There is a captive audience just waiting for you, my fellow shy singer, to come out and sing for them. In today's post I will give you 7 steps to getting a paying gig.
Step 1: Create a set list.
List 17 songs you like to sing. Can you or a friend play an instrument? If so, rehearse with accompaniment. Are you on your own and just love to sing but can't play a note? Then get a boom box and a bunch of your favorite Karaoke CD's. Your best bet is to burn all your favorite tracks onto one disc and just sing the songs in succession.
Step 2: Once you have your music and your songs, do your darndest to memorize it. If you can't, you can't. Some people's brains just can't memorize and that's that. So, what to do? Bring a music stand and a binder full of words and if necessary, guitar chords, or sheet music (depending on what you need.)
The benefits of memorization are: increased showmanship, a confidence that connects you to your audience and a lot of passion in your singing. You know, if you know the words, you can emote better. You know where you are going in the song!
Step 3: Now it goes without mentioning you gotta look and feel your best. So, plan on wearing a nice outfit, fixing your hair, and making yourself look like a star!
Step 4: Plan to bring along a mic, mic chord, and mic stand and an amplifier. Usually, you can work with an in-house sound system, but trust me, that can be risky. Using your own gear is best. You know how to use it.
Now comes the hard part.
Step 5: Look for the phone number of a local Assisted Living/Retirement Home/Nursing Home. Ask politely to speak to the Activities/Program Director. Ask nicely. Here is your script:
"Hello, my name is ----. I am a singer who would love to come sing at your ------ Assisted Living/Retirement Home/Nursing Home. Is it possible you could direct me to the person in charge of Activities?" ("Sure, let me hook you up," the receptionist may reply, though not in those cool terms.)
Step 6: Talk to the person in charge of activities.
"Hello, my name is ----. I am a singer who would love to come sing at your ------ Assisted Living/Retirement Home/Nursing Home." ("Wonderful!" says the AD.)
Now it is up to you to do the gut-wrenching thing. Ask this:
"Do you have a budget for entertainment?" ("Yes we do.") Now, hopefully, they may offer you something like $50. But usually they will ask, ("How much would you want?)
Now is the time to realize 2 things:
1. THIS IS NOT A BAR GIG--it is a mini-concert. 45-60 min of all you.
2. Assisted Living/Retirement Home/Nursing Homes only have a limited activities budget.
So you reply, "Well, is $25 bucks OK? (If you feel compelled to add, "Just to cover necessary expense, time and travel. Is that OK?")
"That is fine!" will probably be the most likely reply, or else, they may say, "No, sorry, people come and play voluntarily for free here!"
Now it is up to you.
Step 7: Either accept or decline the gig. If you accept, find a date and time agreeable to you both, and mark the time and date on your calender.
In this video Amy Zents asks the group to "GET READY TO SING!"
Next time we will cover how to act and what to do on gig day!
Keep singing!
Amy Zents
P.S. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: it’s loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.” John Keats
Shy Singer Amy Zents License Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
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