"At First It Seemed Too Weird and Rather Depressing" Musician James Dower

Then all this happened...welcome to "Musician Experiences" #1

Welcome to the first post in our series on the experiences of the musicians who perform regularly in nursing homes. I first met James Dower at a nursing home in Brooklyn in 2019. Ever since, he’s been gaining clients and appreciation for this environment .

James works in the NY metro area. Find him online at www.dowermusic.com

How did you enter this business?

The first time I was made aware of performing at nursing homes was through a former band mate who used to play a few facilities out in Northern NJ.  He told me that he had day gigs entertaining nursing home residents.  At first it seemed too weird and rather depressing to really investigate on my own.  Between playing bars, restaurants and farmers markets I was pretty busy and fairly satisfied with my career direction.   I wasn't really interested in investigating such unusual alternatives. 

Circumstances can change in a blink of an eye.  And so it happened for my family in the Summer of 2016.   My father had a debilitating stroke.  And suddenly my 95 year old, World War II veteran, fiercely independent Dad had to be relocated from his hometown of Syracuse, NY, to a Veterans nursing home downstate. I would visit him frequently.  Every other day to start.  Thankfully I have a big family, so we were able to split up the visitation schedule.  But it was my first real experience in having to start thinking of this new address as kind of my family's 2nd home.  And this is a point that completely  changed my perspective on nursing home facilities.  These places are like a new home for families.  And a home at the end of a person's life story.  They are a vital and important chapter in so many people's lives.  I look at them in a whole new light, and consider myself very fortunate to bring a little music, happiness and distraction into people's lives that now call this new address a home.

It's been an eye opening experience getting to see how these facilities operate.  It's really amazing how they manage to keep all these nursing home residents healthy, active and entertained.  It's big business!   And thankfully it turned out to be the right place to move my Dad to.  There was some resistance at first, but he quickly made friends as he embraced the idea that all of these new faces were in a similar kind of situation to his own.  

And in my frequent visits to see my Dad, I witnessed all kinds of afternoon entertainment.  High school choral groups, the local tap and dance school, and lots of Vegas wannabe singers performing karaoke style with backing tracks.  Everyone loves a good Sinatra and Broadway tune.  Now some of these singers were fantastic and others didn't have the pipes, but they were usually entertaining with their showbiz personalities.   It didn't take long for inspiration to kick in and make me realize that I could bring something of my own to the entertainment roster of this Veterans Home where my Dad lived. I could bring my voice and my guitar.  I made contact with the Recreation Director and booked my first gig for free.  It was a great opportunity to get my foot in the door and share my talents.  I played my first show and it was very well received.  Of course it didn't hurt to share with the audience that my Father was also a resident.  The Recreation Director loved my live perfomance and I was booked for the following month, and this time it was for money.

Was it awkward at first?

It was really awkward at first.  First of all the audience is mostly confined to wheelchairs.  And more often than not, 65 and above years old.  I had been used to very loud and lively venues.  Full of very active patrons or audience members.  Suddenly I could hear a pin drop when I set up in front of my  nursing home audience.  Everyone was quiet, waiting to hear what this stranger with a guitar is going to do.  Some audience members were actually dozing off or fully asleep by the end of my first song.  

What do you remember about your first shows or strolls?

My first few shows were all in front of Veterans.  It was a steep learning curve.  The more enthusiasm and energy I could carry in a performance the better.   It was easy to lose an audience quickly if I didn't pace my set list correctly.  My Dad was my worst critic when he was in attendance.  "A little heavy on the ballads today, weren't ya?"

The patriotic songs were all a big hit.  I discovered that "God Bless America" & "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" are consistent crowd pleasers, and always good choices to get folks singing along to.  I still play them both at almost every performance.  

Did you take to it right away and want to get as many gigs as possible or did it grow slowly?

After having some success and getting asked back to the Veterans Home I started to expand my repartois.  I really found this new line of performing very gratifying and fulfilling.  I wanted to try and book more shows and at other facilities.  These were some of the most attentive and appreciative audiences I have ever had the honor to play in front of.  So I took my first few video recordings of my performances and created a video sampler to attach to email inquiries.  It took a lot of trial and error to get my sales call and email templates down, but with blind determination and lot's of follow-ups I am grateful to still be asked back for repeat performances and thankful to still be finding new gigs today.  

Can you recall a memorable experience that touched you or propelled you to pursue this path?

I think it was the first year I spent performing at the Veterans home where my Dad was living.  An elderly female resident was in ill health and nearing the end, and her daughter saw me with my guitar finishing up a strolling performance.  She introduced herself and remarked how her Mother would mention my performances to her, and how she loved hearing me sing.  The daughter asked me to come and sing to her mother who was now bedridden and not very responsive.  It was a highly emotional moment for me.  I stood bedside and I think I might have sung "You are my sunshine" as the daughter stroked her Mothers hair.  I've always known music can move people, but this was on a completely different level for me.  It was an incredible honor to be asked to share in this very private family moment.

Do you use backing tracks, and if so, how do you combine that with your playing and singing?

I use a little drum machine foot pedal called the BeatBuddy for larger gigs.  It's always great to have a back beat, and helps encourage audiences to clap along.   I have on occasion also used an instrumental backing track, usually piano, for some jazz standards.  I have a fabulous JBL speaker system for larger events.  They are rechargeable battery powered speakers with bluetooth capability.  It all syncs up nicely with my iPad.

What do you find frustrating about this work?

Getting paid in a timely fashion is the most frustrating part of this particular line of the gig economy.  I have been able to create good working relationships with most Recreation Directors and facilities over several years, but you must budget your finances and be prepared to wait to get paid.

Can it be improved upon?

Most of these nursing home facilities are enormous.  The demand placed on doctors and nurses, not to mention Recreation Departments is extreme.  When at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.  Live music performances are but one of many on a long list of activities for nursing home residents.   Bingo, TV time, cards, puzzles and snacks are also on that list.  Following through, and follow up are essential.  Keep refining your salesmanship.  And always practice your music.  Sometimes you don't need to hit all the verses of "I Just Called To Say I love You" or "This Land Is Your Land". There's always room for improvement in creating and maintaining your nursing home music performer business.  

James Dower works in the NY Metro area. His website is www.dowermusic.com