When planning a dinner, what role do you want the music to have?

If your intent is to allow the guests to easily converse at their tables, live solo piano music could be the perfect solution! 

Beautiful background music will provide an elegant musical atmosphere. Make sure you hire a pianist that knows how to keep the volume at the appropriate level to allow conversation. The acoustics of a room can change throughout an event depending upon the guest activity. Your pianist should be mindful of this when controlling the music volume.

Also important is the musical quality of the piano.  Some venues have a grand piano on site. Make sure the venue has their piano on a regular tuning schedule. For best results the piano should be tuned just prior to your event. The expense of the tuning will likely be passed on to you. 

If your pianist brings their own portable piano, you will want them to provide a good quality instrument. Equally important are the speakers they use. A beautiful piano can sound awful when amplified through cheap quality speakers.

For best results, hire an experienced pianist with a good reputation! 

This weekend I performed after dinner music for an annual corporate event. The client that hired me explained that the last several years he has hired a band or DJ to provide after dinner music. The guests complained that the music was too loud and invasive. Since the guests only see each other once a year, they wanted the opportunity to visit with each other. I was delighted to be hired as their pianist. Many of the guests stopped by my piano and told me my music was the perfect touch!

I do not intend any offense to my band and DJ friends in the entertainment business. When you want to get your guests moving and on their feet there is nothing like a great band or DJ!  

If you are planning an event and would like to learn how my solo piano music can enhance the experience of you and your guests with a beautiful musical ambiance, I would love to hear from you!

The Royal Event Musicians are at your service!

Do you want your guests to feel like royalty?  

Pianist Sharon Planer and Harpist Serena O'Meara have the perfect repertoire!

Sharon and Serena's beautiful piano and harp duo performance of the Downton Abbey theme song and extensive repertoire of English songs will create an authentic setting for your English tea party or Downton Abbey themed event.

Call Sharon at 612-845-1970 or Serena at 715-830-5070.  

Email works great too!  sharon@pianistforparties.com and harp@omearamusic.com

Visit the Royal Event Musicians to learn more!

Sharon and Serena's calendar is filling up fast. BOOK NOW!

Music Fit For A Castle - YOUR castle!

by Sharon Planer, Pianist for Parties

Are you planning a Wedding? Are you planning a special event such as a birthday party or anniversary?

Chances are you will want to attend a Wedding or Event Fair to get ideas for your event. 

Here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of your Wedding and Event Fair experience.

Before you attend the event, think about your top priorities for your event. Ask yourself, 'What are the two or three most important aspects of my wedding day or special occasion?'

Floral arrangements / your wedding dress / live music / price / writing the perfect wedding vows / having someone else be responsible for the pressure of your planning and day-of festivities / photography / videography / venue location / decor / food .. . . the list goes on.  

I have worked with hundreds of couples planning their weddings and people planning parties.  Their priorities vary immensely. When planning your event, it is helpful to determine what items you think are most important.  From there you can direct your focus. Use a mobile device or notebook to draft some questions surrounding your priorities. List the categories where you need help planning. Educate yourself in those areas that are most important to you. By doing this, you will develop more questions.

On the day of the Event Fair here are some items to bring.

• Your list of questions.
• Your list of categories where you need help planning.
• Camera or mobile device to take photos.
• Your appointment calendar.

On the day of the Wedding or Event Fair approach the event professionals that are top on your list. Be direct and tell them that their area of expertise is especially important to you.

• Take photos of items of interest. After you have photographed the items you like, snap a photo of their poster or business card to remember their name.
• Ask your questions. Don't shy away from asking hard questions. 
• If you feel good rapport with the professional, set up a private meeting to further discuss your questions in detail.
• For the remaining Categories where you need event planning help, gather what information you can from those event professionals and record which companies you might like to do business with.
• For the professionals that you are interested in, find your Categories list and record their business name. Take notes that will help you remember what made them stand apart from the others. This will be very helpful when you return home with a pile of brochures because you will be able to identify the companies that you want to follow up with.
• Sign up for the giveaways and prizes.

After the Wedding or Event Fair is over. Contact the professionals that you liked and go from there!

There are many great Wedding and Event Fairs in the Twin Cities as well as greater Minnesota. I personally think the smaller shows give you have a better opportunity of connecting on a personal level with the event professionals. But the larger shows are great for gathering a lot of information from many different sources.

For a list of shows where I will be performing, check out my web site at http://pianistforparties.com/events

I would love to meet and play samples of music just for you!