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catmandu2
Dec-16-2006, 5:13pm
Just want to remind people to get out and play for folks residing in nursing and rehab facilities this holiday season. It's a great way to share at Christmas time and it is very much appreciated.

Doug Edwards
Dec-16-2006, 6:15pm
We do it all the time, we recieve a huge blessing everytime!

Mikey G
Dec-16-2006, 6:33pm
We've got one scheduled for this upcoming Friday.

violmando
Dec-16-2006, 6:59pm
My middle school orchestra played 5 holiday selections here at the Friends Care Center here in Yellow Springs, OH and were heartily cheered by the residents---and you know what young string players sound like! The Dayton Mandolin Orchestra played for residents in both Springfield and at St. Leonard's in Centerville and had rousing receptions---yes, the music is VERY welcome ANY time of year, but espcially now!

Ken Berner
Dec-16-2006, 7:03pm
Several of my friends and I do this on a regular basis, at several facilities in our area. We have never asked for compensation, feeling that we were "giving back" in some measure. On one banjo forum, I jumped in and voiced my surprise that some of the posters charged fees for their "performances" at nursing homes, etc.. Well you can't imagine the furor I startred with my remarks; they had all sorts of reasons for extracting money, and the most surprising was this: many of these facilities have an entertainment budget. Not only that, some of the States where these guys live, actually require (by law) that "professional quality" entertainment is provided! Others said that they had to pay for their banjos, had taken lessons, spent years learning their instrument; travel expense, group "uniforms", etc., etc .. I took heat for weeks, before I left my parting shot, that this difference between us must be a matter of our cultural upbringing, and that I was raised in the Deep South and still reside here. No doubt, I stirred the pot a little more with that remark. Needless to say, we are happy to "contribute" our time and God-given gifts for those who have limited entertainment in their restricted environment. Are we "professionals"? No.

catmandu2
Dec-16-2006, 7:36pm
I work as an activities director, and yes, our facility and many others do have a budget for such entertainment. I also play at other facilities and accept a performance fee--it's a normal exchange. While most of the folks I know, as well as myself, would perform for no payment, it's a courtesy to the performers to compensate them for their time. The corporate budget provides for this expenditure. But for non-profits this may not be the case.

jim_n_virginia
Dec-16-2006, 7:55pm
Been donating time at nursing homes, assisted living and retirement homes for a few years now.

Not only is it a great way to give back to your community but also great practice for live performing because they are a VERY forgiving audience.

I urge anyone in my area (Hampton Roads, Virginia area) to contact Tidewater Arts Outreach (www.twartsoutreach.org) and let Maryann set you up with a gig.

And if there is no organization like that in your area, just call a place and ask for the activity director. They can always fit you or your band in!

mandocrucian
Dec-16-2006, 9:14pm
Sorry, I refuse to play for free at corporate-owned-for-profit nursing homes/retirement facilities.

I find it insulting to be asked to "volunteer" our services when they can schedule excursions, via charter buses, to see Broadway shows or classical concerts at the Kennedy Center. Or they will import non-local musicians to play (and pay them).

Sorry, I'm not going to subsidize the wealthy just cause they are old.

On the other hand, if it is grass-roots, low budget, non-profit that is struggling to get by.... In other words, I'll play for Bob Kratchit, but Scrooge and J. Montgomery Burns can go to ......

If someone is living at a place where it costs $100,000 just to get in, and you were a plumber called in to fix a leaking pipe, would you do it gratis?


this difference between us must be a matter of our cultural upbringing, and that I was raised in the Deep South

I guess I just don't know my "place" in plantation society. But if capitalism is the holy grail of the well-off, it ought to be OK for us peons too.

PS I am a professional.

catmandu2
Dec-16-2006, 9:21pm
Exactly: the run-of-the-mill corporate-owned long-term care facility is making big profits off its residents. Feel no compunction about being paid for services rendered to them. But the point of the thread is to do it for the residents...(many of whom are being taken to the cleaners by the system).

mandolin123
Dec-16-2006, 9:42pm
I am with you on that last post. I have worked for one of those money driven companies in the past and it is just that, MONEY.

Granted it takes money to do that,and I know that the folks in the facility need to be taken care of, but it takes all they have.

I have played at nursing homes and all the pay that I have gotten is the smiles that it brings. Those smiles are worth more than money can buy.

Windflite
Dec-16-2006, 11:18pm
Mando $7,000
Gas # $12
Making some genuinely nice folks smile...priceless.

