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

#61
Ukiah Bass said:
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.
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Why close yourself off to only assisted living? many facilities have both retirement living plus assisted living in the same place, FYI.
 
#62
Ukiah Bass said:
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!
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It's about the same. Nursing home vs assisted living is not a huge difference IMO.
 
#63
TL DR.

Initial thoughts are that this is solo or duo territory because money is also scarce in these places, imv.

If I came into big money, I'd be paying the performers fees for this deserving service.
 
#68
BucketOfFish said:
We had a group of ladies that would sit in the front row and complain that we were too loud.
OK, we rehearsed a 13 piece jazz band there weekly...nobody was forced to come.
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Sound level is a definite issue, especially since most of the audience wears hearing aids. It's why the entire band will go through an Electro-Voice EVOLVE 50M PA system. Volume control will entail turning one knob up or down. Can't use more than 4-5 band members, however because most venues don't have the space.

Electro-Voice 50M.jpg
 
#69
While I'm still 2-3 months out from the move, I'm still hard at work preparing for this project's launch. To grease the wheels for musicians, I created a bunch of new charts in iReal Pro and polished dozens of others that contained various errors in song formats etc. Now there are charts for all 124 songs in my list -- in PDF format as well as iReal Pro format. All the songs are arranged in the original tune's format and key. If you use the latter app for tablets and phones, I made all charts available for free download on the iReal site's Sandbox at: DaveBuergerOnBass charts (p.s. the links below may or may not work unless you're accessing them via the iReal Pro app -- you need to go to the iReal Pro sandbox link with the app to get the charts)

Here are the most recent charts for Sonoma Senior Music:

Sonoma Senior Music (137)

