Tips on being a "service" musician

It's a fun job that many can do, but only some get asked to do again year after year

Pre-gig selfie taken in my kid’s room

Hey Flutes! You may have noticed that I haven’t been as active here lately—that’s because April has been a crazy month (it is notoriously that way for musicians. For me it’s even worse than December!). In the span of 7 days I had a chamber music residency, Holy Week services, and orchestra subbing plus teaching privately and trying to spend time with my family. While I still have events coming up—a wedding gig and an Earth Day concert this weekend—I’m at least able to rest easy knowing I won’t need to have multiple rehearsals and concerts on the same day any time soon! Add a big commute to that mix, and that is when I really start to question my life choices, haha. Now that I am on the other side of Holy Week, I thought I could share some of my tips for being a “service” musician, meaning one who performs a musical function in events such as church services and weddings. I know that these are things many of you are interested in doing! While some churches only hire professional musicians, many rely heavily on the service of its members, which is also a great thing. With that said, even though you don’t necessarily have to be a pro, there are some basic skills and etiquette needed to be a good church and/or wedding flutist. Some of these suggestions might make more sense for pro players who are not part of the church’s regular congregation or the married couple’s family, so just keep that in mind.