Music Dept - Sitting In?

We often get requests for friends and family of our client’s to perform with our musicians at an event. This can be a lot of fun, but there are definitely some pitfalls to look out for.

-Is the person a pro or amateur musician?

In most cases our musicians can support an amateur player to make them sound their very best and its a lot of fun for everyone involved. But, anytime we are dealing with a new and unknown ‘civlian’ musician we try to find a moment in the timeline where the quality of that specific performance won’t make or break an event. During the cocktail hour, pre-ceremony, or during a dance set(with a band and other singers onstage) are all great times to go for it! Of course, we never have anyone sit-in with the band unless it comes as a request from our client.

Here’s one example where a friend of our client’s turned out to be YouTube star on the Ukulele! The Ukulele Teacher, “You Can Call Me Al”

Here’s what he had to say:

I recently got to play You Can Call me Al with perhaps the world’s greatest wedding band! We had no rehearsal – or soundcheck! – in fact, I never even met them before getting up on stage! We all had a blast though, so I hope you guys enjoy the video too!

-Equipment: Oftentimes amateur musicians or singers don’t understand the equipment that is needed for a successful event performance. We always talk this over beforehand and check to see if we have the gear to make it right.
-Big Moments: Sometimes a client will want to have our musicians back up a guest performer(oftentimes the client themselves!) for a big moment. This could be a wedding processional, parody song, dance performance, or song in place of a toast or speech. In these cases, we build some rehearsal with the guest performer into the contract. Many of our musicians are also teachers and vocal coaches, so we’ve had nothing but success in supporting our clients as they step into the spotlight for a featured song.