Get the Job…but Keep the Job

“Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.”

That was probably the single most important piece of advice I received after moving to Nashville.

At first, I thought it was simply about professionalism — knowing when not to talk over people, when not to overplay, when not to force yourself into every moment.

But over time, I realized it meant something much larger than that.

Honestly, I believe that advice helped me not only get work over the years, but continue keeping it.

And not just within music. The ability to listen, observe, adapt, support the larger picture, and understand your role within a particular environment is valuable in almost any professional setting.

What Does This Room Need From Me Today?

One of the more interesting things about making a living in music is that your role is constantly changing.

Some days I’m performing solo in a restaurant where the goal is simply to help create an atmosphere that allows people to relax, enjoy conversation, and feel comfortable staying awhile longer.

Other days I’m hired as a sideman supporting another artist, where my responsibility is not to stand out, but to help elevate the larger performance already taking place.

Sometimes I’m recording parts remotely for a client somewhere across the country. Sometimes I’m composing music for visual media where the music may never be consciously noticed at all — only felt emotionally as part of a larger story unfolding on screen.

The older I get, the more I realize that much of professional music has very little to do with ego and a great deal to do with awareness.

That question — What does this particular room need from me today? — has probably shaped my perspective on live performance more than anything else.

Having grown up in Southwest Florida, then spending many years living and working professionally in Nashville before eventually returning home, I’ve found myself looking at the live music landscape here through a very different lens than I probably would have earlier in life.

And to be clear, I don’t say that critically.

One of the unique things about this area is that music often serves a different social purpose than it does in major entertainment-driven cities. Southwest Florida is filled with retirees, seasonal residents, vacationers, lifelong hobbyists, former touring players, weekend musicians, and people who simply enjoy gathering around live music in a relaxed and familiar way. In many environments, that accessibility and sense of community is exactly what people are looking for.

Not Every Room Needs the Same Type of Energy

Some spaces thrive on highly interactive entertainment. Others benefit more from subtlety, pacing, atmosphere, and music that supports the environment already taking shape within the room.

Part of my perspective probably comes from years spent working as both a recording and touring musician, where my role was often not to become the focal point, but to support the larger artistic picture.

In studio environments especially, you learn quickly that good musicianship is not simply about playing well. It’s about awareness, restraint, listening, understanding context, and knowing how your role fits within the larger picture unfolding around you.

Composition and film scoring reinforced that idea even further.

In film, television, and themed entertainment environments, music is rarely treated as something separate from the environment itself. It becomes part of the emotional architecture of the experience. Most people don’t consciously analyze it, but they absolutely feel it.

One of the simplest examples is walking through a well-designed theme park. As guests move from one environment to another, the music often changes seamlessly alongside the architecture, lighting, pacing, and atmosphere. The music becomes part of the emotional identity of the space without demanding constant attention to itself.

Hospitality environments are not all that different.

The right music can make a waterfront restaurant feel more relaxed. A cocktail lounge can suddenly feel more refined. A social gathering can feel more connected and energetic — not because the music is overpowering the environment, but because it is contributing appropriately to the tone and energy already unfolding within the room.

Entertainment Is Also a Business Decision

Of course, from the venue side, live entertainment is also a business decision — and not always an easy one. Hospitality businesses constantly weigh staffing, operations, seasonal traffic, budgets, and guest expectations.

Entertainment represents a real expense, and understandably, owners and managers want to feel confident that investment contributes positively to the overall guest experience.

And honestly, I think most people responsible for booking entertainment are simply doing their best to balance all of those moving parts at once.

Over time, many successful hospitality environments recognize that quality matters — not necessarily in a flashy or overly technical sense, but in professionalism, consistency, awareness, sound control, adaptability, and the ability to read a room appropriately.

Often the most effective performances are not the ones demanding attention every second, but the ones understanding how to contribute appropriately to the pacing, energy, and emotional tone already unfolding within the room.

Finding the Right Fit Matters

One thing I’ve become more thoughtful about over the years is deciding which venues I even approach in the first place.

That may sound unusual in an industry where many performers are simply trying to fill a calendar, but I’ve come to believe that the best long-term entertainment relationships happen when there is a genuine fit between the venue, the audience, the atmosphere, and the style of music being presented.

Some environments call for high-energy interaction. Others benefit more from subtlety, restraint, and music that quietly supports conversation and atmosphere without competing against it.

The strongest hospitality venues understand that entertainment is part of the overall experience.

Just like lighting, service, pacing, décor, and atmosphere, music shapes perception. Whether guests consciously recognize it or not, it contributes to how a place feels while they are there.

People may not remember every song they heard during an evening out.

But they almost always remember how a place felt.

Maybe that’s the role after all.

— David LaGrande
Southwest Florida-based pianist, saxophonist & composer