This post comes in response to a request that I received from "miss bliss" and I will happily comply because it is a major issues and topic for any musician or entertainer working onboard a cruise ship. I was asked to write about what people do with their downtime while working onboard a ship. How downtime is handled can mean all the difference between a happy contract and a miserable one and also moving forward with professional goals or staying stagnant and stuck in the same cycles.
For almost all musicians and entertainers there is a lot of downtime during a contract. Even on a busy playing day there is still a lot of time to fill. Say that on the worst day a musician is scheduled to perform six hours (which for most positions rarely happens), that still leaves 18 hours left to fill. Consider that on a ship musicians live where they work, there is no commute, there is no cooking as the meals are provided in the mess. A lot of things on land that take up a person's time away from work aren't really considerations on a ship. Port days are probably the easiest because there is always the option to go into town for a while. But there are also sea days, where the ship will not dock while in transition from one port to the next. Sounds easy, but put a few sea days together and most everyone on the ship starts to go stir crazy. My personal record was 10 sea days in a row because we were going from the Middle East to Europe. Seven sea days were already scheduled just for transit time including a day through the Suez Canal (which is still a sea day because the ship is moving and nobody can exit the ship in the Suez Canal), but then the uprisings in Egypt happened and they canceled three ports in Egypt without replacing them with another port, which meant we went 10 days without touching land. That will test the patience and mental stability of even the most experienced seafarer.
Regular life onboard a ship is not exactly like a free weekend at home on land. On the ship you only have access to the tv channels that they are able to get, which might be some cable channels but in other parts of the world might only include older movies and a news channel if you are lucky. And don't think about being connected online 24 hours a day. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the crew is charged by the minute for internet access. The speed reminds me of AOL from about 20 years ago. Most cruise ships use a satellite connection, which means the signal goes from the ship to a satellite in space, then beamed down to a receiving station on land, then sent over to a network, and then all goes back the way it came but in reverse. You can see why everything from weather to positioning around the globe can make a major impact on the speed and even overall availability of access. While most people are accustomed to being connected online 24 hours a day on land, it just isn't possible while on the ship. You can see how much of a premium gets put on a strong wifi connection when the ship is in port. Any place that has strong wifi will have a group of crew members Skyping, checking email, and updating their Facebook statuses.
Most musicians I know seem to either enjoy ships or hate them (or at least find them a necessary evil at a certain point in their lives) depending on what they get out of the experience. This all boils down to planning and sticking to the plan. I've often been asked by younger musicians about whether they should stick with ships or give up ships and try full time on land. My advice is always the same: if you are continuing to get something out of working on the ship, then do it while you can. But if you no longer enjoy it and no longer find it satisfying, then it's time to find something new. It's my advice for ships, but also my advice for any career, whether on land or at sea. If you are no longer enjoying what it is you do for a living, then find something else. Life is too short to spend 30 years or more doing something you hate doing every day.
Finding personal and/or professional satisfaction is key and can be different for each person. I have worked with a lot of musicians fresh out of college looking to gain playing experience, to have a steady gig, and to have time to practice their instruments. A cruise ship definitely satisfies those criteria. Some musicians never traveled much, maybe even went to college just down the road from where they grew up, and want to see the world. Working on a cruise ship that is in a different city every day is going to be a good fit for them.
But a word of caution in that cruise ships are not for everyone and they aren't usually the right fit for everyone for an entire 30 year career (although I do know some who are perfectly happy after decades in the job). Cruise ships are full of repetition, from playing the exact same production shows every week for 6 months at a time, to playing the same or similar charts every week at jazz and big band sets, to playing the same rotation of guest entertainers every couple of months. What might have appeared fulfilling, fun, entertaining, or even challenging at first can become part of the grind. Same is true for the ports. My first two contracts were on a ship in the Caribbean and we repeated itineraries every other week (one week was Eastern Caribbean, the next Western Caribbean, then back and forth every week of the year). At first it was all new and it was nice for someone used to cold and snowy winters to be relaxing on a beach in 80 degree temperatures on Christmas Day. But a year into it, the same 6 ports started to get old. While at first I never missed an opportunity to go off the ship, at the end of one year I found myself staying onboard more and more often. When I went to my second ship (3rd contract), the ship was based out of Dubai and the Middle East for 4 months of the year and doing the same itinerary week after week for those 4 months. The first year we did 3 days a week in Dubai, then one day each in Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Fujairah, and Bahrain. The second and third years changed by adding a sea day and eliminating the stop in Bahrain due to the political uprisings that started between our first and second years there. By the end of my 3rd contract, those cities that seemed to exotic and interesting started to feel mundane.
But I have digressed, so back to the downtime aspect of ship life. It is really important to have goals while onboard for a contract. The musicians who are the happiest have something specific they want to achieve during their contract. It might be practicing a certain number of hours on their instrument, or go through certain books, or improve in specific areas. It might be more of a side project, something like writing or arranging. Or it might be to go sightseeing and see new parts of the world.
If you enjoy sightseeing or history, try and do research before you start your contract. Read up before you visit and it will make your time in a particular port even that much more rewarding. I would research all of the new places online and save the info on my laptop, then before we would arrive to the port I would read through so I would know what to expect. In the end it worked for me. While I was out in the city taking mass transportation and seeing all there was to see, others stayed near the ship in a Starbucks (I still enjoy my Starbucks, I'm just saying) or an Irish bar (every city in the world seems to have its Irish bars). Imagine what the crew members have to look back at years in the future: "yeah, I went all over the world and saw the inside of a Starbucks in 60 different countries." I researched admission prices, opening/closing times of places of interest, as well as transportation schedules, routes, and prices so I could use my time as efficiently as possible. I love the TripAdvisor app, and you can now download city guides for a lot of the major cities and use them offline while you walk around without having to be connected to the internet. There is another app called Maps.me where maps can be downloaded with turn-by-turn directions and then used offline. It can be a lifesaver if you get lost on the way back to the ship!
The people who are the most miserable are the ones that come onboard with no plan whatsoever and get bored in their first week. Or they came with a plan but it went out the window because they either weren't focused or were just plain lazy. Downtime can either be a blessing or a curse depending on how its used.
One major downfall I have seen time and time again is spending every night in the crew bar. Cruise ships have a bar (sometimes more than one) specifically for the crew to use at night once they are finished with their work. Alcohol is cheap and flows easily, which is attractive to many musicians. One word of caution though, all cruise ships have limits on alcohol consumption, some more strict than others. Unfortunately as a Musical Director, I have seen several musicians be fired because of drinking too much. It is never a fun moment to have to appear with the musician in a Captain's hearing where they are fired and sent home at their own expense. The crew bar can be a cycle, where some crew members go every night until it closes at 2am, then they sleep until Noon or later, wake up for rehearsal, eat dinner, do the shows, and then repeat the process. One of the saddest cases I saw was an older musician who hated his job. He spent $500 a week (which was about the average salary for the orchestra members at that time) in the bar and was eventually not re-hired because his drinking led to performance issues on the bandstand. Imagine spending every dollar you earn and then eventually lose you job over it. I'm not saying that crew should never go to socialize, and isolating yourself in your cabin alone every night is worse, but everything in moderation.
My advice to those about to do a contract, whether it is their first or 50th, is to set concrete goals and stick to them. Use check points throughout the contract to make sure you are staying on task and staying productive and of course modify if necessary. If you are planning on arranging 10 charts during a six month contract, then set smaller goals, such as one the first month then two the next month and so on. In the fourth month, if you haven't hit at least 7 charts, then you haven't been sticking to your routine. Maybe you got sidetracked by something else productive, which could be OK, but maybe it's a sign that you have been focusing on less productive ways of spending your time.
