Need advice for starting a band (for assisted living - nursing homes)

[Sonoma Bass]

I have spent 10 years in & out of nursing homes visiting family members & seeing some of the acts
that perform. Their age was in the 80's. A big favorite for them was an Elvis/Roy Orbison solo act.
I have subbed a few times with a group of 8 ladies on ukeleles, known as the Ukeladies.
We back them up with guitar & bass player.
Their set was popular show tunes, Swing, Elvis & even TV show themes. 3 of them sing.
I experienced the magic of music. Quite a few of the residents have Alzeimers and do not
respond at all. While playing a swing tune a lady who was still in her chair looked up, smiled, then got up and danced.
Her family was ecstatic. When the tune was over she sat down & went back to her condition.
I was glad to do the gig & experience this. BTW most gigs pay $25 to $100 per act depending on the home.
You're a good Samaritan for doing this.

I also wondered about TV tunes but there's probably no way I could keep up with all of Carol Kaye's gems!

Nice story about the dancing lady. A triple play: joy for the musicians watching the family's joy as they watch their mother's joy. How else could this possibly happen without music?

 

[brianrost]

All the friends of mine who do this kind of circuit play only as solos or duos. None of them use backing tracks, though I’m sure that others do.

Since the gigs usually only go on for about an hour, my friends often double book if the logistics work. Here in the greater Boston area, pay of $100-200 seems to be common. Can’t afford quintets with that!

I’ve seen solos with backing tracks or a looper and if not overdone, why not? Less mouths to feed.

I did a gig just this week at an assisted living facility but it was outdoors and open to the general public, part of a city summer concert series. We got $750 for two hours, thanks to the city. More seniors got up to dance than I expected.

Years ago, I was in a large community (non-profit) dance band with over 30 players (not all of whom showed up for either gigs or rehearsals). We got free rehearsal space from an assisted living facility that gave us use of their function room as long as residents could attend. Rehearsals were every Monday for two hours. We never filled the room but there were always people in attendance.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I need advice for starting a band to perform in assisted living centers and nursing homes. I've never started a band nor managed one, so I'm kind of flying blind.

Most of the music that typical bar bands play would be inappropriate. It's aimed at music that residents first enjoyed as teenagers. This means Top 10 vocals-based songs from the mid-1940s through early 60s -- with emphasis on earlier not latter.

Positives:

• Sense of fulfillment making people happy who otherwise are just waiting for the end
• Stimulate long-forgotten memories and emotions with familiar lyrics and music
• Short gigs -- one hour long
• Good hours -- usually mid-afternoon on weekdays (home in time for dinner, play other gigs at night)
• Play good music with a live band
• Only a small PA is required for modest amplification of vocals and instruments
• Small set list -- just a dozen songs per gig (assumes not taking requests)
• Good activity for a retired musician

Negatives:

• Must learn mostly new songs that you'd otherwise never play
• Many (esp. younger) players probably never listen to the target music so it is unfamiliar (albeit easy to play)
• Bad hours for day-job workers
• Small band footprint is required, so singing players are preferred
• Need at least one male and one female singer
• There's very little to no money paid by these venues. A few high end centers have a modest entertainment budget of $100-150 per gig (for the whole band). The vast majority, especially state-run nursing homes have zero budget and most of the residents are poor.

Where should I look to find potential players for this project? Is it better to focus on creating a dedicated band, or easier to fulfill with a pool of subs with several players for each spot? Would quality sub players even bother if there's no pay? What else should I consider?

Thank you!

I'm 39 but have played many retirement homes with musicians much older than me. Generally these gigs are pretty loose/relaxed, but some of the nicer facilities actually have full stage and sound so it can vary. Those ones pay more too and are desirable gigs. They tend to just want one long set too.

A few pointers:

-Don't go too far back in time. Alot of the folks in these places do indeed know and love music from the 60's/70's/80's because they were alive and loving music during those times too. This is bleak, but if they were enjoying hits of the 40's they might no longer be alive. I played one of these gigs recently and we got a request for Mary J. Blige, lol.

-They want upbeat music they can dance to, not a bunch of slow and sentimental bull sheet. Life is slow and boring in these places, so they want something to wake them up. I played a new years eve at a home here and we were a jazz band playing too many slow to medium standards. the residents absolutely hated it. Don't insult their tastes and want for something exciting.

