Overworked Musicians in the Mediterranean
By GhostWriterRight now we are leaving Kusadasi and heading towards Rhodes. Tonight is a show that’s done every cruise, either after leaving Kusadasi on the 10 day cruise, or the night…
Book Review: The Inner Game of Tennis
By GhostWriterThe Inner Game of Tennis
By W. Timothy Gallwey
This book was very helpful to me. This book, along with Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner, was required for a…
Musical Theatre Audition Advice for Singers
By David J. HahnI played an audition gig this last week near Chicago. This is the kind of audition I talked about in a previous post, about actors auditioning for musicals.
I’ve…
A CCSM Reader Lands a Job!
By David J. HahnCongratulations and good luck to R., a friend and reader of CCSM, who recently landed a piano gig on a ship running eastern Caribbean cruises for the winter. As I…
Interview with Carnival Music Director (video)
By David J. HahnI’ve never seen this site before: www.artisthousemusic.org. It seems like a pretty good resource for musicians – especially for the business side of things.
Check out this video from…
Are Taxes Taken Out of My Paycheck?
By David J. HahnThere was a question a few weeks ago from Ryan:
What do you do about taxes? Are they automatically deducted, or do you just get cash and expected to 1099…
Beard and Moustaches
By David J. HahnStarkey asks:
I have a question on beards and mustaches. Whats the story?
Hi Starkey – I assume you mean if, and to what degree, beards and moustaches are allowed…
Detailed Packing Lists
By David J. HahnOur friend Steven is leaving very soon for a cruise ship gig that’ll take him all over the western hemisphere. He starts in the Baltic, drops down to the Mediterranean,…
Creating a Repertoire List
By David J. HahnI’ve talked to a few musicians lately about repertoire lists, so I thought I’d write a little about that.
There’s a theory that I recently read about in the book…
Economy Turns Musicians to Cruise Ships
By David J. HahnThe government may not acknowledge it, but it does seem like the U.S. is in an economic crisis. Mortgages are a mess, the U.S. dollar is weak, and oil…
Cruise Ship Musician Job Postings
By David J. HahnI’ve found the best way to find job vacancies for cruise ship musicians is to either approach the talent agencies (Proship, Oceanbound, others), or to directly approach the cruise lines’…
One Man Bands On the Way Out
By David J. HahnHere’s something I’m kind of glad to see -
Marco at Oceanbound (a hiring agency) writes on his blog that one-man-bands are on the way out of the cruise…
Welcome to Santorini! You’re Going Home!
By David J. HahnI’ve heard about this video before. I had to take a safety training class in Honolulu a few weeks ago and they talked about this. If I remember right, the…
Beginning the Gig: Arrival in Rome
By GhostWriterOn Sunday afternoon, I made it to Rome. I was to meet with my ship in Civitavecchia the next morning.
I was put up by the company in the Airport…
Sending Money Home Thru Wire Transfers
By David J. HahnDavid asks about money transfers:
Is there something like a Western Union on board? I know we can have direct deposit, but some of my bills I absolutely HAVE to…
Can I Bring My Bike on the Ship?
By David J. HahnStarkey is leaving for his first cruise gig this week and has a question about bringing a bike:
I’m an avid mountain biker and would be sad to miss the…
Who’s My Boss?
By David J. HahnStarkey asks:
I am the band leader of a new band going onto Princess in August. How does the MD affect or not affect my show? Who do I answer…
What Are the Crew Areas Like?
By David J. HahnRyan asks:
What are the crew areas like? I’ve heard (of course) of the crew bar – but not much else. Is it nothing but crammed rooms like a dorm…
Dealing With a Difficult Music Director
By GhostWriterSo, I really wanted to write about the positive aspects of being a cruise ship musician. So far, I can’t. I just finished my first cruise. It was really rough.…
Provided Backline Equipment
By David J. HahnDavid asks:
What is the backline like? Do they use in-ear monitors?
David is referring here to the sound gear that is provided by the cruise ship for it’s performers…