A sad sequence of events I have seen all too often are with musicians who no longer want to work on ships but find themselves having to. Ships are great if it is where you want to be. But it can be a sad, lonely, and sometimes dark place if you feel that it is your only option. I have seen musicians spend most of their paycheck either in port or in the bar due to boredom. Then they go home with just enough cash to keep them going during their 6-8 week vacation, then find themselves without any other option financially so they come back to the ship and repeat the process over and over. My suggestion: not only set goals for using your time, but set goals for saving money. Make sure to come home with money in the bank.
As far as spending time productively, I mentioned arranging as an example because there are a lot of people that use it to productively fill time and also to make some extra cash during the contract. Singers, guest entertainers, and sometimes even the ship's entertainment department are sometimes in need of new charts or updating older charts. The ship's production cast is made up of singers, some of which are required to have their own charts. As they perform more often, they might decide to pay to expand their personal collection of charts arranged for them, so they oftentimes look for somebody onboard to arrange for them. In one of my latest contracts, the hotel director and cruise director wanted the orchestra to play some very recent pop music (i.e. "Happy" by Pharrell Williams and "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift). Because the orchestra usually uses charts and not whole songs by ear, they paid orchestra musicians to do the arrangements. Not a bad way to make some spending money. Plus the skills that a musicians continues to develop in arranging can also pay off on land after the contract is finished.
All in all, ships can be a great experience. I have been able to visit over 60 countries. I have been able to play with some great musicians from all parts of the world, who have all taught me as much or more than I could in a classroom. And from playing every night, I have been able to greatly expand my repertoire. This past contract I wrote a music textbook/workbook because my wife and I will be opening up a music school. And speaking of my wife, I met her through ships which would have to be the best result of them all. Had it not been for ships I am sure our paths would have never crossed.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Building a Repertoire, Part 2
I have already discussed several parts of developing a repertoire in previous posts. There are so many things to consider that it can be overwhelming. This post will take a further look into using demographics while building your repertoire.
Now how can you use the average age of the passengers to your advantage?
One major aspect is realizing the cultural differences and determining what music was popular for the majority of the audience. This is a bit tricky because songs that were popular in the USA weren't necessarily popular in the UK and vice versa. I know it's hard for most Americans to believe that their music isn't the most popular all over the world, or what is the hit song of a particular year isn't the hit song in al parts of the world.
Let me give an example to illustrate my point. I just picked the year 1976 as an example, because in 2015 the people who followed music at that time make up a large percentage of the cruise passenger demographic. Using 1976 as an example, here are the top 10 songs for that year in both the Unites States and in the United Kingdom:
USA
1) Silly Love Songs by Paul McCarney and Wings
2) Don't Go Breaking my Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
3) Disco Lady by Johnnie Taylor
4) December 1963 (Oh What a Night) by The Four Seasons
5) Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry
6) Kiss and Say Goodbye by The Manhattans
7) Love Machine, Pt. 1 by The Miracles
8) 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon
9) Love Is Alive by Gary Wright
10) A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band
UK
1) Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man
2) Mississippi by Pussycat
3) Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
4) Fernando by Abba
5) Dancing Queen by Abba
6) If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
7) A Little Bit More by Dr. Hook
8) Under the Moon of Love by Shadawaddywaddy
9) I Love to Love by Tina Charles
10) You To Me Are Everything by The Real Thing
As you can see, there is only one song that appeared in the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic in the year 1976. That means, do your research for both. But there is some common ground that can help you out, artists like The Beatles, Abba, Elton John, etc. Try and do a little research into the demographic and see what songs are popular. They might be different than what you grew up with, so it may mean learning some new material to add to your repertoire. It would be a horrible way to start a contract by finding out that a lot of your material gets ignored by your audience. It is much easier to research and learn new songs as home than on a ship, where you perform nightly and internet connections are slow and expensive.
Try and research some "above and beyond" things that could make you the talk of the cruise. If you know you will be performing in front of a large number of British guests, think pub sing-alongs. Consider doing different themes for the evening. Again, use your strengths and your own background to your advantage. Have a background in musical theater? Think about adding a Broadway/West End night. Do you know a lot of music from British rock bands? Do a British Invasion night. Cruise directors and musical directors will appreciate the effort and the audience will as well.
There is another thing to consider with the demographics and that is the age of the typical passenger. This is important because it will give you insight into what songs they remember. As a musical director, I have fielded complaints from passengers because some of the musical acts onboard play music that is either too old and dated and also music that is too current, both of which missed the target demographic. I had one passenger (probably in their 50s or 60s) come up to me right after a show and complain that the music was from way before their time. They said, "We might be old, but we aren't dead! That is music for my parents and grandparents."
How can you use the average age to help build a repertoire? Consider that most people develop their musical tastes in their junior high, high school, and university days, meaning somewhere around the ages of 12-20. Musical tastes can change over time, but you can use that as a starting point. Meaning if the average age of the passengers is 70, then they started developing their musical tastes around 50-58 years ago. Since this is 2015, going back 50-58 years would take us back to 1957-1964. That means on a cruise today with an average passenger age being around 70, I would go focus back as far as 1950s and 1960s. What does that tell me as a musician and musical director? 1950s rock and roll and British invasion would be a good place to start for guests that are now 70 years old. Use the same theory and if the average age of the passengers is closer to 60 years old, then jump forward 10 years and look at music from the 1960s and 1970s. Some itineraries might have more in the 50s age range, then look forward even more to the 1970s and 1980s.
What entertainers must realize is that everything changes over time. The cruise industry has had a tendency to stick with traditions, but in the past decade they have realized that the must start to change and adapt. Go back to the "Golden Era" of cruising, with midnight buffets every night, chocolates on the pillows, skeet shooting and driving golf balls off the back of the ship. When it came to onboard music, most entertainers on cruise ships focused on the music of the Big Band era. Not that there is anything wrong with jazz and big band music, but we have to be honest and say that it lost its popularity after World War II in mid 1940s. By the time the year 1946 came to a close, 9 of the top big band leaders stopped touring: Glenn Miller (killed in a plane crash but band continued touring), Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Les Brown, Jack Teagarden, Benny Carter, Ina Ray Hutton, and Tommy Dorsey. After 1945 jazz as a musical form was not dead, but the popular acts were solo artists backed by a band, such as Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and Rosemary Clooney. Going back to our earlier formula, that means that a passenger be around 80 years old for it to be the style of music that they "grew up with." By 2015, a person would have to be a minimum of 70 years old just to have been alive at the end of the big band era.
What does all of that mean for music onboard a cruise ship? It is still the tradition to play jazz and big band music (even though there are no full big bands onboard anymore, it is a modified, smaller instrumentation) using the ship's orchestra, the group that plays in the main theater nightly. But there are more and more other groups utilized to cater to the majority of passengers, such as a quartet that plays a variety of music from the 1950s to 1980s. Big band should never leave the cruise industry, but it might find itself in more of a niche than it used to.
Figuring out the typical age of passengers is quite impossible as every cruise is different. When I was doing the same itinerary over and over every 12 days, each 12-day cruise had a different set of passengers and could vary drastically. There are the obvious times when there will be more families and children onboard, such as summer, spring break, and winter break. Another good indicator is the typical length of cruise for the ship. In general, the longer the cruise, the older the guests. Why? Because most 25-year-olds can't exactly take 3 weeks off of work in a row to fly and take an 18-day cruise. Also, Alaska will have an older demographic compared to the Caribbean. European and Asian cruises usually fall somewhere in the middle. It is worth asking your agent or the person from the cruise line who hired you what the typical passenger is like on your upcoming contract. Just as ai said in my last post, you shouldn't completely change what you do to cater to the guests, but there has to be some meeting in the middle.
