Are you a musician who wants to stand out when booking gigs and connect more deeply with your audience? In a recent episode of the Profitable Musician Show, host Bree Noble and guest Tara Brueske delivered some jam-packed wisdom on the value of themed show programs—and how they can elevate your music business and performance game.

Listen to the episode here

Here’s a recap with standout quotes and actionable ideas, so you can start creating irresistible themed programs that set your act apart.

Why Themed Programs Matter

Musicians often struggle to both engage their audience and land more bookings. Themed shows offer a powerful solution. As Bree put it:
“Today we’re going to talk about creating programs with themes to number one, like really bring your audience in on a journey. And number two, to make it easier to market, which I’m excited about.”

Themes bring coherence to your performance, helping listeners feel they’re part of something special—while giving you ready-made marketing hooks. Tara explained, “I’ve definitely changed up songs seasonally… you can literally September, October, pull out any kind of fall songs. And there’s a lot of, like, autumn. You know, the autumn leaves or autumn in New York…”

Where to Find Theme Ideas

You don’t have to reinvent yourself; start with what you already do! Bree encouraged:
“Obviously start with what you already naturally do… For me, love songs just made sense, you know, because I wrote and written love songs. I sing a lot of love songs. So having a love songs program for Valentine’s that you can market, and I think in that case, like, love songs can be the theme, and you can be like. And here’s love songs from a bunch of different genres.”

Holiday and seasonal shows are always in demand—think St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, or the four seasons. Tara shared, “The biggest thing for me… is having something based around holidays… This year I think I had five St. Patrick’s Day concerts.”

You can also create shows based on particular genres (like Broadway or hymns), artists (tribute shows), or historical/social justice themes. These fresh approaches can help you tap into nostalgia or unique audience interests.

Storytelling & Trivia: The Secret Sauce

Don’t just play songs—tell stories! When you share personal or historical tidbits between songs, you build rapport and make the program memorable. According to Tara:
“I did just some research first on St Patrick himself, but I also did it on some of the celebrations or when it started. And so a lot of times just doing some research about the person or about the songs themselves… I think those little tidbits of either quick little facts… Stories are usually better.”

And if you want to up the fun and engagement, mix in trivia:
“I gotta ask, do you do trivia? I would totally kill it with trivia on Olivia Newton John and Anne Murray… I know that there are people definitely in audiences that actually love trivia.”

Marketing Is Easier with a Theme

One of the top benefits? Clearly packaged themed programs are catnip for event organizers and venue bookers. As Bree emphasized:
“It’s so different to be like, my name is Brie Noble and I’m a musician, and I’d love to come sing for your people… Versus I have this program. It’s called this. This is what we do… You can basically give them a sense of what they’re gonna get in a nice little package.”

Got more than one theme? You can fill multiple calendar slots for a single venue and become their go-to performer for special dates:
“I have this program, but I also have a Mother’s Day program and I have a Christmas program. And they’re like, oh my gosh, I need to fill that slot. Done.”

Use testimonials and multimedia (photos, reels, quick videos) to showcase your themed shows on social media and email. Don’t forget to gather audience or event planner feedback after performances and incorporate it into your marketing.

Taking the First Steps

If you’re overwhelmed by possibilities, Bree’s advice is to keep it simple and authentic:
“Figure out what kind of show… If you’ve got that and that’s something that you want to do that’s pretty easy to put together, figure out, you know, some stories that relate to the songs. And since you wrote them, or even if you didn’t write them…you can come up with stories to weave them together pretty easily.”

And Tara adds, *“If you like a certain style or a certain holiday…that’s just naturally that you would celebrate that way. Why not do that?”*

Important Links Mentioned

Crafting a themed show isn’t just a creative exercise—it’s a smart business move. Try it out, and you could discover new fans, land more gigs, and even enjoy your shows more than ever before. Have questions or success stories? Reach out to Bree and Tara, and let them know what themes you’re exploring!

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