Being an experienced trumpet player of quasi-local renown (okay, maybe extremely local), I sometimes get emails around this time of year from folks asking if I’m available for various Easter services. While there seems to be an unlimited number of trumpeters here in the Washington/Baltimore corridor, there also seems to be unlimited churches with organists or music directors in need of professional brass musicians. It feels like there’s room for everyone, including military and non-military trumpeters, professionals and amateurs.
Still, I’m aware of the amazing local talent (sometimes a.k.a. “competition”), and any freelance performer will tell you it’s always nice when you’ve made someone’s email list. A director/host may be reaching out to you because they:
- Received a personal recommendation
- Remembered you from a previous gig
- Got your data from musician list
- Found you on a Google search
…or any of various other ways to find someone. They’re asking you to help them by doing what you enjoy and are presumably good at. Win-win.
After learning the first details of a gig, I check my calendar, first thing. Fortunately, I have a long-standing and well-paying Easter gig with what we call the Old Bay Brass, thanks to a close trombonist friend. Except for a couple of experimental Easters with other groups, this has been my Easter performance for the past decade or so.
The only unfortunate part, of course, is that I have to decline the other offers. I will usually recommend other good, reliable players in the localities from which these other gigs come.
Sometimes these requests come late in the season (to me, this means less than a month before Easter), and I always wonder why some folks wait so long before shopping for musicians. To partly answer this question, I’ve found that some of these emails include the director’s reason for the late offer date (e.g. just got back from vacation, was sick, was waiting on someone else, etc.).
Another potential reason is that the previously hired musician bowed out of the gig, leaving the director/host to scramble for a sub. Barring emergencies, if you are (or know) a musician who has done this, what reason was given? All other things being equal, I would completely understand if they had a family/home/car situation that demanded immediate attention. Maybe their instrument is not back from the repair shop, and they thought it would be. Even double booking, while professionally hazardous and irresponsible, could be overlooked if it was an honest, unintentional mistake, because everyone makes those now and then. I’m sure I’m leaving out other practical motives, but in general if you say you’re going to be at a specific place (be it a rehearsal or a gig) on a specific date at a specific time—be there, man!
Other reasons for reneging on a job would probably take more explaining and likely may be more embarrassing for the performer. I’m not even going to try to guess what unthinkable alibis people have given to weasel out of playing, but I do know that if this does happen, it helps both musicians and directors to have a list of “fall back” names in your digital rolodex.
So – on behalf of all professionally minded musicians, I urge directors and other folks who want to hire us to ask around for not only talented players, but punctual and responsible players as well. This goes for any gig: Christmas, Independence Day, New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, a birthday party, a debutante ball, whatever—musicians, like any other hired professional, need to plan accordingly and be true to their word.
What was the best reason you’ve heard for not playing a gig?
How about the worst?
Have you noticed that certain musicians do this more often than others?
Does it happen more often with certain occasions?