My suggestions are to do as much research and learning before you start your contract. Being proactive and having a game plan is always better than being reactive and being behind in the game. But no matter what there will always be surprises. It's best to bring song books and bookmark lyric sites so you can minimize your time online, as crew members have to pay by the minute for internet when onboard the ship.
I wish there was a magic formula to know exactly what kind of music the passengers will want to hear. Just try and do as much work before arriving to the ship and remember to be flexible while onboard. All musicians, whether in the orchestra, in a group, or a solo entertainer, will report to the musical director and the cruise director. Work closely with them and ask for their advice if things aren't going as you had hoped. You can even ask them to stop by one of your sets to observe and give feedback. They will appreciate the fact that you care about your job. They are usually permanent people on that specific ship, so they will have a better scope as to what might work and what might not when it comes to repertoire.
If you are heading out to do a contract soon, good luck and hopefully some of this information is helpful. Even if you have been doing the job for many years, it is always good to take a moment to reflect and analyze the current state of your performance.
Now how can you use the average age of the passengers to your advantage?
One major aspect is realizing the cultural differences and determining what music was popular for the majority of the audience. This is a bit tricky because songs that were popular in the USA weren't necessarily popular in the UK and vice versa. I know it's hard for most Americans to believe that their music isn't the most popular all over the world, or what is the hit song of a particular year isn't the hit song in al parts of the world.
Let me give an example to illustrate my point. I just picked the year 1976 as an example, because in 2015 the people who followed music at that time make up a large percentage of the cruise passenger demographic. Using 1976 as an example, here are the top 10 songs for that year in both the Unites States and in the United Kingdom:
USA
1) Silly Love Songs by Paul McCarney and Wings
2) Don't Go Breaking my Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
3) Disco Lady by Johnnie Taylor
4) December 1963 (Oh What a Night) by The Four Seasons
5) Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry
6) Kiss and Say Goodbye by The Manhattans
7) Love Machine, Pt. 1 by The Miracles
8) 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon
9) Love Is Alive by Gary Wright
10) A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band
UK
1) Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man
2) Mississippi by Pussycat
3) Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
4) Fernando by Abba
5) Dancing Queen by Abba
6) If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
7) A Little Bit More by Dr. Hook
8) Under the Moon of Love by Shadawaddywaddy
9) I Love to Love by Tina Charles
10) You To Me Are Everything by The Real Thing
As you can see, there is only one song that appeared in the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic in the year 1976. That means, do your research for both. But there is some common ground that can help you out, artists like The Beatles, Abba, Elton John, etc. Try and do a little research into the demographic and see what songs are popular. They might be different than what you grew up with, so it may mean learning some new material to add to your repertoire. It would be a horrible way to start a contract by finding out that a lot of your material gets ignored by your audience. It is much easier to research and learn new songs as home than on a ship, where you perform nightly and internet connections are slow and expensive.
Try and research some "above and beyond" things that could make you the talk of the cruise. If you know you will be performing in front of a large number of British guests, think pub sing-alongs. Consider doing different themes for the evening. Again, use your strengths and your own background to your advantage. Have a background in musical theater? Think about adding a Broadway/West End night. Do you know a lot of music from British rock bands? Do a British Invasion night. Cruise directors and musical directors will appreciate the effort and the audience will as well.
There is another thing to consider with the demographics and that is the age of the typical passenger. This is important because it will give you insight into what songs they remember. As a musical director, I have fielded complaints from passengers because some of the musical acts onboard play music that is either too old and dated and also music that is too current, both of which missed the target demographic. I had one passenger (probably in their 50s or 60s) come up to me right after a show and complain that the music was from way before their time. They said, "We might be old, but we aren't dead! That is music for my parents and grandparents."
How can you use the average age to help build a repertoire? Consider that most people develop their musical tastes in their junior high, high school, and university days, meaning somewhere around the ages of 12-20. Musical tastes can change over time, but you can use that as a starting point. Meaning if the average age of the passengers is 70, then they started developing their musical tastes around 50-58 years ago. Since this is 2015, going back 50-58 years would take us back to 1957-1964. That means on a cruise today with an average passenger age being around 70, I would go focus back as far as 1950s and 1960s. What does that tell me as a musician and musical director? 1950s rock and roll and British invasion would be a good place to start for guests that are now 70 years old. Use the same theory and if the average age of the passengers is closer to 60 years old, then jump forward 10 years and look at music from the 1960s and 1970s. Some itineraries might have more in the 50s age range, then look forward even more to the 1970s and 1980s.
What entertainers must realize is that everything changes over time. The cruise industry has had a tendency to stick with traditions, but in the past decade they have realized that the must start to change and adapt. Go back to the "Golden Era" of cruising, with midnight buffets every night, chocolates on the pillows, skeet shooting and driving golf balls off the back of the ship. When it came to onboard music, most entertainers on cruise ships focused on the music of the Big Band era. Not that there is anything wrong with jazz and big band music, but we have to be honest and say that it lost its popularity after World War II in mid 1940s. By the time the year 1946 came to a close, 9 of the top big band leaders stopped touring: Glenn Miller (killed in a plane crash but band continued touring), Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Les Brown, Jack Teagarden, Benny Carter, Ina Ray Hutton, and Tommy Dorsey. After 1945 jazz as a musical form was not dead, but the popular acts were solo artists backed by a band, such as Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and Rosemary Clooney. Going back to our earlier formula, that means that a passenger be around 80 years old for it to be the style of music that they "grew up with." By 2015, a person would have to be a minimum of 70 years old just to have been alive at the end of the big band era.
What does all of that mean for music onboard a cruise ship? It is still the tradition to play jazz and big band music (even though there are no full big bands onboard anymore, it is a modified, smaller instrumentation) using the ship's orchestra, the group that plays in the main theater nightly. But there are more and more other groups utilized to cater to the majority of passengers, such as a quartet that plays a variety of music from the 1950s to 1980s. Big band should never leave the cruise industry, but it might find itself in more of a niche than it used to.
Figuring out the typical age of passengers is quite impossible as every cruise is different. When I was doing the same itinerary over and over every 12 days, each 12-day cruise had a different set of passengers and could vary drastically. There are the obvious times when there will be more families and children onboard, such as summer, spring break, and winter break. Another good indicator is the typical length of cruise for the ship. In general, the longer the cruise, the older the guests. Why? Because most 25-year-olds can't exactly take 3 weeks off of work in a row to fly and take an 18-day cruise. Also, Alaska will have an older demographic compared to the Caribbean. European and Asian cruises usually fall somewhere in the middle. It is worth asking your agent or the person from the cruise line who hired you what the typical passenger is like on your upcoming contract. Just as ai said in my last post, you shouldn't completely change what you do to cater to the guests, but there has to be some meeting in the middle.
My suggestions are to do as much research and learning before you start your contract. Being proactive and having a game plan is always better than being reactive and being behind in the game. But no matter what there will always be surprises. It's best to bring song books and bookmark lyric sites so you can minimize your time online, as crew members have to pay by the minute for internet when onboard the ship.
I wish there was a magic formula to know exactly what kind of music the passengers will want to hear. Just try and do as much work before arriving to the ship and remember to be flexible while onboard. All musicians, whether in the orchestra, in a group, or a solo entertainer, will report to the musical director and the cruise director. Work closely with them and ask for their advice if things aren't going as you had hoped. You can even ask them to stop by one of your sets to observe and give feedback. They will appreciate the fact that you care about your job. They are usually permanent people on that specific ship, so they will have a better scope as to what might work and what might not when it comes to repertoire.
If you are heading out to do a contract soon, good luck and hopefully some of this information is helpful. Even if you have been doing the job for many years, it is always good to take a moment to reflect and analyze the current state of your performance.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Building a Repertoire, Part 1
One of the most difficult parts of being an entertainer is building and expanding your personal repertoire to make sure you are continuing to play songs that people like to hear. It is especially hard whenever your audience comes from from a variety of countries and cultures. This is true for both solo entertainers as well as ensembles.
