Greetings Gene,

There are a few of our members that play at Rest Homes. I think Gary "travlin'easy" Diamond still does.

Even though I haven't done any Rest Homes myself I may at some point consider doing it. Because Rest Homes are filled with older people in their 70's, 80's, and 90's, etc. the era of the music most of them listened to was probably a lot of 30's/40's Swing, Jazz, and Big Band. Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Freddy Martin, Artie Shaw, The King Sisters, Sammy Kay, Vaughn Monroe, to name a few. Another big favorite of Rest Homes is playing and singing Gospel type music.

Don't expect the pay to be generous but if you find favor with the staff of any of the Rest Homes you may be able to aquire an extended contract with them with additional pay incentives.

That said, a lot of people do Rest Homes on an au gratis basis, considering it as giving back to the community or even as a personal ministry.

Either way, you would need to talk to the Director of the Rest Home(s) you are interested in playing at to setup a schedule and answer your questions regarding your engagements if they accept you.

Best,
Mike