without stumbling or breaking into a cold sweat.

If you play different genres of music, say you can play jazz guitar and know some bluegrass tunes, use different colored pencils to differentiate between the types of music you play. Maybe use one color for up-tempo tunes and another for slow ballads. You can also separate the types of music you play by ethnicity or whether they are secular (religious) or non-secular. Take time to go through your sheet music books and include everything in your list. Take as long as you like to complete this page.

Step 2. Review this list and place things in an order that makes sense to you, an order that you could perhaps share with a potential client, a bride. Place all the pre-ceremony music together, the reception music together, the possible bridal entrance tunes together, and so on. You'll want to be prepared to offer the bride several choices for each wedding activity. Remember: Not every bride wants to enter to "Here Comes the Bride."

Step 3. Start on a new page. Make a wish list of all the kinds of music you'd like to learn to play. Write down specific titles. These may include tunes you are still working on, tunes that you're not ready to perform in front of an audience quite yet. This list will help you to determine if you should continue working on these tunes or abandon them for other music that will give you a better chance of landing you wedding gigs.

When you're done with the list , compare it with the first list of songs you know. Do the songs you want to learn fit in with the types of songs appropriate for weddings? For instance, if you play for receptions, are they danceable? Put these tunes in order, with you first choices at the top of he page.

If you are in a band or ensemble, do this entire brainstorming exercise with your band members. They may have tunes in their personal repertoires that could be worth adding to your group's song list. This exercise will also help to confirm that all the members of your group have the same goals. If they aren't interested in performing at weddings and receptions, then the truth will certialny come out through this brainstorming activity. The key to this exercise is to make sure that each member of your group is on the same collective track. Musicians who share the same goals tend to get along well together and have longevity as a group.

Brides love menus of information. When they aks you, "What do you play?" you'll now be prepared to share your repertoire list with them.

Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.

Do What You Do Best---Create a Repertoire

Do what you do best, and you'll love what you do. The music you play that resonates within you carries your own fingerprints. Even if other musicians can play the same songs as you do, what you bring to these sonsg is uniquely your own.

To land lucrative wedding gigs, you need to find your niche among the competition. This is know as "positioning" in marketing lingo. It means researching what makes you different from the rest of the musicians and capitalizing on these differences. Compiling your wedding repertoire is the first step to making you stand out.

"You are more attractive when you break bread with a competitor."-from Attracting Perfect Customers by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniea of Perfect Consulting Unlimited.

How do you find out what your competition plays? There is no better time than now to enlist some allies. Make friends with other successful musicians in your geographical area and hear them perform. Get together and jam. Check out their websites. If some musicians give you the cold shoulder when you approach them in friendship, they may be viewing you as a threat, and that's their problem. Your competition can be your friends.


Copyright © 2008 by Anne Roos, excerpt from "The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings", published by Hal Leonard Books. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Hundreds of additional tips, are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, amazon.com, Sylvia Woods Harp Center catalog, and of course, at my website at http://www.celticharpmusic.com/.