My first bit of advice is to not try too hard to please every single person. You can never please them all. Remember the saying, "you can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." That saying is true when it comes to picking the music to play. Instead of focusing your energy on that one person that leaves your lounge, focus on all the people staying and having a great time. Most musicians I know are perfectionists so it goes against our mold to let it go, but there's no reason to ruin the good vibe you are setting just because you lost one person. People have different musical tastes and don't take it personally if what you are playing doesn't mesh with one particular person's taste. I've seen it happen, though. An entertainer sees the people in their room and sometimes they notice that a small group of people is more involved in their own conversation than in listening to the music. So what does the entertainer try to do? They start to focus their attention on the small group and neglect the rest of the audience, making the much larger group want to leave.
Now although you may not be able to please all of the passengers all of the time, there is nothing wrong with playing music that the passengers actually enjoy. Surprising, right? In some of my previous posts I mentioned the typical cruise demographics. If you can figure out the average guest (if that really exists) on your upcoming contract or gig, then you can start to personalize your repertoire. Try to keep in mind the cultures and ages of most of the passengers that will be coming to listen to you night after night. It will always be a balance of what you as a musician want to play and what the audience wants to hear. Somewhere in the middle lies a happy balance. I've seen guys playing in jazz sets around the ship and they refuse to take requests of standards because they would rather play bebop or something that they personally find more musically fulfilling. One passenger asked the band if they could play "Take the A Train." Simple enough request. The band knew the tune, the passengers knew it and would have enjoyed listening to it. Did the band play it? No. And why, might you ask? Because the members of the band thought it was too basic and not challenging enough. They would rather play 20 choruses each of "Spain" to an empty room than fulfill a simple request from a passenger. While you can't please all of the people, just make sure that it's not just the people on the bandstand enjoying the music.
This next bit might sound a little contradictory to my first suggestions, but my second piece of advice is not to lose yourself in that process. You were hired because of what you do best. There will be some genres you feel more comfortable with and others not as much, and that is OK. It is good to expand what you can offer, but at the same time make sure not forget your own strengths. Think about it like branding, because as an entertainer or band you are your own brand. When people see your name or the band's name, there should be something that comes to mind. When people hear The Beatles, they expect rock and roll, when they hear John Coltrane, they expect jazz. If you start going off in a million directions you will lose the power of your brand. You could imagine the confusion if The Rolling Stones would come out on stage after decades of doing rock and roll and then started doing nothing but waltzes. It would destroy all the work they put in to build their brand and their image. The same is true in if the band isn't playing in Madison Square Gardens or the Hollywood Bowl. For instance, if a band was put together to be a "Latin band" that performs on ships, they should focus their attention to playing different Latin styles. They should also learn some other styles, such as some ballads, pop, ballroom, and jazz because there will probably be a time when it is useful. But if the one band hired to play Latin styles then they should play mostly Latin styles. If that band starts playing more rock than anything else, you can see where it would become a problem with the onboard management.
I would recommend asking the hiring person at the cruise line or your agent if you are not directly hired, and ask what need they are trying to fill with entertainment onboard. The person in charge of hiring entertainers should know and can help you out. Try and get an email address for the Musical Director/Bandmaster on your next ship and try and find out what they have been experiencing and ask for suggestions. I have always been more willing to work with somebody being proactive, rather than playing to an empty lounge and not caring. Yes, you will receive your pay no matter what, but it might be your last gig with that cruise line if the Hotel Director, Cruise Director, and Musical Director aren't happy with you job performance.
There are other factors to take into consideration as well, and some of them will be the subject of my next post.
My first bit of advice is to not try too hard to please every single person. You can never please them all. Remember the saying, "you can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." That saying is true when it comes to picking the music to play. Instead of focusing your energy on that one person that leaves your lounge, focus on all the people staying and having a great time. Most musicians I know are perfectionists so it goes against our mold to let it go, but there's no reason to ruin the good vibe you are setting just because you lost one person. People have different musical tastes and don't take it personally if what you are playing doesn't mesh with one particular person's taste. I've seen it happen, though. An entertainer sees the people in their room and sometimes they notice that a small group of people is more involved in their own conversation than in listening to the music. So what does the entertainer try to do? They start to focus their attention on the small group and neglect the rest of the audience, making the much larger group want to leave.
Now although you may not be able to please all of the passengers all of the time, there is nothing wrong with playing music that the passengers actually enjoy. Surprising, right? In some of my previous posts I mentioned the typical cruise demographics. If you can figure out the average guest (if that really exists) on your upcoming contract or gig, then you can start to personalize your repertoire. Try to keep in mind the cultures and ages of most of the passengers that will be coming to listen to you night after night. It will always be a balance of what you as a musician want to play and what the audience wants to hear. Somewhere in the middle lies a happy balance. I've seen guys playing in jazz sets around the ship and they refuse to take requests of standards because they would rather play bebop or something that they personally find more musically fulfilling. One passenger asked the band if they could play "Take the A Train." Simple enough request. The band knew the tune, the passengers knew it and would have enjoyed listening to it. Did the band play it? No. And why, might you ask? Because the members of the band thought it was too basic and not challenging enough. They would rather play 20 choruses each of "Spain" to an empty room than fulfill a simple request from a passenger. While you can't please all of the people, just make sure that it's not just the people on the bandstand enjoying the music.
This next bit might sound a little contradictory to my first suggestions, but my second piece of advice is not to lose yourself in that process. You were hired because of what you do best. There will be some genres you feel more comfortable with and others not as much, and that is OK. It is good to expand what you can offer, but at the same time make sure not forget your own strengths. Think about it like branding, because as an entertainer or band you are your own brand. When people see your name or the band's name, there should be something that comes to mind. When people hear The Beatles, they expect rock and roll, when they hear John Coltrane, they expect jazz. If you start going off in a million directions you will lose the power of your brand. You could imagine the confusion if The Rolling Stones would come out on stage after decades of doing rock and roll and then started doing nothing but waltzes. It would destroy all the work they put in to build their brand and their image. The same is true in if the band isn't playing in Madison Square Gardens or the Hollywood Bowl. For instance, if a band was put together to be a "Latin band" that performs on ships, they should focus their attention to playing different Latin styles. They should also learn some other styles, such as some ballads, pop, ballroom, and jazz because there will probably be a time when it is useful. But if the one band hired to play Latin styles then they should play mostly Latin styles. If that band starts playing more rock than anything else, you can see where it would become a problem with the onboard management.
I would recommend asking the hiring person at the cruise line or your agent if you are not directly hired, and ask what need they are trying to fill with entertainment onboard. The person in charge of hiring entertainers should know and can help you out. Try and get an email address for the Musical Director/Bandmaster on your next ship and try and find out what they have been experiencing and ask for suggestions. I have always been more willing to work with somebody being proactive, rather than playing to an empty lounge and not caring. Yes, you will receive your pay no matter what, but it might be your last gig with that cruise line if the Hotel Director, Cruise Director, and Musical Director aren't happy with you job performance.
There are other factors to take into consideration as well, and some of them will be the subject of my next post.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Long Overdue Update
So it has been a while since I last wrote a post... a long, long while. I wish I could have a really good excuse, but it was just a matter of things got busy once I was on the ship and continued for the next 8 months and then got home and was busy there as well.
Being back on land really reminds us how much technology and communication plays a part of our every day life. On the ship, phone calls are pretty much for emergencies and internet access is a commodity that is charged by the minute. On my last 3 contracts, we were able to buy an internet package of $30 for just over 6 hours of access. And the signal is a satellite connection that makes 1997 AOL dial up speed seem fast. So next time you complain that you are paying $20 a month for high speed data on your phone, just know it could be much worse. At our best rate, unlimited internet on the ship would be over $2,500 a month. Even worse, the rate for passengers would work out somewhere around $25,000 (this is no exaggeration, their rate is somewhere around 60 cents per minute, just do the math from there).
