Piano/Keyboard Music for Your Special Event

By Lou Walinsky
Philadelphia, PA
January, 2011

Whether you live in Bryn Mawr, Cherry Hill, Jenkintown, Center City Philly, or anywhere else in the Greater Delaware Valley, here are some pointers to consider when you are thinking of having a pianist or keyboard player provide music for a special event.

Of course, the first step is to find someone who is a competent musician and who plays in a style that you like.  These days that is quite easy, since most musicians have their own websites or belong to online organizations, and you can usually listen to samples of the musician’s music online.  In the Philly Metropolitan Area, there are abundant choices.  You can find pianists/keyboard players here to fill your party with live jazz, pop, swing, blues, rock, salsa, reggae, or classical music – essentially any kind of music you would like.

Along with finding the right musician, it is important to figure out just what role you would like the music to play at your party.  For instance, do you want it to simply provide a beautiful or swingin’ ambiance in the background?  Or do you want it to be a focal point, with people gathered around the piano singing and interacting with the music and the musician? 

It’s also important to decide where you physically would like the music and musician located.  If the party is in your home and you want the musician to perform on your piano, notice if it is located in a place that will be easily accessible to the guests.  Is it in a room with good acoustics or is it in a room with low ceilings and wall-to-wall carpeting that will absorb much of the sound, especially when the room is filled with guests?  (Even in rooms with good acoustics that are filled with a large number of people, the sound of a piano can still get muffled.) If the condition of your piano and of the room is not ideal for the party, you might want to consider hiring a musician who will bring his or her own keyboard.  Professional keyboard speakers are able to provide much more volume than a piano, although placing a microphone near the piano is also an option for increasing the piano’s volume level.

The same kind of considerations apply if your special event is in a restaurant, a hall, a country club, or a hotel.  Additionally, if you want the musician to perform on an acoustic piano in these types of places, make sure to check on the status of the piano.  Not every restaurant, hall, country club, or hotel – even ones with good reputations – keeps its pianos in good shape.

After all of the above issues have been addressed, just get ready for a great time.  A competent and versatile pianist or keyboard player almost always adds a lively, celebratory mood to any party or special event.