Individual songs:
A Taste Of Honey (Herb Alpert TJB) p1 of 2 - Marlow-Scott
A Taste Of Honey (Herb Alpert TJB) p2 of 2 - Marlow-Scott
Addams Family Theme, The - Vic Mizzy
All My Loving - The Beatles (Lennon, McCartney)
American Bandstand TV Show Theme p1 - Albertine, Sussman and Manilow
American Bandstand TV Show Theme p2 - Albertine, Sussman and Manilow
Andy Griffith Show Theme (Fishing Hole) - Joey Gallin
Aquarius (Let The Sunshine In) - Hair - G. MacDermot, J. Rado, G. Ragni
Baby, It's Cold Outside - Frank Loesser
Ballad Of Davy Crockett, The - George Bruns
Ballad Of Jed Clampett (Flatt, Scruggs) - Paul Henning
Big Girls Don't Cry - Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Black Magic Woman (Santana) - Peter Green
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Buttons And Bows (Dinah Shore) - Jay Livingston, Ray Evans
Caldonia - Fleecie Moore
California Dreamin' - John Phillips & Michelle Phillips
Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli) - Crewe-Gaudio (Frankie Valli)
Can't We Be Friends (Ella And Louis) - Swift-James
Chances Are - Stillman, Allan
Cheek To Cheek (Armstrong - Fitzgerald) - Irving Berlin (Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald)
Christmas Song, The - Tormé-Wells
Come Fly With Me (Sinatra) - Jimmy Van-Heusen
Come Go With Me (Del-Vikings) - Clarence Quick
Crazy (Patsy Cline) - Willie Nelson
Dick Van Dyke Show Theme - Earle Hagen
Don't Fence Me In - Cole Porter
Downtown - Tony Hatch
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) - Jessie Belvin
Everybody Loves Somebody (Dean Martin) - Ken Lane
Fever (Peggy Lee) - Blackwell-Cooley (Peggy Lee)
Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles version) - Hoagy Carmichael (Ray Charles)
Get Your Kicks On Route 66 - Bobby Troup
Ghost Riders In The Sky (P1of2) - Jones
Ghost Riders In The Sky (P2of2) - Jones
Girl From Ipanema (Getz, Gilberto), The - Antonio-Carlos Jobim
Goldfinger (James Bond) - John Barry
Good Vibrations - p1 of 7 (Eb-) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p2 of 7 (C-) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p3 of 7 (D- and SLOWER) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p4 - 7 of 7 - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p4 of 7 (G- at reg. tempo) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p5 of 7 (F-) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p6 of 7 (Eb-) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Good Vibrations - p7 of 7 (Bb- Outro) - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Tony Asher
Green Onions - Jones-Cropper-Steinberg-Jackson
Happy Together - The Turtles
Hawaii Five-0 - Morton Stevens
Hello, Dolly! (Louis Armstrong) - Jerry Herman
Hey Good-Lookin' - Hank Williams
Hey Jude - Lennon-McCartney (The Beatles)
Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles (Percy Mayfield)
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window - Bob Merrill
I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Tony Bennett (Cory-Cross)
I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
I'm Beginning To See The Light - Hodges-James-Ellington (Ella Fitzgerald)
I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover - Woods, Dixon (arr. Mitch Miller)
I've Got A Gal In Kalamazoo - Harry Warren
In Crowd (Ramsey Lewis), The - Billy Page
In The Still Of The Night - Fred Parris
Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini - Paul J. Vance, Lee Pockriss
King Of The Road - Roger Miller
Leaving On A Jet Plane (Peter, Paul, Mary) - John Denver
Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear - Mann/Lowe
Loco-Motion (Little Eva), The - Gerry Goffin-Carole King, 1962
Louie Louie (The Kingsmen) - Richard Berry
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
Mack The Knife (Bobby Darin) - Kurt Weill (Bobby Darin)
Mission: Impossible Theme (TV) - Lalo Schifrin
Monster Mash - Bobby Pickett, Leonard L. Capizzi
Moon River (Andy Williams) - Henry Mancini
Moondance - Van Morrison
Mr. Sandman - Chordettes-Pat Ballard
Mrs. Robinson - Paul Simon (bridge To Emaj)
Mule Train - Lange, Heath and Glickman
My Way - Revaux-Francois-Thibaud-Anka
Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' - Richard Rodgers
On Broadway (The Drifters) - Mann-Weil-Stoller-Leiber (The Drifters)
On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe - Johnny Mercer-Harry Warren
Paper Doll - Johnny Black
Put Your Head On My Shoulder - Paul Anka
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - Bacharach-David (B. J. Thomas)
Respect (Aretha Franklin) - Shannon, Redding
Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash (Carter-Kilgore)
Rock Around The Clock - Freedman-Myers (Bill Haley & His Comets)
Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston, Ike Turner
Rockin' Robin - Jimmie Thomas
Runaround Sue (Dion) - Dion Di Mucci and Ernie Maresca
Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters (Pomus-Shuman)
Secret Agent Man (Johnny Rivers) - Sloan and Barri
Sh-Boom Life Could Be A Dream - Keyes, Feaster, Feaster, McRae and Edwards
Shake, Rattle And Roll - Jesse Stone aka Charles Calhoun
Singin' In The Rain - Nacio Herb Brown
Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding (Redding, Cropper)
Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford) - Merle Travis
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette - Merle Travis
Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield (Hurley, Wilkins)
Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Stand By Me - Ben E. King (King, Leiber, Stoller)
Strangers In The Night (Frank Sinatra) - Bert Kaempfert
Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley) - Mark James
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Swinging On A Star - Burke and Van Heusen
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page (Stewart-King)
Tequila - The Champs (Daniel Flores)
That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Norman Petty
That's Amore - p1 of 2 - Jack Brooks, Harry Warren
That's Amore - p2 of 2 - Jack Brooks, Harry Warren
Theme From Peanuts (Linus And Lucy) - Vince Guaraldi
Theme From Perry Mason (Park Avenue Beat) Ebmaj - Fred Steiner
These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - Lee Hazlewood (Nancy Sinatra)
They Can't Take That Away From Me (F. Sinatra) - George Gershwin
This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
This Magic Moment (The Drifters) - Pomus, Shuman
Those Were The Days (Mary Hopkin) - Gene Raskin
Two O'Clock Jump - p1 (F) of 2 (Db) - Bassie, Goodman, and James
Two O'Clock Jump - p2 (F) of 2 (Db) - Bassie, Goodman, and James
Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters
Unforgettable - Gordon Irving
Up, Up and Away - 5th Dimension
Wah Watusi, The - Kal Mann and Dave Appell
Wake Up Little Susie - Boudleaux Bryant, Felice Bryant
Walk, Don't Run - The Ventures
Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline (Block-Hecht)
What's New Pussycat? - Burt Bacharach
When Will I Be Loved? - Phil Everly
Why Do Fools Fall in Love? - Morris Levy, Frankie Lymon
Wipe Out - Berryhill-Connolly-Fuller-Wilson (The Surfaris)
Woody Woodpecker Song - G. Tibbles, R. Idriss
Yellow Submarine (from Beatles Scores) - John Lennon, Paul McCartney
You Are My Sunshine - Gene Autrey (Jimmie Davis)
You Belong To Me - Price, King, Stewart,
You Send Me - Sam Cooke
Your Cheatin' Heart - Hank Williams
 