So what were we up to for the last 8 months? I started my contract in November in Athens, Greece at the start of the crossing, meaning that the ship was moving locations around the world, this time from Europe to Asia. We spent about 4 and a half months throughout Asia until returning to Europe where we finished the contract on July 4 in Southampton, the port for London, England.
All in all we visited over 40 countries on three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa). I added seven new countries to my travel list, bringing it 65 countries visited while working on a ship and 68 visited in my lifetime. Some of the new ones were fun and exciting and a couple of new ones were major disappointments... more on those in a separate post.
During this past contract a lot happened with different opportunities and things that will be happening for us in the future. I will give a full update later, but this past contract will be our last where my wife was in the production cast and I was a member of the ship's orchestra. We have learned to never say never, but this is the right time to head in a different direction. Everyone on a ship laughs when a crew member says it will be their last contract. For many, they say it every time and make their way back to the ship contract after contract. But right now we have several opportunities to continue doing what we love in different venues so we will take it.
My goal is now being back on land will give me the chance to continue writing right here. We will continue to travel and perform and we will also be working on land so I will surely have plenty to write about. At least it will be easy to improve from the amount of time from my last post to this one.
Being back on land really reminds us how much technology and communication plays a part of our every day life. On the ship, phone calls are pretty much for emergencies and internet access is a commodity that is charged by the minute. On my last 3 contracts, we were able to buy an internet package of $30 for just over 6 hours of access. And the signal is a satellite connection that makes 1997 AOL dial up speed seem fast. So next time you complain that you are paying $20 a month for high speed data on your phone, just know it could be much worse. At our best rate, unlimited internet on the ship would be over $2,500 a month. Even worse, the rate for passengers would work out somewhere around $25,000 (this is no exaggeration, their rate is somewhere around 60 cents per minute, just do the math from there).
So what were we up to for the last 8 months? I started my contract in November in Athens, Greece at the start of the crossing, meaning that the ship was moving locations around the world, this time from Europe to Asia. We spent about 4 and a half months throughout Asia until returning to Europe where we finished the contract on July 4 in Southampton, the port for London, England.
All in all we visited over 40 countries on three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa). I added seven new countries to my travel list, bringing it 65 countries visited while working on a ship and 68 visited in my lifetime. Some of the new ones were fun and exciting and a couple of new ones were major disappointments... more on those in a separate post.
During this past contract a lot happened with different opportunities and things that will be happening for us in the future. I will give a full update later, but this past contract will be our last where my wife was in the production cast and I was a member of the ship's orchestra. We have learned to never say never, but this is the right time to head in a different direction. Everyone on a ship laughs when a crew member says it will be their last contract. For many, they say it every time and make their way back to the ship contract after contract. But right now we have several opportunities to continue doing what we love in different venues so we will take it.
My goal is now being back on land will give me the chance to continue writing right here. We will continue to travel and perform and we will also be working on land so I will surely have plenty to write about. At least it will be easy to improve from the amount of time from my last post to this one.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Another Contract Begins
It's that time again as vacation winds down and it's time to hop on a plane to join another ship. This time I'm flying to join a ship in Athens, Greece. I've worked on this ship back in 2012 and it's also the sister ship of the one I just finished my last contract on. My wife is already there, so I am ready to get onboard. Vacation has been nice and it's the longest I've stayed in the US for one period of time in the last five years. But vacation can't last forever and it's time to get back to work.
This itinerary is another world cruise type of itinerary. I join the ship in Athens on Monday and that is the start of the crossing to Asia. We immediately go through the Suez Canal, then through the Gulf of Aden and the pirate waters, stopping in the Middle East, then over for 3 days in Mumbai. The next cruise will have stops in India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The next will get us to Southeast Asia via Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and then ending in Singapore. We will spend 3 and a half months in Asia before heading back to Europe again, where my contract will end on the 4th of July in Southampton, England. It's a really, really long contract but that is my wife's sign off date with her cast, so I asked to stay until then as well. And as the corny saying goes, "home is where the heart is," so for 8 months we will just make our home all over the world on a ship. A huge plus is that because she is a featured singer, she gets a huge guest cabin and porthole. The porthole really helps with the sanity because natural daylight is at a premium for crew members. Most crew live either below the water line, on the inside, or just where there are no portholes, so they live without natural light in their cabins for months at a time. It makes it near impossible to tell what time you wake up, because 7am looks the same as 10am which looks the same as 4pm.
It's always nice to check out the itinerary before starting a contract, that way we can plan along the way. During our contract, the ship will visit 43 different countries on 3 continents (Europe, Africa, Asia). Even though this is my 8th contract and my 3rd contract on a world cruise format, there will still be 28 new cities in 7 different countries. It will also bring my total up to 161 different cities in 63 countries. Yes, I'm a nerd and I keep track of these things. But I figure not many people get to see this much of the world, so why not pay attention and take it all in.
The work will be nice, too, and it
will keep me busy. The ship has 4 production shows (one is a cappella so no orchestra), a long party set at the pool with about 25 songs all segued together, all the different guest entertainers, shows with the cruise directors, sometimes Welcome Aboard and Farewell Shows, a jazz brunch every cruise, shows with the featured singers (which includes my wife's solo show which I enjoy playing), and various sets around the ship (welcome back from tours, jazz sets, ballroom sets, etc.). Since I've already worked on this ship, I am familiar with the material and there are a lot of people that I know there so it will be nice to return.
I will do my best throughout this next contract to keep up with posting. Hopefully it will become a mix of advice and insight into working on a ship as well as updates with the cool places we are visiting. Maybe a little bit of travel advice along the way. My wife and I are also writing an entertainment/travel/lifestyle column for a newspaper called Cebu Daily News in the Philippines so I will try and post links if you feel like reading a little more in depth about that side of things.
This itinerary is another world cruise type of itinerary. I join the ship in Athens on Monday and that is the start of the crossing to Asia. We immediately go through the Suez Canal, then through the Gulf of Aden and the pirate waters, stopping in the Middle East, then over for 3 days in Mumbai. The next cruise will have stops in India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The next will get us to Southeast Asia via Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and then ending in Singapore. We will spend 3 and a half months in Asia before heading back to Europe again, where my contract will end on the 4th of July in Southampton, England. It's a really, really long contract but that is my wife's sign off date with her cast, so I asked to stay until then as well. And as the corny saying goes, "home is where the heart is," so for 8 months we will just make our home all over the world on a ship. A huge plus is that because she is a featured singer, she gets a huge guest cabin and porthole. The porthole really helps with the sanity because natural daylight is at a premium for crew members. Most crew live either below the water line, on the inside, or just where there are no portholes, so they live without natural light in their cabins for months at a time. It makes it near impossible to tell what time you wake up, because 7am looks the same as 10am which looks the same as 4pm.
It's always nice to check out the itinerary before starting a contract, that way we can plan along the way. During our contract, the ship will visit 43 different countries on 3 continents (Europe, Africa, Asia). Even though this is my 8th contract and my 3rd contract on a world cruise format, there will still be 28 new cities in 7 different countries. It will also bring my total up to 161 different cities in 63 countries. Yes, I'm a nerd and I keep track of these things. But I figure not many people get to see this much of the world, so why not pay attention and take it all in.
