Rest In Peace

How do I go about getting hired to play the organ/piano for funerals?

also does anyone else out there do something like that? should I contact churches? how should I go about that? or do I go to funeral homes? any advice is appreciated.

Public Comments

1. I am a parish music director and organist and I also "freelance" for funerals, weddings, etc. I would suggest advertising with both churches and funeral homes. In my area it is common for the funeral home to ask the church if their usual musician(s) are available and if not the funeral home OR the church may have musicians to call on. There are also occasionally non-liturgical funerals that are handled by the funeral home alone. As far as advice - the two most important things for me have been availability and knowledge of the service. Availability because many funerals are on weekdays when most people are at their "regular" jobs. If you can do midweek morning funerals consistently, you're sure to get work. Next is being familiar with the church service. Every denomination has it's details, and every pastor, priest or minister has his idea of how it should be. Familiarize yourself with the services you intend to play. It's a funeral and without question it must be done right. If you're not affiliated with a particular church, it may be a little tough to get into this business. It helps to have some kind of "credentials". Be sure to list anything like that in your advertisement/bio/resume - or whatever you want to call it. It may also help you to join the AGO (American Guild of Organists) or NPM (National Association of Pastoral Musicians). Both are great organizations and along with credentials, offers current info and resources on the business. Lastly, if you can sing, even better. I cannot sing, but have another person that sings do the services with me. Offering your services as a complete package (musician/singer) will get you more work. Hope that helps some. I specialize in Catholic services, so if you need any help with details on that, feel free to ask me.