We did a couple of gratis gigs this year. #Frankly, it gets ME in the spirit of Christmas! #Great therapy for the residents and us. # I sure as heck hope that when I'm in 'the home' that somebody comes to play for me! #

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

allenhopkins
Dec-16-2006, 11:32pm
I do a lot of performing in seniors' facilities, and I generally get paid -- not much, $50 for an hour performance. A quick look at my 2006 performance calendar yields 86 jobs at nursing homes, seniors' residences, senior recreation centers, etc. -- about seven a month.

Honestly, I don't feel a bit guilty about accepting payment for what, in retirement, is now my "job." These facilities budget for entertainment, and I have developed musical programs aimed specifically at this type of audience. These include specialized concerts of patriotic material, Irish/Celtic music for St. Patrick's Day, and of course songs for the Christmas/Chanukah season.

I also have programs for developmentally disabled which I give in group homes and similar facilities -- and I get paid for those too.

Doesn't mean I won't volunteer to provide entertainment when it's needed. I do a fair number of "freebies" every year. And I applaud all the Cafe members who donate their time and talents, especially around the holiday season. As to whether certain seniors' facilities are "ripping off" their residents and their families, I take no position. I know that the direct-care staffs of most nursing homes and seniors' residences work really hard for modest compensation.

But I think providing high quality professional entertainment, designed for a seniors' audience, is worth getting paid for. The utility company doesn't donate free electricity to seniors' facilities, nor do the food services provide no-cost meat and produce. The nurses and attendants expect, rightly, to get paid for their services. I just got back today from a one-hour holiday sing-along at a seniors' residence, and I think the staff and residents got their money's worth. More power to those who do this gratis, but please don't try to get me to feel embarrassed about doing it for pay.

Ken Berner
Dec-17-2006, 9:12am
Thanks Allen, for your views on this fairly "touchy" subject. I wasn't trying to make anyone feel guilty or embarrassed over taking money. Some of the comments by others almost make me feel guilty for not having taken advantage in the past. I suppose if there were some way to look into the financial records of these establishments, we might have a better feel for which ones to charge a fee. Anyway, I am thankful for the freedom we all have in this country to do as we feel is right in this particular matter. Merry Christmas to you all.

mythicfish
Dec-17-2006, 9:59am
" America, when will I be able to go to the supermarket and get what I need on my good looks?"

A. Ginsburg, Moloch


Be well
Curt

Bluegrass Books Online
Dec-17-2006, 12:10pm
Rick and I have donated time at nursing homes over the years and added a little somethiing to the music he plays. I have registered therapy dogs and while Rick played, my showdogs (dressed up in reindeer antlers and pulling a wagon of gifts for each patient which was provided by the nursing home) would make the rounds to visit and hand out the gifts. What better way to spend a Christmas Eve.

Carrie http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

Elliot Luber
Dec-17-2006, 1:31pm
Back when I was in college, I used to play fiddle with a friend on piano every week at a local nursing home. The old folks were always so very appreciative about it, and we made many friends there. It was fun. I used to feel so good about doing that -- it really boosted my self esteem. That is, until I found out my friend was being paid $40 every time we played, while telling me we were doing it out of the goodness of our hearts! Then I felt like a sap. Eventually I realized that at least I was doing it for the right reasons. Other people live by their set of rules.

mandodebbie
Dec-17-2006, 2:59pm
I have been playing with a little Gospel-type group every second Wednsday at our local "Old folks home". It's nice to be appreciated by a usually non-critical audience. (One old lady complained that I wasn't keeping proper time and she couldn't hear me. Well, I was playing between an organ and an accordian. I gotta work on my rythm.) Playing at the Manor is good practice for me as I rarely get to jam with other musicians. This December I also volunteered to play my mando at an Arts Centre function. I had a couple of my photos on display with the other member's work that night, but I am hardly a "hob-nobber", so I just sat down and played some Xmas tunes and Bluegrass numbers. I recieved a lot of compliments on my mando playing, which is what it is all about. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

big h
Dec-17-2006, 3:25pm
My brother and I do it as mutch as we can.

