Tuesday, October 31, 2006

"You Owe Me A Job!" Valid or Not? Part I

Ever since I started this blog, I've been meaning to write a series of posts on Hakarat Hatov and how it does/doesn't/should/shouldn't affect musicians booking jobs both from organizations and from private clients. I think the posts never happened in large part because the topic is large and because there are many angles to explore. So, I'm going to break it down into smaller pieces over a series of posts. I'll be including some common statements I've heard bandleaders and sales reps make, some true vignettes, some hypothetical scenarios, and of course, your comments.

For your consideration, to start this series off, here are some comments representative of sentiments I've heard expressed on the bandstand with regard to playing for Jewish institutions and organizations.

1) "Nobody is owed a job! Ever!"
2) "They owe me the job! I've done it for years and they've always been happy!"
3) "They owe me the job! I've done so much to help their organization!"
4) They should use me bacause I (or a relative) am an alumnus!"
5) "Well, "X" did it last year, so this year is my turn!"

The floor is now open! Thoughts?