The work will be nice, too, and it
will keep me busy. The ship has 4 production shows (one is a cappella so no orchestra), a long party set at the pool with about 25 songs all segued together, all the different guest entertainers, shows with the cruise directors, sometimes Welcome Aboard and Farewell Shows, a jazz brunch every cruise, shows with the featured singers (which includes my wife's solo show which I enjoy playing), and various sets around the ship (welcome back from tours, jazz sets, ballroom sets, etc.). Since I've already worked on this ship, I am familiar with the material and there are a lot of people that I know there so it will be nice to return.
I will do my best throughout this next contract to keep up with posting. Hopefully it will become a mix of advice and insight into working on a ship as well as updates with the cool places we are visiting. Maybe a little bit of travel advice along the way. My wife and I are also writing an entertainment/travel/lifestyle column for a newspaper called Cebu Daily News in the Philippines so I will try and post links if you feel like reading a little more in depth about that side of things.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Sting Worked on a Cruise Ship
Yesterday I was reading an article about the launch of Sting's new album, "The Last Ship." He performed some of the album material for the press onboard the Queen Mary 2 because Cunard has partnered with Sting to promote his new album. In the interview, Sting revealed that at one point early in his career he did a contract on a ship, the P&O Oriana. He played bass in a band and also sang, until they received complaints that his singing was "bothering the female passengers." I guess it goes to show that you can't please every passenger. Since his contract on P&O, Sting has released 5 studio albums with The Police, 11 solo studio albums, and in total between his former band and his solo career has sold over 275 million albums. That's 275,000,000! Throw in 16 Grammy Awards and I think it's safe to say he is most likely the most successful former ship musician of all time.
One of the best quotes was when he mentioned that performing in a band on a cruise ship gave him valuable experience. "You had to do all kinds of music. You had to play ballroom dancing, you had to play cabaret, pop music, disco, anything... It was a very good education for a young musician." That coming from an icon in rock/pop music. For anyone who has ever performed onboard a ship, they can relate to what he is talking about.
There are other performers who got their start working on a cruise ship. Academy Award-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson at one point performed in the Hercules show onboard the Disney Wonder. Actress Taraji Henson, who was in the movies Hustle and Flow, Baby Boy, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Think Like a Man, and the television series Person of Interest, worked on Odyseey cruise lines while attending school at Howard University. There are also numerous singers and dancers on Broadway and West End who have spent time performing onboard cruise ships. It provides a great opportunity to paid as well as perform, see the world, and gain valuable experience.
Reading the article about Sting led me to an important point and that is a point I have made previously on this blog, and is you must set goals to make sure that you get something out of the experience. If Sting honed his craft decades ago by playing on a ship, then any musician can, if they have the right mindset. Did most musicians on a cruise ship set out with this as a career goal? No. But they can learn from their time if they choose to do so.
There are 5 parts to how to accomplish this:
1) Set concrete practice goals for each contract. Set minimum amounts of time to spend practicing and hold yourself accountable to it. There will still be time to get off the ship and explore the ports, have other hobbies, and log practice time. And the practice time should not just be shedding the music to play on the ship, which is a good thing to make sure you are prepared and keep your ship job. But make sure to include general technique and expand on your fundamentals because this is what will make you a better musician in the future. Determine your weaknesses and go after them. Unfortunately I see a lot of musicians log practice hours going through things that they already do well. Maybe it's because they want to walk away feeling good. Practice should be uncomfortable, it should push you as a musician and as a person. Don't play through the same things over and over, especially when you can already do it well. Instead, find your areas of weakness and spend quality time trying to improve them. But you have to set aside the time. Because it is easy, I see a lot of musicians stay out late at the crew bar, then sleep until the afternoon when rehearsal starts, then repeat the process. I find it kind of funny that it is usually those musicians who hate ships and complain about working on them. It's all how you look at it.
2) Learn from the music you have to play. There is a lot of music to be played on a ship. Sting said it well in that you will play so many different styles of music every day. It's your choice how you want to look at it. Some people dislike the job because they are playing a lot of music, but not necessarily the stuff they want to play. No offense, but I see that attitude most with the hardcore jazz guys. They want to play nothing but burning, up-tempo bebop tunes to show off their chops and have some stupid showdown with other musicians on tunes like "Donna Lee" or "Giant Steps" or "Cherokee." When solos come around, they usually play fifteen choruses of some completely unlistenable garbage full of crazy extensions and then when finished, they stand off to the side with a smug look while criticizing everyone else's solo and saying how much better his own was. Ok, rant over. But back to the music, there are a lot of styles I studied in school but hardly used on a regular basis On almost every single cruise, the orchestra will play samba, bossa nova, mambo, rhumba, waltzes (English and Viennese), swing, funk, rock, etc. Now it is up to me if I want to care about what I'm playing or go on autopilot. Use that experience to really dig into the different styles and learn how to play them authentically. Same it true with guest entertainer shows. I have vastly expanded my musical knowledge by performing with the different guest entertainers, the acts who come for just a few days at a time. I have played everything from music theater to classical to Motown and everything in between and I know I am a better musician for it.
3) Learn from the people you are working with. I have been so fortunate to work with some really talented people from all over the world. While I might have studied a lot of world music while in school, it was totally different seeing it up close and personal every day with people who grew up with it. I have worked with steel drummers from Trinidad, salsa musicians from Latin and South America, and dance bands from all over the globe. They all grew up with different perspectives on music than I did, and sometimes learning from them caused a breakthrough in my own playing. And it's not just true with the performing side, I have also worked with some excellent production team members (stage managers, sound techs, light techs, riggers, stagehands, etc.) who have gone on to work with major touring acts such as Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones, or with shows such as Cirque du Soleil and Dragone, and have worked at incredible permanent venues such as Brevard Music Center and major universities throughout the country. Everyone working onboard is a resource if you choose to learn from them.
4) Learn how to perform. This might seem silly, but this is an area that many musicians might lack. They don't understand what it means to be on stage or on the bandstand and actually perform for people. I don't mean twirling my drumsticks above my head during a show, I mean playing in an ensemble using listening skills. I like to communicate with the other musicians, particularly the other members of the rhythm section while I perform along with them. Because we are playing and producing sound, this usually means using non-verbal communication through eye contact. I once worked with a bass player who never looked up out of his stand... ever. It was frustrating because it gave off a vibe that he just didn't care about anyone but himself. In actuality he was inexperienced and was just trying to keep his head above water reading while the charts, but it made the playing situation more difficult than it could have been. Learn how to listen to the ensemble and take musical cues from your colleagues, it can make a world of difference. Musical interaction is the name of the game.
5) Develop your professional skills. I've said it before and I will say it again and again, being a musician, singer, dancer, entertainer, etc. is still a job. It might be a fun job, but it is still a job, meaning that it is a profession, meaning that you need to be professional. There are parts of the job that are not enjoyable, but are necessary. Things like paperwork or training or punching a time clock (this is required of all crew members on all cruise lines in order to comply with international maritime labor laws). But you take the bad with the good and in the end you must weigh them all to see if the job is personally worth it. Some people know how to be professional without ever thinking about it, but for some it is more of an acquired skill. I see a lot of younger musicians who don't see the professional side as important because it is "just a ship." As a musical director I try to advise them that whatever habits they are developing now will follow them in the future. It's not like they can show up late for 6 months of a ship contract, then get a job on land and magically start showing up on time. Habits are hard to break, for better or worse. Might as well start good habits sooner than later.
Performing on a cruise ship offers a lot both professionally and personally. I cannot complain with my own experience. First, I met my wife while working on a ship. Without the ship, we most likely never would have met. Then there is the travel, sightseeing, and learning about other cultures. After my next contract I will have traveled to 161 different cities in 63 countries on 5 different continents (still have Australia and Antarctica to go). Yes, it makes picking a place for a personal vacation a little different than most people, but it has given me insight into many cultures and has broadened my own perspective, showing me how small the world is and how interconnected we all are. I have met some incredible people from all over the world and keep in touch with a lot of them. And I have made a living performing music and doing what I love.