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#70
There are 37 venues in Sonoma County with capacities of 50+ residents so it's a big target market. Approaching activity directors will entail leaving lots of voice mails, so I created a professional website with an easy name for a voice message:
sonomaseniormusic.org

Sonoma Senior Music - Live music for assisted living & nursing homes in Sonoma County, California

Sonoma Senior Music - Live music for assisted living & nursing homes in Sonoma County, California. Get background for Activity Directors to book a performance and for musicians to collaborate. Includes six-hour public Spotify playlist of featured music.
sonomaseniormusic.org sonomaseniormusic.org
Hoping this site will help with recruiting musicians too. It's an easy referral mechanism.
 
#71
Hey SB,

My Mother in law is 96 and lives in assisted living. They have a weekly music happy hour, sometimes with live entertainment. I reached out to the Activities director about doing a spot for the facility. She was very supportive, plus it helped the budget, since we played gratis. I grabbed of couple of my music buds (not my regular band mates) and we put together an hour set. In hindsight, with more time I would have expanded the setlist to include some forties and early fifties tunes. We did a three piece, acoustic guitar, congas, and sax (and flute) with an eclectic mix of music. We did a few Buffett songs, some Van Morrison, Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath (the three of have played it for years and felt the flute work would shoot past the lyrics), a few folk standards, and ended with a mellow version of Free Bird. We had the support staff dancing in the hallways and were told we were a hit with the residents, as no one napped or left during the show. We had a good time and enjoyed spending some time with the residents. My mother in law got bragging rights, and I get asked when we're coming back again when I visit.

I know the facility pays local musicians and DJ's to do their entertainment, not sure what they pay. I noticed that you were concerned about volume, this facility has a large atrium area in the center, I brought a small PA with 2 12" monitors. I had my Fishman Loudbox Mini amp, and we had two vocal mic's, we just kept the volume to match the un-mic'd congas and it worked out fine. One thing to consider is that many of the residents are wearing hearing aids, so too much volume will end up fuzzy. The other thing is in this facility there are a mix of borderline memory care residents, so keeping the music moving keeps their attention. The sax player is an excellent front and very good at interacting with the audience, it was plus here.

As mentioned, next time we play we'll add some forties and fifties standards, maybe a few more 60's folk and country tunes (and bluegrass). Mix it up a bit, maybe grab another bud that plays trumpet. Anyway we had a great time and plan to do it again after the holidays. I'm 68, and my guess at the median age would be around 78, my mother in law being one of the older residents.

Cheers
 
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