General Information for Performers

Want a first-hand account of what you might expect as a Music for Seniors performer?

Read what Candace Corrigan writes about her experiences as a participant in our program in her October 27 entry, “Music for Seniors.”

Who can participate as a performer for MUSIC FOR SENIORS?
You can! If you are a professional musician, singer, performer who:

Who will my audience be?

What is expected from MUSIC FOR SENIORS performers?
Performers spend one hour each month at the same facility or with the same home-bound senior adult. (You choose your preference: a group, or an individual.)

There is an initial 6-month commitment: one hour for six consecutive months, for a total of 6 hours. After that, you may chose to continue month to month.

Your performance time is about 45 minutes and focuses on music known and loved by your audience. Some examples: 30s and 40s standards, camp songs, songs from Broadway shows, favorite hymns, patriotic songs. MUSIC FOR SENIORS is ready to help you with this material. We have songbooks available (free of charge!), and lots of resources for you to find and brush up on your “senior” repertoire. You can take requests. You can build your show around a theme, i.e., Cowboy Songs, Love Songs, Broadway Musicals. You can make it fun and use your imagination. This is about giving this audience what they love: music they know, music they can sing along with. A few examples of the kind of songs appropriate for these performances: You Are My Sunshine, Home Home on the Range, Down in the Valley, Blue Moon, I Come to the Garden Alone, Amazing Grace.

After the performance, allow at least 15 minutes to “meet and greet.” Getting to know the individuals in your audience over time, listening and sharing experiences with them, is an important element of this program.

When are the performances?
Performances are scheduled for day-time or very early evening. They can be during the week or on the weekend, depending on the scheduling needs of the particular facility or senior adult you are paired with, coordinated with your availability and preferences.

You will be scheduled for an initial performance time that is convenient for you, then you and the activities director of your facility or care manager working with your home-bound senior adult will arrange the details of each of your following visits.

MUSIC FOR SENIORS staff is always available to help with the scheduling process, and will coordinate your first performance time with the facility. After that, scheduling your monthly performances is your responsibility, to be coordinated with your contact at the facility or the care manager of your home-bound senior, making it user-friendly for all.

Your performance scheduling can be flexible. You can schedule your performances month-to-month, depending on how your schedule coincides with the seniors’ other activities.

Or, in the alternative, you can arrange with the activities director to go, for instance, on “the first Saturday of each month at 1:00.”

Where do I perform?
MUSIC FOR SENIORS will pair you with a facility or homebound senior adult near your home or office. Staying “in your neighborhood” helps support your commitment to the program, making it easy for you to get there each month.

Remember: MUSIC FOR SENIORS is as much about building relationships between our area performers and senior adults as it is about providing wholesome, fun entertainment everyone will enjoy.

Will I be paid for the performances, or am I expected to volunteer?
MUSIC FOR SENIORS offers all performers a stipend of $50-per-performance.
That means you earn $300 during your initial 6-month commitment.

Performers must complete the appropriate Federal W-9 taxpayer identification form (provided by MUSIC FOR SENIORS) and will receive a check via U.S. mail following each completed performance.

If you choose to donate your performance as a gift to the program, MUSIC FOR SENIORS will gladly accept your generous offering of your time and talent. However, you are not expected to perform on a volunteer basis.

If you do choose to volunteer, you still will be expected to commit to 6 one-hour performances over 6 consecutive months.

Why should I participate in MUSIC FOR SENIORS?
Offering your time and talent for one performance each month to a senior center, retirement facility or homebound senior adult will provide you with a unique and manageable opportunity for community service. You can make a difference in the lives of these senior adults doing what you love.

How do I get started?
Complete our quick and easy registration/application and submit on-line or mail to:

Sarah Martin McConnell
Music For Seniors
174 Rains Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203-5319.

For additional information call (61... or email sarah@musicforseniors.org.