MartinD_GibsonA
Dec-17-2006, 7:49pm
I play two gigs a month at one of six for profit retirement homes, so I hit each of them once a quarter. #They can afford to pay me and have offered to do so -- I've turned them down every time because of how good it makes me feel to volunteer my time/talent rather than sell them. #I'm not above accepting something if they hand it to me at the end of a show, but I've never asked for payment or set a fee. #A friend of mine told me that I'm just subsidizing the stockholders when I do that, but I prefer to think that if they don't pay me, #that's one more show a quarter the residents can enjoy on the same entertainment budget. #I have no quarrel with those who want to charge ... it just doesn't work for me! #And in answer to something that mandocrucian wrote, I've never been asked to play anywhere ... I've approached each of the facilites and asked them if I could come there. #There's a difference.

Don Smith

Daniel Nestlerode
Dec-17-2006, 8:09pm
If you're in the Bay Area (NoCal) look into Bread and Roses (http://www.breadandroses.org/). They'll hook you up with institutions that need your talents and cannot afford to pay. Would be nice if every community had an organization like Bread and Roses.

Daniel

JEStanek
Dec-17-2006, 9:03pm
There are for and not for profit elder care homes. I remember being in the second grade and going to the Old City Nursing Home in Lynchburg VA (1977 or 78). We sang Christmas carols to very poor people in what I thought was an awful place. The image that sticks out most in my mind is that of deteriorating mental health in some and the sheer joy on the faces of others (I often saw the regression of the aged to more childlike minds and expressions there). I also saw things I had never seen before, amputees from diabetes, folks with no teeth or wearing diapers, tough things for a sheltered boy to see. But the images stick and I _know_ I made a difference even for a couple of hours once in my life back then.

Whether your being a sucker to a mega corp or not your music makes a difference in the lives of people whom we have shunted aside to die. If their facilities can afford it and you can have a paying gig, great. If they can afford it but don't offer it, well you get to be a bigger person. If they can't afford it and you play anyway, well god bless you.

Jamie

garyblanchard
Dec-17-2006, 9:33pm
My father-in-law is a resident at the Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. We played there in September, shortly after we moved up here, and will probably play again in the spring. This is a labor of love for Carol and me, so we did not even think to ask for payment. We did a free show for a place in Annapolis where the residents lived better than we did. I'm more careful about that now. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

mandolinplucker
Dec-18-2006, 1:10am
I am retired so time ain't money ,it's just time to me. About a year ago some other retired guys that live in my community got a group together. We have mando,dobro,guitar,banjo,harmonica,and two singers. Every tuesday is rest home day for us. For some of those people,we are the only diversion that they have. They look foreward to our visits and we enjoy it as much as they do. There are enough of us that if someone can't make it, the rest can still play so it doesn't interfear with anyones plans. It is a rewarding experience for us.

Jackie Walters
Dec-20-2006, 8:10pm
Us girls (I'm in a 3 gal bluegrass group) just played at one of our favorite nursing homes. It was so neat..we were to start to play at 2:00pm on a Saturday afternoon. We got there at 1:00pm to set up. At 1:05 a lady came in the room where we were and serenaded us with "Sentimental Journey". She didn't miss a word. Then at 1:15 p.m. the rest of the folks came in. They even enjoyed watching us set up..and do sound checks! They couldn't wait for us to get started..And we couldn't wait to start to play. Our highlight is when we see them sing right along with us..we especially like to do the older tunes for those folks.."Ashes of Love", "That's How Much I Love You"..
Ahh....it's All Good.....
Angelfire

Mark Walker
Dec-20-2006, 9:28pm
I'd been 'musically dead' since about May and had loaned my Silver Angel to a cousin until a few weeks ago. #Some good friends invited me to help them out - by playing mandolin - at 7 nursing homes over two weeks. (Our final visit is tomorrow night.) #It's gotten me back into music in a small way, and the folks do indeed seem to enjoy it. #"What's that thing? #A little guitar?" #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif
At least no one's thrown anything at me yet! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

PS - Angelfire lives near me and her trio is VERY good! I can see why they knock the socks off the folks they play for!

catmandu2
Dec-20-2006, 10:01pm
Closet-

As long as you can play your mando, there are people who would love to hear you..

Glad to have you back in circulation!

hellindc
Dec-21-2006, 12:40am
A couple comments: Keep in mind that not only Nursing Homes but assisted living residences (I wanted to call our band "Assisted Living," but I got vetoed) often seek entertainment. My wife was a geriatric care manager, and she knew what places were doing well, which weren't. By the way -- not all not-for-profits are really that way. For example, right near my house is a huge facility run by Missouri Synod Lutherans. It's not for profit, but believe me, no poor people need apply to these polyester ministers for help. (There are, of course, religious groups running truely charitable institutions, including the Synod).