One of the best quotes was when he mentioned that performing in a band on a cruise ship gave him valuable experience. "You had to do all kinds of music. You had to play ballroom dancing, you had to play cabaret, pop music, disco, anything... It was a very good education for a young musician." That coming from an icon in rock/pop music. For anyone who has ever performed onboard a ship, they can relate to what he is talking about.
There are other performers who got their start working on a cruise ship. Academy Award-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson at one point performed in the Hercules show onboard the Disney Wonder. Actress Taraji Henson, who was in the movies Hustle and Flow, Baby Boy, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Think Like a Man, and the television series Person of Interest, worked on Odyseey cruise lines while attending school at Howard University. There are also numerous singers and dancers on Broadway and West End who have spent time performing onboard cruise ships. It provides a great opportunity to paid as well as perform, see the world, and gain valuable experience.
Reading the article about Sting led me to an important point and that is a point I have made previously on this blog, and is you must set goals to make sure that you get something out of the experience. If Sting honed his craft decades ago by playing on a ship, then any musician can, if they have the right mindset. Did most musicians on a cruise ship set out with this as a career goal? No. But they can learn from their time if they choose to do so.
There are 5 parts to how to accomplish this:
1) Set concrete practice goals for each contract. Set minimum amounts of time to spend practicing and hold yourself accountable to it. There will still be time to get off the ship and explore the ports, have other hobbies, and log practice time. And the practice time should not just be shedding the music to play on the ship, which is a good thing to make sure you are prepared and keep your ship job. But make sure to include general technique and expand on your fundamentals because this is what will make you a better musician in the future. Determine your weaknesses and go after them. Unfortunately I see a lot of musicians log practice hours going through things that they already do well. Maybe it's because they want to walk away feeling good. Practice should be uncomfortable, it should push you as a musician and as a person. Don't play through the same things over and over, especially when you can already do it well. Instead, find your areas of weakness and spend quality time trying to improve them. But you have to set aside the time. Because it is easy, I see a lot of musicians stay out late at the crew bar, then sleep until the afternoon when rehearsal starts, then repeat the process. I find it kind of funny that it is usually those musicians who hate ships and complain about working on them. It's all how you look at it.
2) Learn from the music you have to play. There is a lot of music to be played on a ship. Sting said it well in that you will play so many different styles of music every day. It's your choice how you want to look at it. Some people dislike the job because they are playing a lot of music, but not necessarily the stuff they want to play. No offense, but I see that attitude most with the hardcore jazz guys. They want to play nothing but burning, up-tempo bebop tunes to show off their chops and have some stupid showdown with other musicians on tunes like "Donna Lee" or "Giant Steps" or "Cherokee." When solos come around, they usually play fifteen choruses of some completely unlistenable garbage full of crazy extensions and then when finished, they stand off to the side with a smug look while criticizing everyone else's solo and saying how much better his own was. Ok, rant over. But back to the music, there are a lot of styles I studied in school but hardly used on a regular basis On almost every single cruise, the orchestra will play samba, bossa nova, mambo, rhumba, waltzes (English and Viennese), swing, funk, rock, etc. Now it is up to me if I want to care about what I'm playing or go on autopilot. Use that experience to really dig into the different styles and learn how to play them authentically. Same it true with guest entertainer shows. I have vastly expanded my musical knowledge by performing with the different guest entertainers, the acts who come for just a few days at a time. I have played everything from music theater to classical to Motown and everything in between and I know I am a better musician for it.
3) Learn from the people you are working with. I have been so fortunate to work with some really talented people from all over the world. While I might have studied a lot of world music while in school, it was totally different seeing it up close and personal every day with people who grew up with it. I have worked with steel drummers from Trinidad, salsa musicians from Latin and South America, and dance bands from all over the globe. They all grew up with different perspectives on music than I did, and sometimes learning from them caused a breakthrough in my own playing. And it's not just true with the performing side, I have also worked with some excellent production team members (stage managers, sound techs, light techs, riggers, stagehands, etc.) who have gone on to work with major touring acts such as Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones, or with shows such as Cirque du Soleil and Dragone, and have worked at incredible permanent venues such as Brevard Music Center and major universities throughout the country. Everyone working onboard is a resource if you choose to learn from them.
4) Learn how to perform. This might seem silly, but this is an area that many musicians might lack. They don't understand what it means to be on stage or on the bandstand and actually perform for people. I don't mean twirling my drumsticks above my head during a show, I mean playing in an ensemble using listening skills. I like to communicate with the other musicians, particularly the other members of the rhythm section while I perform along with them. Because we are playing and producing sound, this usually means using non-verbal communication through eye contact. I once worked with a bass player who never looked up out of his stand... ever. It was frustrating because it gave off a vibe that he just didn't care about anyone but himself. In actuality he was inexperienced and was just trying to keep his head above water reading while the charts, but it made the playing situation more difficult than it could have been. Learn how to listen to the ensemble and take musical cues from your colleagues, it can make a world of difference. Musical interaction is the name of the game.
5) Develop your professional skills. I've said it before and I will say it again and again, being a musician, singer, dancer, entertainer, etc. is still a job. It might be a fun job, but it is still a job, meaning that it is a profession, meaning that you need to be professional. There are parts of the job that are not enjoyable, but are necessary. Things like paperwork or training or punching a time clock (this is required of all crew members on all cruise lines in order to comply with international maritime labor laws). But you take the bad with the good and in the end you must weigh them all to see if the job is personally worth it. Some people know how to be professional without ever thinking about it, but for some it is more of an acquired skill. I see a lot of younger musicians who don't see the professional side as important because it is "just a ship." As a musical director I try to advise them that whatever habits they are developing now will follow them in the future. It's not like they can show up late for 6 months of a ship contract, then get a job on land and magically start showing up on time. Habits are hard to break, for better or worse. Might as well start good habits sooner than later.
Performing on a cruise ship offers a lot both professionally and personally. I cannot complain with my own experience. First, I met my wife while working on a ship. Without the ship, we most likely never would have met. Then there is the travel, sightseeing, and learning about other cultures. After my next contract I will have traveled to 161 different cities in 63 countries on 5 different continents (still have Australia and Antarctica to go). Yes, it makes picking a place for a personal vacation a little different than most people, but it has given me insight into many cultures and has broadened my own perspective, showing me how small the world is and how interconnected we all are. I have met some incredible people from all over the world and keep in touch with a lot of them. And I have made a living performing music and doing what I love.
 |
| Sting onboard the Queen Mary 2 (Photo from Cunard) |
Monday, October 27, 2014
Who Is the Typical Cruise Ship Passenger?
Cruise demographics can be an interesting thing. I have been asked many times to describe the typical cruise passenger. It's difficult because there are cruising options for everyone; it is not just a vacation for the super wealthy as it was generations ago. A lot of people ask because they are curious about what to expect when they get onboard when they start to work on a cruise ship.
For one area of musicians, the ship's orchestra, the guest demographics don't change how they do they job to much of an extent. The ship's orchestra typically performs in the main theater, playing for the production shows along with the ship's singers and dancers as well as with guest entertainers. Production shows are chosen by a corporate office and tend to stay onboard the same ship for several years. The guest entertainers are also booked by somebody in the corporate office. Because of that, the ship's orchestra generally just plays whatever shows they are assigned to perform. There are a few extra performances around the ship (big band set, jazz jam sessions, singer sets, etc.) but those don't make up a majority of their performance schedule.
The lounge entertainers are where the passenger demographic can make or break their experience. Whether they be solo entertainers such as in the piano bar or a solo guitarist, or a dance band, trio, or duo, they interact closely with the guests throughout the cruise. Their freedom to make their own set lists and take specific requests means that the people onboard will impact their performances. They are hired based on their ability to connect and interact with guests.
