Musical Entertainment

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I play a lot of festivals in the fall. The rest of the year the event work I do is split between private parties of people having some kind of celebration and corporate events.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. There are two things to consider; (1) Can the band leader bring you the talent you want? Do they and their ensemble present themselves well and interact well with guests? (2) Do you like and trust the band leader? I.E. Will he/she take care of business? Are they cooperative? Are they someone you enjoy interacting with? You're putting your event in their hands and they can have a big influence on it's success.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I offer a unique niche in the entertainment business,for instance, by providing the big lush sound of traditional classical wedding music with just 2 people; French themed music; Italian themed music; Dinner and cocktail music with violin/accordion duos; and German themed music or Oktoberfest-styled shows for special events.

I bring years of experience including 5 years at Epcot Center and understand how to make my product work successfully for your event.

We can play the range from background music to fun, interactive shows. I know how to match my performance to what your guests want to hear and do.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I like the idea of keeping music alive and well, especially the more unique styles that I play.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. What would the performance be like?
Please visit www.terrycavanagh.com and the pictures, audio, and video will satisfy most people's curiosity.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. There is an enormous amount of work and investment of resources that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that our entertainment product is first class.

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. We just finished our fall festival season with the Alpine Express band. It is always gratifying to know that our clients are pleased with our work and want to rebook us for next year. Examples of this are the Cullman, AL Oktoberfest; the Woodlands, TX Oktoberfest; the South Texas Rotary Oktoberfest in McAllen; Wurstfest in New Braunfels; The Villa Europa Oktoberfest in Augusta; and The Redstone Arsenal Oktoberfest in Huntsville, AL.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Continuing education is an on-going affair: (A) I'm always practicing and frequently taking lessons to improve my voice and instrument playing as well as learning new material; (B) There is always more to learn about how to get the most out of and take care of the instruments and electronic equipment involved in our performances; (C) I'm continuously seeking to learn more about how to take care of myself better, for instance diet, exercise, a healthy spiritual life in order to bring more to my performances; (D) Every year I get a real life education in how to be a better leader for my musicians, a better service provider for my clients; and a better business man for my business.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. Pricing depends on: (1) Where the job is; (2) How long the job is for; (3) How many performers will be involved; (4) When the job is - what day of the week and what time of day and what time of year. For instance entertainment on New year's Eve traditionally is priced at a higher rate than most other events; (5) The nature of the job - is it background music in a restaurant of a full blown show for a 1,000 people at a festival? (6) If any customized/special preparation will be required for the performance?; (7) If the situation warrants a P.A. system, does the band or client provide it? (8) If the job is out of town, who provides hotel rooms?

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. Make sure you love it. The music profession asks a lot of artists and it is probably not a profession one would choose because it is a good career path.

It is really two jobs in one. It requires the actual entertainment performance and the discipline of a professional athlete for the rest of your life in order to be at peak performance levels.

At the same time, one must run a business - market, keep the books, make payroll, deal with taxes, manage people, develop products, supervise ongoing work, and buy and maintain expensive equipment.