I'm with those who will play for free when the people are indigent in a non-profit, but I think getting paid for playing at the many upscale places is reasonable. Why not take the money and donate it to a food pantry or to a home that needs support, if you would like the good feeling that comes with doing a good deed?

8ch(pl)
Dec-21-2006, 7:03am
Here in Nova Scotia an individual or group an get $150 Cnd. for performing. It is Music Therapy and is a grant from the Government, not taken from the residents. I know some people who suppliment a low income by doing this. Our group usually ends up with $30 to $37.50 each.

I wish we would book more often, like sometimes when we don't get paid. I need the experience more than the money, but it pays for my strings and I have made enough to pay for the new mandolin banjo. I am thinking of going into the children's hospital and doing some stuff on my own. This I would do gratis, weekly, - more often than the funds can bear.

It may seem a bit mercenary, but, if the funds are there and from the government, why not?

Mark Walker
Dec-21-2006, 8:31am
Glen - If you are taxed in a nearly confiscatory way (as we are here in the states) that money was YOUR money at one time, and getting any of it back as payment for something you ENJOY doing... Well heck, I'd say GO FOR IT! And no regrets! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

PS - Catmandu2, thanks for the kudo and acknowledgment. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Caleb
Dec-21-2006, 1:23pm
I used to do a weekly Gospel music service at a local nursing home with an old friend of mine. It was mainly his gig; he would pick out the songs and preach a bit. I was just there to play guitar and accompany him. Some of those old folks really loved it. I haven't done anything like that in a while, but it has been in my heart to get back into it.

Here's something cool: One Sunday morning we were playing and my buddy Greg asks if there's a song I'd like to do. My wife was there that morning and I asked for to sing with me. Most of the time these folks just seemed to sit there and listen to us all, but after we got done with our song (my wife is an amazing singer) these people erupted in applause. Heck, I thought we'd put them to sleep, since I mostly keep my eyes shut if I'm singing...helps me to concentrate. So whoever said in this thread that if you can play something, there are those out there who wish to hear it....that is true.

Also, someone mentioned Bread and Roses. A few years ago I read an article written by Rick Turner when Mimi Farina (founder of Bread and Roses) died of cancer. That article BLEW ME AWAY at the passion this woman had for bringing quality entertainment to those who could not get out and experience the arts. What an amazing life she led. That article really inspired me and I've never really looked at performing the same way since.

There are countless people out there getting "gigs" and trying to "make it"....but what this world needs is not one more star, but more folks like Mimi Farina.

Klaus Wutscher
Dec-22-2006, 3:33am
There are countless people out there getting "gigs" and trying to "make it"....but what this world needs is not one more star, but more folks like Mimi Farina.
Now ainīt that the truth... I have been slowly getting this idea in my head within the last few years (not that I was ever even close to becoming a "star") and my inspirations to "make it" on the festival scene have all but vanished. This is not what music is about for me any more.

As far as the payment issue, I kind of see both sides. I have and always will play for free for istitutions which cannot afford to pay for music. I would probably even play for free for institutions which have the money provided the money they save will be spent on other activities. Sadly, that is not always the case.

There is one free gig which I never have, and never will be part of, though. Itīs an event here in Vienna which is founded by the Austrian- American society. The concerts are mostly attended by diplomats and the likes of them. Now, I wil never play for free for a room packed with people who earn way more money than I do - no way...

8ch(pl)
Dec-22-2006, 5:52am
I agree with this being a sort of Tax Rebate. We put on a pretty good show as well, they always ask us to come back. Others do it as well, but there is no sense of competition. We do a lot of old time numbers, always ending with "Till We Meet Again". This is an American song that was popularized here by the Don Messer's Jubillee on CBC Television. Most of the residents sing along with it. A lot of folks think it was a Canadian Song because of that show in the 60's.

I'm going to incorporate Carolina in the Morning, Bye Bye Blackbird and other old pieces. They are perrennial favorites here. I would like to learn a few Quebec songs in French, there are a number of Bi-lingual residents whose first languaage is French. There are French areas in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as well as Quebec born people who have moved here. Although I speak reasonable French, I don't know many songs.