Cruising is a very diverse industry. Most people who have cruised before know that the crew come from all corners of the world, typically somewhere between 40-50 different countries, even on a smaller ship. But what they may not know is the same is usually true for the passengers onboard. There have been cruises I worked on where there were nearly 40-50 different countries represented by the passengers. While this makes for a nice collection of cultures, it can be stressful when you need to know what it is each one of them wants to hear.
There are a few generalizations that I have seen hold true over the years. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but here is a general guide:
1) The longer the cruise, the older the crowd. There aren't many 25-year-olds that can take off two weeks off from work at a time to go on a vacation. So when you are looking at your upcoming itinerary and see a 17 day cruise, imagine a retirement home at sea (not everyone, but usually an overwhelming majority). The same is true for repositioning cruises, which is when the ship changes locations for a season (i.e. Europe in summer and back to the Caribbean for winter). The ship is at sea a lot and you usually don't see many younger people book a cruise to sit out by the pool all day every day. The opposite is also true, there is usually a younger, party crowd on the 3 and 4 day cruises.
2) School breaks mean families and a LOT of kids. The summer season can be brutal on a cruise ship. The first ship I ever worked on carried on average 4,000 passengers every week. During the school year we might have had 100 out of the 4,000 be under the age of 18. But then come summertime and we had cruises with over 1,000 children on the ship. While they might be well-behaved, that is still a lot of kids. I remember at the end of summer and seeing the worn out youth staff ready for the school year to begin. Having a large number of kids also holds true for other school breaks: spring break (which is different from school district to school district and high school to university, so that season is more spread out), Thanksgiving, and winter break.
3) The more expensive the cruise, the fewer children onboard. The last contract I did was on a small (600 passengers), "luxury" ship and there were hardly any kids onboard, ever. We didn't even have facilities for them. The cruise fare was also considerably more than the average 7-day, mainstream cruise in the Caribbean. Because of that, people didn't want to pay a huge amount to take their kids along with them. The more kid-friendly, mainstream cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Norwegian) will usually have some amount of kids year round, as opposed to more upscale cruise lines (Azamara, Crystal, Seabourn, Regents) where kids are not as common at any time of the year.
4) The itinerary will impact the passengers onboard. Imagine how many 25-year-olds are waiting in line to take a cruise to Alaska. While some might, it is generally an older crowd for Alaska season. Europe and Asia usually see a mix of ages as it is a more itinerary-driven group of passengers who are there to get off the ship and see the sights. Then the Caribbean can be just about everything from the older people who want to escape the cold, to the younger crowds who want to head down to the beaches and party. Other factors to consider are the ease of traveling to the home port and the visas required throughout the cruise. When I was sailing out of Dubai as a home port, we had more British guests than American guests as there were easy, direct flights from the UK compared to the many hours of flying and connections from the US. Caribbean itineraries will be dominated by passengers from North America looking for fun in the sun.
5) The ship will attract a certain demographic. Stand-up surfing, basketball courts, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks. Those features are divisive items on cruise ships. Some people would never cruise without them, some never cruise with them. There is a ship for everyone. Ship layouts are available online, so check them out and it will give you a hint to expect. See children's facilities, then expect to find kids. If you see basketball courts and ice skating rinks, expect to see families and an overall younger crowd. Ships built for people with active lifestyles will attract more active people.
So what does all this mean if you are going to work on a cruise ship? Do your homework beforehand and be prepared. Cruise itineraries are available on each cruise line's website, so once you get an assignment, go look up where you will be going. It will help not only with your performance, but also in knowing what to pack for your contract. It is far easier to expand your repertoire at home where you have every resource at your fingertips (internet, music stores) than reacting after you are already on the ship where you may not have access to fast and unlimited internet and a good music store.
As a lounge entertainer, there are always songs that you will be asked to perform on a nightly basis (think Piano Man in the piano bar). Those are hits that can be performed all over the world and can guarantee a connection with the audience. But if you can learn some go-to songs to hit the specific passenger demographics, you can quickly become the hit of the cruise.
My next post will take a closer look at some suggestions to determine repertoire for a contract.
 |
| A line of guests waiting to board the ship |
The lounge entertainers are where the passenger demographic can make or break their experience. Whether they be solo entertainers such as in the piano bar or a solo guitarist, or a dance band, trio, or duo, they interact closely with the guests throughout the cruise. Their freedom to make their own set lists and take specific requests means that the people onboard will impact their performances. They are hired based on their ability to connect and interact with guests.
 |
| My first ship played host to quinceañera parties, a coming-of-age party to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday. They were extremely elaborate with gowns that rival most wedding gowns. The parties had hundreds of people every cruise, changing the music preferences. |
There are a few generalizations that I have seen hold true over the years. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but here is a general guide:
1) The longer the cruise, the older the crowd. There aren't many 25-year-olds that can take off two weeks off from work at a time to go on a vacation. So when you are looking at your upcoming itinerary and see a 17 day cruise, imagine a retirement home at sea (not everyone, but usually an overwhelming majority). The same is true for repositioning cruises, which is when the ship changes locations for a season (i.e. Europe in summer and back to the Caribbean for winter). The ship is at sea a lot and you usually don't see many younger people book a cruise to sit out by the pool all day every day. The opposite is also true, there is usually a younger, party crowd on the 3 and 4 day cruises.
 |
| The sports area on a newer, larger ship. Complete with rock climbing and basketball. |
3) The more expensive the cruise, the fewer children onboard. The last contract I did was on a small (600 passengers), "luxury" ship and there were hardly any kids onboard, ever. We didn't even have facilities for them. The cruise fare was also considerably more than the average 7-day, mainstream cruise in the Caribbean. Because of that, people didn't want to pay a huge amount to take their kids along with them. The more kid-friendly, mainstream cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Norwegian) will usually have some amount of kids year round, as opposed to more upscale cruise lines (Azamara, Crystal, Seabourn, Regents) where kids are not as common at any time of the year.
 |
| A restaurant in Grand Cayman giving shots to what I'm pretty sure where underage kids |
4) The itinerary will impact the passengers onboard. Imagine how many 25-year-olds are waiting in line to take a cruise to Alaska. While some might, it is generally an older crowd for Alaska season. Europe and Asia usually see a mix of ages as it is a more itinerary-driven group of passengers who are there to get off the ship and see the sights. Then the Caribbean can be just about everything from the older people who want to escape the cold, to the younger crowds who want to head down to the beaches and party. Other factors to consider are the ease of traveling to the home port and the visas required throughout the cruise. When I was sailing out of Dubai as a home port, we had more British guests than American guests as there were easy, direct flights from the UK compared to the many hours of flying and connections from the US. Caribbean itineraries will be dominated by passengers from North America looking for fun in the sun.
 |
| Do you see separate children's facilities? Then expect to see kids onboard. |
So what does all this mean if you are going to work on a cruise ship? Do your homework beforehand and be prepared. Cruise itineraries are available on each cruise line's website, so once you get an assignment, go look up where you will be going. It will help not only with your performance, but also in knowing what to pack for your contract. It is far easier to expand your repertoire at home where you have every resource at your fingertips (internet, music stores) than reacting after you are already on the ship where you may not have access to fast and unlimited internet and a good music store.
As a lounge entertainer, there are always songs that you will be asked to perform on a nightly basis (think Piano Man in the piano bar). Those are hits that can be performed all over the world and can guarantee a connection with the audience. But if you can learn some go-to songs to hit the specific passenger demographics, you can quickly become the hit of the cruise.
My next post will take a closer look at some suggestions to determine repertoire for a contract.
 |
| A staple of the mainstream cruise lines: the bellyflop competition. |
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