What Jazz Musicians Teach Me About Wedding and Party Music

Jazz musicians come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.  Skills, talents, and personality disorders.  And it’s often with the last quality that jazz musicians teach me the most about wedding and party music. It’s just my opinion, of course, but I feel that if I’m in business to entertain people, my top priority ought to […]

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How to Get a Client for Wedding and Party Music

  Pardon if my language is inelegant here.  I really do understand — and appreciate — that the band provides an important service to the people we entertain.  And I’m always very grateful for the opportunity to serve them. It’s that word, “get”.  It sounds so crass to me, but I can’t think of a […]

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Break the Rules for Wedding and Party Music

As far as I’m concerned, “Feel free to break the rules” is often the best advice. For anything, including planning wedding and party music. Its been said that rules are made to be broken, but of course, first you must learn the rules, so you can break them wisely. Here I am, playing at a […]

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What Alan Jaffe Taught Me About Wedding and Party Music

Who taught you the most? For me, that’s too many people — impossible to count. But Alan Jaffe taught me many important lessons that help me entertain people at weddings, parties, and other celebrations. Three of these lessons might help you, too.  I’ll describe them in a minute. But first, no, I don’t mean the well-known actor, or […]

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Professional Networking Tips for Weddings and Parties

Selecting wedding or party music is a lot like Professional Networking. Of course it’s fun, but it’s also important.  Professional networking is one of the pillars in my marketing strategy. With professional networking, I aim to keep the Magnolia Jazz Band “top of mind” with all my colleagues.  I aim to have people know me, like […]

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Plan a Surprise for Wedding and Party Music

Today is my wife’s birthday.  As usual, I’ll plan a surprise for her special day.  Now, after a few years, I find that trying to plan a surprise, and making it different from previous years’, presents a challenge. So I’ve developed a few tips to help me plan a surprise.  I’ll describe several in the […]

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Open House Music

One recent afternoon found us entertaining at a real estate open house in Atherton, California, one of America’s wealthiest communities. Our open house music created a wonderful upscale affair.  While dozens of guests toured the house, they enjoyed our elegant music, delicious appetizers, and lattes & soft drinks. At this open house, our boss was Ken Deleon, who was voted […]

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How to Learn Using Social Media

I’m using social media to communicate with friends, colleagues, and clients.  My social media education has been on the practical side, from a few dozen (so far) experts. Through our telephone calls, emails, webinars, blogs, videos, books, and training programs, I’m learning something from almost everyone I know. Each is some authority in using social media, with a unique background, […]

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The Summer Olympics Remind Me of Wedding and Party Music

The 2012 Summer Olympics begin today, and I’m a fan.  My wife attended Olympic games in Seoul, Barcelona, and we both attended the 1996 games in Atlanta. Four years ago I enjoyed watching the 2008 Olympics and blogged about some of my observations.  Watching the previews for this year’s Summer Olympics recalls a few of […]

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Party Music for a Space Colony

Hold your jets!  What party?  And what space colony? I’m thinking about one BUSY weekend a few summers ago.  At one of the highlights, we entertained at the Gala dinner party for the annual NewSpace Conference, in Santa Clara. Sponsored by the Space Frontier Foundation, this conference attracted scientists, visionaries, technologists, entrepreneurs, and businessmen from around the […]

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