-You should probably have a core band plus subs if you plan to play regularly. flexibility is key when the pay is so variable. being able to play in different band configurations would help too.

 

[Sonoma Bass]

What are thoughts about the band's dressing attire for these gigs? I would want the experience for residents to be special. And for that generation, when you went out for music entertainment, generally people dressed up. Way more than they do in ultra casual 2024. Would dressing up the band help dress up the audience experience?

 

[KeepItMoving]

I really appreciate all these ideas and real world input!

What are some things to consider in performing to seniors with severe disabilities, esp. in memory care units? My mom's assisted living center has a memory care unit attached, and I'm not even sure if it provides entertainment there like it does for the more mobile residents.

I've also heard of situations where a resident might suddenly cause a disturbing scene in the middle of a performance. Hopefully staff are standing by! But what's the protocol to handle disability-caused disruptions?

Good questions! On the second one, yeah, people do sometimes act out. Usually best to just act friendly and agree with them until assistance arrives; keeping things as calm and comfortable as possible and not trying to argue or convince them to do anything.

The people in my mom’s memory care mostly seemed very inward, like they were off in their own little space. Not much chatting and way less socializing than you’d expect in a group of people living together.

They had the occasional live act but mostly played recorded music, which sometimes got surprisingly good response when the activity director would lead a singalong. As others have noted, “You Are My Sunshine” really seemed to get people going. I’ll always remember the sound of a couple dozen folks there singing it together; these were mostly people who might say a handful of words a day and it was poignantly magnificent.

One other somewhat related thing that was hugely beneficial for my mom was one-on-one sessions with a music therapist, who played a small acoustic guitar and sang. She would research the tastes of each person she worked with and do a fair amount of talking and engagement between songs. Mom didn’t sing along but sure did smile.

They say that hearing/listening is among the very last faculties we lose at the end, which makes it especially precious for people who have lost so many others. Wishing you every success tapping into that!

 

[One_Dude]

My primary focus since 2018 has been exactly what you are asking about. Prior to that I played in wedding and party bands, and Bluegrass and Old Time Music bands; all paying gigs. And at church for pay about half of the time.

If you are looking to make money with assisted living, senior centers, and nursing homes, my experience is that will only work if you are a solo act. Otherwise there's just not enough money to split with other band members. I have been in two bands that concentrate on these venues; the first one was a seven piece that broke up when the BL quit, and the second band is an outgrowth of former members from the first band. These bands have been strictly volunteer. We will accept paying gigs if requested but we don't look for them. In the first group everyone but the BL was retired, in the current band we (4 members) are all retired. Everyone sings, some more than others.

I agree with those who suggest that 50s, 60s, and 70s music is what the residents know and enjoy. We have a regular circuit of 10 or 12 venues that we play, which are a mix of the type of facilities mentioned earlier. Audience size varies from one venue to the other, with the largest audience numbering about 35 or 40 residents plus staff. Audience response also varies based on the type of facility. We play for 60- 75 minutes and do a variety of Country, R&R, and Popular music from the years mentioned. In 2019 we played 42 dates, and had 39 booked for 2020 when Covid hit.

We have a pro level sound system and we set the levels and then ask if everyone can hear or if it's too loud. We have never been told to turn it down. Keep in mind that if you want to sound good you must be well rehearsed and stick to your set list. We will take the occasional request if we know it, but that is the exception. We use the same set list for each venue in our rotation and do not play the same set list twice in a row at any venue. Unless you are a solo act, there's basically the same load in, setup, and load out as any other gig. We always arrive one hour before show time for setup. We have one band member who books our dates and is the contract person for venues. That person also makes contact with the activity director on the day of the gig to verify everything is still a go. From time to time a venue may have to cancel at the last moment due to a variety of issues; sickness in house, electrical or plumbing problems, conflicts with other events, etc.

Usually a few residents want to talk to us after we finish playing. If you go forward understanding that playing at these venues is a labor of love with the hope of adding some joy to the lives of the residents you won't be disappointed.

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[Sonoma Bass]

I created a list of 123 candidate songs as ideas for potential players. They range from 1940-1970 and many are Billboard Top 10-20. Some television and movie themes. Mostly upbeat, light on ballads, and most can potentially be played by a small band. Curious about your feedback, especially those of you who play these venues regularly. Suggestions welcome!

