You may recall that I've played at a local nursing home a few times.

It was good, but I couldn't get them to tune the piano, and once I showed up, and there was construction going on and they hadn't notified the residents. The activities director was clueless, and never got around to getting it tuned.

I was about to give up, but instead I wrote this letter to the head of the facility:

Dear ...:

I would enjoy playing jazz piano regularly for the residents of the blah blah at no charge. For example, I could play background music during happy hour. I've already played there three times and one time with my trio. Below is a list of some of the songs I play. You can check out my trio's web site at www.blahblah.

All I ask is that you tune the piano in the new activities room.

If that isn't feasible, I could play on one of my electric pianos if you would allow me to leave it there between performances.

I'll call you in a few days to see if this would work for you.


That did the trick, and they tuned the piano and fixed the sustain pedal.

So now I play there every other week. It's gone very well, and the residents really like it. It forces me to learn a few new songs each time, and I've even got some stride and other techniques working serviceably.

I incorporated some of the songs that you all suggested, particularly As Time Goes By, Ain't She Sweet, and Five Foot Two.

This is what I played last week:

Misty

Ain't She Sweet

As time goes by

Alice in Wonderland

On the Sunny Side

Don't get around much anymore

Birk's Works

Blue Monk

Ain't Misbehavin

Satin Doll

Days of Wine and Roses

Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me

Til There Was You

Easter Parade

Stardust

Five Foot Two

It's Only a Paper Moon

Linus and Lucy

Pennies From Heaven

Polka Dots & Moonbeams

Someday My Prince Will Come

Very cool! Congrats!

Redhead
www.PianoJenny.com

Good for you! What a great idea. Thanks for sharing your playlist. I play at a nursing home too and it's been a lot of fun.



Elaine

Al, how sweet of you to make the effort not just to play but also to ensure that the facility took the necessary steps to make the piano playable.

p.s. Love your playlist... and I bet the residents do, too!

I have to admit that I'm doing it as much for me as for them. It's improving my solo playing confidence, and it's forcing me to (1) memorize a new song or two every week, and (2) keep all the songs I've already memorized, fresh.

For next time: Put on a Happy Face (great song), It Might As Well Be Spring, Lady Madonna, and I Can't Give You Anything but Love. The last is almost a freebie, since the chords are almost the same as Pennies from Heaven.

Check out how my man Joe Holt plays Put on a Happy Face:

Al, would you mind telling me if the songs you play are played/memorised from sheet music, from a "fake" book, or... what?

I'm interested because I would like to build a repertoire of Jazz/easy listening/pop/film pieces to add to the classical pieces I've already learned.

So far, I've memorized all the songs I've played, and I memorized them from fake books.

Some of them I play pretty much the same way each time, and others I just memorized the chords and melody, and may voice them differently as I go.

I usually do a chorus of the melody (the head), then 1-2 choruses of improvised solo, then a the melody again at the end.

Go Al, go!

What a great thing, for you and for the people in the nursing home.

I play in a duo, and have played in a nursing home on quite a few occasions, and you get a different response than you normally would if you are gigging! What we found though is you have to play really quietly and some still put their fingers in their ears and say its too loud!

Its good fun though and very rewarding as they appreciate it I think more than some people.

Have fun!