Trying to cover some ground that hasn't been covered already...

I'm doing 500+ gigs this year and each client has a different type of audience. I also don't use "set lists" for any gig, at least in the traditional sense.

At my Nursing home gigs I know in advance at least 75% of the stuff I play will be between medium and upbeat tempos. I have around 1000 tunes that I play and NOT having a set list helps me keep things fresh. I enjoy 95% of those tunes, and from experience I've found for me I play a lot more of my book with out a list than I did when I tried using one. It makes me think more, which I think produces a better and certainly fresher result.

Also, in the SW Ohio area, there are several other NH acts that are known for their set lists, but not in a good way. They've become predictable and a little boring to the audience and staff. One act is also known for their resistence to changing things up or even taking requests.

I enjoy being upredictable and by paying attention to what's going on around me as I set up, or remembering something from the last time I was at a particular place, etc...It points me in a direction that a set list probably wouldn't.

Another thing that comes to mind is my frustration (at times) with the staff's behavior. This certainly isn't the norm, but a handful of times a year I'll be at a place where the Activity Director is off and an underling is running the activity. Sometimes this person isn't as professional as you'd want them to be and they seem to think that if they bring 20 residents down instead of the 50 that I see when the boss is there, I'm going to wonder why.

To be fair, these underlings aren't as respected as the department head is, so the assistence they might get from other aids/nurses isn't that same at all. That's more of a cultural thing with in the building. I may ask for a few missing people by name. Another factor may be labor related. If the assistant has been told the activity ends at 7:00pm and they need to clock out by 7:15pm, well, that's that, I guess...I pass my concerns on to the boss ...sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.

Lastly, a 3rd thing that comes to mind is when the staff thinks I'm doing trivia/stimulation exersizes FOR THEM. I've learned to say "What resident can tell me the name of this tune..." which usually does the trick.

It just speaks to the employee not really being aware of what's going on. Sometimes, I'll pull someone aside nicely after the show is over and explain what I'm trying to do and then they get it.

All in all, I have the best job in the world...