All on public Spotify playlist listed in chronological order

https:// open.spotify.com/playlist/2PQDBtOMAtxbWwJX6Fq4KU?si=d948ae58b1104992



Also attaching this as an Excel file.

 

[Michedelic]

I wonder how “Smells Like Teen Spirit” will be performed eventually.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

While you're right to focus earlier, I'm always amazed when I see retirement home aged people go nuts for later stuff - we had several people of that generation up grooving to Uptown Funk (and the like) last night. But you really can't go wrong with a lot of Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys etc. I played in a band that had a handful of older songs (Johnny Rivers, Chuck Berry, Sam and The Shams, etc) which did go over well in general, but over the years, we evolved to exclude them. I've played several retirement community gigs and the folks just love the nostalgia of hearing stuff they haven't heard in some time. I gotta say, it's pretty rewarding

I think the bigger focus would be the right people. IMO, you want to find a handful of retired musicians, who can still bring it, but don't have to worry about midweek conflicts and don't get worked up about pay. I suspect ideally, it would be an acoustic act (no drum kit) so that it can easily be scaled for indoors or out. There's a lot of folk music and "softer" 70s stuff that is better when performed acoustically.

While I'd have no problem being in this type of band, I doubt I'd be interested in subbing for it. Once you learn the songs, they're pretty much with you forever, but learning a bunch of songs that might not be portable for a low paying gig does not work for me. Not saying never, but, it'd need to be a vey compelling.

So Anyway, we played an 80th birthday party at a retirement center and they danced for the entire 2 hour gig. We finished with Good Loving...Grateful Dead style.
They went nuts.

 

[turf3]

Years ago, I was in a large community (non-profit) dance band with over 30 players...

Roaring Jelly?

 

[brianrost]

Roaring Jelly?

We have a winner

 

[IanStephenson]

I'd do more research your demographic... What age group are you targeting? I'd guess 70+, but your current set list seems aimed at the 90+ age group. I guess every place is different - there are more 70yr olds alive than 90 year olds, but less of them are in care settings. You're not going to please everyone. You may need to be more specific. Just for reference Ozzy Osbourne is 75. Robert Plant is 75. Ian Gillian is 78. Jon Lord would be 83. I recently saw Glen Hughes play a gig and he's 72.

If I was 70 years old and you turned up with that set list I'd be asking why you're playing my parents music.... and probably be a little insulted that you think I listened to 40's show tunes as a teen.

 

[Sonoma Bass]

I'd do more research your demographic... What age group are you targeting? I'd guess 70+, but your current set list seems aimed at the 90+ age group. I guess every place is different - there are more 70yr olds alive than 90 year olds, but less of them are in care settings. You're not going to please everyone. You may need to be more specific. Just for reference Ozzy Osbourne is 75. Robert Plant is 75. Ian Gillian is 78. Jon Lord would be 83. I recently saw Glen Hughes play a gig and he's 72.

If I was 70 years old and you turned up with that set list I'd be asking why you're playing my parents music.... and probably be a little insulted that you think I listened to 40's show tunes as a teen.

Target is 85-100. Assisted living, nursing homes, memory care, etc. These people have little to no mobility and very limited memory and awareness of what's going on in the world. The youngest in this demographic was into music of the early 1950s. And yes, while rock and roll was developing then, it was a minor subset of the bigger world of pop music. So extra emphasis on that music and what came before. Even when the Beatles were coming on strong in the early 1960s, check out the Top 10 lists for those years and before. A huge amount of the "winners" then was not rockin' at all.

 

[Sonoma Bass]

I'd do more research your demographic... What age group are you targeting? I'd guess 70+, but your current set list seems aimed at the 90+ age group. I guess every place is different - there are more 70yr olds alive than 90 year olds, but less of them are in care settings. You're not going to please everyone. You may need to be more specific. Just for reference Ozzy Osbourne is 75. Robert Plant is 75. Ian Gillian is 78. Jon Lord would be 83. I recently saw Glen Hughes play a gig and he's 72.

If I was 70 years old and you turned up with that set list I'd be asking why you're playing my parents music.... and probably be a little insulted that you think I listened to 40's show tunes as a teen.

