MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

- Things to think about
- Ideas
- List of suggested pieces

Things to think about:

The most important step is to discuss your ideas with us. But here are some things to think about when choosing your music:

1. Remember that the funeral service is not only a tribute to someone’s life but is there for you to say goodbye. In other words, don’t only consider your loved one’s favourite pieces of music but also include music that is important to you, music that best expresses your feelings about your loved one, and music that will simply carry you through and uplift you.
2. Think about the tone or mood that you want to set for the service or each part of the service; for example:
   1. Celebration for a wonderful life
   2. Formal with or without liturgy
   3. Reflective and meditative
   4. Great sadness
   5. Grief at parting from your lover
   6. Hope in an afterlife
   7. Simple and beautiful
3. Keep in mind the time available to you; it is a sad fact that most cremations are restrictive in time and last usually 30 minutes, including arriving and leaving, thus reducing the actual service to 20-25 minutes. You may want to consider booking a double slot.
4. For music outdoors our main enemy in the UK is the weather! As long as our musicians and their very precious instruments are protected from the wet and cold then most music can still be possible. However, an umbrella alone is not enough protection if there is wind blowing rain in onto the instrument(s). It may also be worth taking into account the rather dry accoustic outdoors. The most suitable musicians to use would be singers and brass players. A brass ensemble would be excellent for accompanying hymns at a graveside, for example.