Best wishes to all for the Holidays.

oldwave maker
Dec-22-2006, 6:52am
Did a rockabilly christmas program gig for the wee lads and lassies in the local elementary school gym wed morn, followed by swing gig with the electric campfire orchestra at the assisted living center next door. Highlight was having a dozen or so elderly ladies singing all the lyrics to sentimental journey, dont get aroung much anymore, dont fence me in, aint misbehavin, etc. 95 yr old Lee Belle Johnson (who is 1 yr older than the state of NM!) tells me her grandmothers cousin was on the winning side at the battle of Little Bighorn!
As herr groppenfuhrer sez: I'll be back.......

allenhopkins
Dec-22-2006, 12:33pm
Paid or unpaid (see my earlier argumentative post), I love playing for seniors (being one myself, at least by AARP standards). Earlier this year I performed at a 104th birthday party for a nursing home resident. Just looking at the man -- still in excellent shape -- and thinking that he was born in the Roosevelt administration (Teddy) while I was born in the Roosevelt administration (FDR); that when he was born, the Wright brothers hadn't taken off, there was a British Empire, and so much of our modern world was yet to be born...

Oh well, happy holidays to all, and I just did a Chanukah "freebie" for the seniors at the Jewish Community Center. "I have a little dreydl, I made it out of clay..."

Salty Dog
Dec-23-2006, 1:07am
My better judgement tells me not to jump in here because I know I will get hammered, but here we go. #Why does everything have to be about money? #I belong to a Bluegrass Gospel Band that often performs at nursing homes, and I never even thought until I saw these posts as to whether they were profit or non profit. #Our reason for performing is to bring a joyful experience to the residents - that's all. #We never recover any expenses for performing at a nursing home as they never ask for a "free will" offering - we know that. #It is a ministry for us and to see their expressions of enjoyment makes our day. #If you folks think you are performing for the management or for the benefit of the management, then your view of the audience is much different than ours. #If you want to be a commercial band, then book a nursing home appearance as you would any other gig. #Either they will agree to your terms or they will not and this will solve your problem. Enough said, may God's blessings be with all of you.

Mark Walker
Dec-23-2006, 4:59pm
Salty Dog - no, I don't think anyone will hammer you. You make a good point.

However, I don't really think the thread ever took much of a 'for profit' twist, other than the fact in Canada you get paid for doing things we'd enjoy doing even without pay. #My earlier comment about 'accept it if they're going to pay you' was only from - as Glen acknowledged - a 'tax rebate' perspective. # I'd wager most of us - were we to GET paid for providing music at nursing homes - would probably spin right around and donate that money to a worthwhile charity. #(I would.)

While we certainly could start an entire 'no mandolin content' thread regarding 'taxation without representation' in both Canada and the United States, I'm sure everyone here (and who's read and responded within this thread) knows in their hearts that playing simply for the joy of PROVIDING joy to those people in nursing homes is what it's all been about! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

We played our 'last' nursing home for the Christmas season Thursday night December 21st, and are planning on re-visiting them all in the spring for a 'spring concert' effort of sorts! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Peace, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dave Schimming
Dec-24-2006, 10:04am
I had the opportunity to play at a nursing home twice this fall with a put together group of amateur musicians; seemed like the residents enjoyed it, I felt good doing something for folks, and it helped my timing by performing instead of jamming. Merry Christmas!

8ch(pl)
Dec-24-2006, 12:16pm
Salty Dog,

I don't think money is the reason to do this. It should be primarily from the heart. I was recently asked to enter the band I am in. I would not have joined it before, as there was a member who I can't staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand in the group. He has left and they asked me in. I am not the best at organizing this sort of thing, but that gets done for me.

Also it is not all of Canada that has the Music Therapy stipend. Nova Scotia does, but I can't speak for the other provinces. For those involved in children's work, clown costumes makeup etc. is expensive. I am happy the government here gives a bit to cover these expenses. We also travel a bit of distance, pay bridge tolls etc. We go to many different places about Metro Halifax and it can take 15 to 45 minutes to get there.

If we were asked to do a show that had no money involved we would.

Strange1
Dec-24-2006, 12:27pm
Donating time or not is of no concern of mine. To each his own. One statement galls me tho. Unless I am sadly mistaken the statement..."Sorry, I'm not going to subsidize the wealthy just cause they are old." is a sad commentary on trying to justify the need to charge when no justification is needed. The residents I am familiar with (and I may someday be one of them)that are spending their last days in nursing home are far from wealthy. If you are 'wealthy' there are other much more desirable ways to live. Why not just say..."If I play, you pay'. No shame there. Uh, good thing I previewed this post before sending it...I left off the 'p' in play.

Jack