Preparing For A Cruise Ship
Musician Job Audition
* By Geoffry Sinker, a full time music teacher with over 30 years experience. He teaches private one on one and online using Skype. He has travelled extensively during his career performing in bands around the world. He has written many articles on learning the guitar and has been featured in numerous websites including ultimate-guitar.com. For more details on how to enrol as a student please visit his official website http://www.skypeguitarlessonsonline.com there you will information, lessons and videos all free of charge
In this article we will
look at working on a cruise ship and the type of preparation needed to land the
job. OK, now you've been playing
in bands for a number of years and you might have graduated with a degree from
one of the excellent music academies around the various countries. You have
decided that you want to have a career as a professional musician, so what is
your next step.
Well, one of the options
you might consider is a musician on a cruise ship. Large cruise ship companies
operate all year long and are always very popular with tourists and travellers.
There is still something enchanting about sailing across the ocean to stop in
exotic ports, explore ancient cities and soak up the atmosphere of busy seaside
restaurants. Sounds fun, doesn't it?I I am sure you want to sign up right now
and set sail.
First, there is a lot of
competition out there, cruise lines hold auditions on Skype, so they can
recruit from a global talent pool. Speaking English might give you a slight
edge, but it's the music that counts in the end.
Second, there are two types
of musicians required, the orchestra musician is the main work horse, his role
is to play as part of the main show and also accompany guest musicians or
singers that might be brought in for special events. They can also be
entertaining guests during daytime sessions as part of a smaller unit or more
traditional four price band. The other act is the solo
musician which will certainly entail being able to sing and play your
instrument.
Third, contracts can be for
a limited period especially if you are new to the job, your first contract
might only be for 3 - 4 months. The typical contract is for 6 months. So
remember you are not set for life once you pass the audition.
Finally, you will have to
pass a medical, as well as being a musician you will be expected to be part of
the crew so you must be in good physical health. So ease up on the pizza and
drinking yourself under the table every night.
Before you worry about any
of the above check out if you suffer from seasickness!
OK, you have your sea legs
now let's find a job. Well, that part is fairly easy, just Google music jobs on
a cruise ship and you will find plenty. Some companies like Carnival cruise
line advertise directly, others use talent agencies. Application is straight
forward, if you are applying as a solo act you will be asked to supply a
recorded video of you performing, if you are applying for orchestra it's not as
important but it's always a good idea to have something recorded that
demonstrates what you can do. Remember, this is a cruise ship so no point
recording your best Yngwie Malmsteen licks. Try some smooth jazz or
top 40 hits with a blues feel to it.
Now, this is the point where
the two jobs differ. As a solo artist you will need to have a large repertoire
of music to perform across a substantial number of genres. You need to be able
to cover 50's music right through to current top 40 hits. Because you will be
probably entertaining a group of passengers for 5 - 10 days you will need to
have at least 80 - 90 songs ready to perform.
For the orchestra player
you have a different challenge, your sight reading must be proficient enough to
read a chart quickly and also be able to improvise smoothly and with
confidence.
I would recommend learning
as many jazz standards as possible and study your chord changes and inversion.
A guest singer at the last minute might decide to add a song to his/her set and
you have to be capable of playing it.
If you are invited for an
audition the company will set up a time and date. They will contact you
normally 10 - 15 minutes before your audition to give you your song charts
allowing you the same amount of time to review as you would have on a ship.
If you are successful, then
the company will make all the arrangements including medical and contracts and
flights to get you aboard ship. Just another point to note,
if you are employed through an agent then commission will be deducted from your
salary. The good side of working for an agent is that once you are on their
books, they will probably keep you in work for as long as you want to work on
the ships.
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