Your comments are more on target for performing in senior centers, where there is a younger demographic (60s-80s), people are mobile and usually able to drive a truck or car, and being younger, would love to hear rock-n-roll oldies, 60s, 70s, 80s, and some newer music. Senior centers are a place to hang out under your own horsepower, and have nothing to do with being a place to live out one's last days with the assistance of professionals.

The research is clear about one thing: music preferences are usually set as tweens and teenagers, and music discovery pretty much comes to a halt for most people by age 24. Probably why the demographic here on TalkBass so often plays what they did in high school. Most people are literally stuck in a time warp when it comes to music.

 

[Sonoma Bass]

Here's a link to a relational database catalog of every song title to appear on a music popularity chart in the last 80 years. It's quite an eye opener, especially for the diversity of songs that win top slots over the years.

#RecordsAndCharts - Page Cannot Be Displayed

 

[Sonoma Bass]

As I dive under the hood for this project, I discovered there are two general types of institutions: large and small. The large ones have dozens of residents, sometimes over a hundred. The small ones are in a small building (usually a house) with up to six residents. There are way more small institutions than large ones. Logistics are easy for large venues, but I'm wondering how it's possible to serve the small ones due to lack of space for a band of 3 or 4 musicians. Everyone cram into a living room? Having a hard time seeing how to do that unless it's a "one man band" scenario. I'd appreciate your insights on this one!

 

[Sonoma Bass]

Another query for those of you who have performed in both assisted living centers and nursing homes ... Can you compare the receptivity of these two audiences to live music entertainment? I'm very familiar with assisted living and would say receptivity there is "high." I have no experience with nursing homes and wonder if receptivity might be significantly lower there? Those residents are either in short term recovery from an operation or are receiving long term care for significant physical disabilities and might be distracted from sitting through a performance? The county I'm moving to has about 20 large assisted living centers and 20 large nursing homes so there is lots of opportunity for each type of venue. It would be helpful to get hands-on feedback here. Thank you!

 

[Sonoma Bass]

I converted the Excel template noted above into a detailed database -- 36 potential venues of assisted living centers and nursing homes with about 50 or more residents each. Then I converted that into a custom Google Map which includes one-click access to each venue's website and details. Makes it visually simple for potential band members to help pick where they'd want to play. I hope to solicit their input in case they have gigged at particular venues or have personal knowledge that would help prioritize which venues to approach first.

Here's the Google Map of local potential gig venues. Senior Music Venues in Sonoma County

 

[One_Dude]

I think you're reaching the point where you're overthinking the situation. It's time to put together a set list or two, and start booking the gigs. It won't take long to learn what works and what doesn't. We never play the same set list twice in a row at any venue, we keep track of what we play and rotate song selections. Much of what you will experience depends on the attitude and interest of the venues activity director. It's that person who promotes your group to the residents and convinces them to come and listen. Sometimes we play to a packed room (large common space) and sometimes to just a few residents. After a while a pattern develops based on the efforts of the activity director; some are excellent, some are not.

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[Sonoma Bass]

I think you're reaching the point where you're overthinking the situation. It's time to put together a set list or two, and start booking the gigs. It won't take long to learn what works and what doesn't. We never play the same set list twice in a row at any venue, we keep track of what we play and rotate song selections. Much of what you will experience depends on the attitude and interest of the venues activity director. It's that person who promotes your group to the residents and convinces them to come and listen. Sometimes we play to a packed room (large common space) and sometimes to just a few residents. After a while a pattern develops based on the efforts of the activity director; some are excellent, some are not.

Thump on,

One_Dude

Good point on the quality of an activity director. Typically, activities such as a music performance begin after lunch. In my mom's assisted living facility, I can recall several occasions where we were finishing a late lunch. The activity director would be moving from one resident to another, trying in a light-hearted way to encourage them to come participate. Residents with dementia are often befuddled -- they ENJOY the activities, but are stuck in a closed-world rut instinctively preferring to not bother varying the routine of their cocoon. Getting an AD to do this one-by-one retail selling is vital. The AD in Mom's facility is excited about my band idea. Unfortunately, I won't be moving until early next year, and since it's a 90 minute drive from here, I'm focused on getting the "infrastructure" in place to hit the ground running in 2025. Thinking about something bigger than a "band"; maybe more of a musician's cooperative of a dozen or more players who can rotate in and out as much or as little as they want to collaborate instead of hoping to get the same band to play everything.