Music By Frances and Danielle

About Us

When Asked:

81% of guests

remembered the Entertainment

of the event more than ANYTHING ELSE!

Make sure your entertainment is worth remembering!!

Our company is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.

Every Bride and Groom are different, so is every reception, that's why we pride ourselves in finding out what YOU want for your special day. Our music selection is huge! We bring our entire collection with us to each event so we are always ready for last minute changes and special requests.

For dinner music you may have planned for a truly elegant reception for which you might want Classical, or if you would like a contemporary flair you may choose a mix of contemporary and traditional jazz, or a mix of country and oldies, or anything in-between.

We try to make every reception fun and memorable...Everyone can feel included with fun songs like the Y.M.C.A, the Cotton-Eyed Joe, and the Chicken Dance to get the party going. We add new music to our collection monthly and are always ready with the latest dance hits, while at the same time having that special song for an older relatives special request. Our selections range from the Big Band era all the way to today's top 40.

We would love to provide our services for your wedding reception, be sure and book early - a year in advance is not too soon and Saturday evenings book especially fast. We are not a DJ booking agency, therefore our availability is very limited. If your wedding ceremony and reception will be at the same location (indoors or out) we can provide music for the ceremony and mic for the officiant. Ask us for more information!

"Mom, daughter making music

DJ team helps give life to parties"

By Sarah Bradshaw-Poughkeepsie Journal

Sunday, December 5, 2004

HIGHLAND -- There's nothing better than being a female DJ, according to the owners of Music By Frances & Danielle.

''I always have a blast at events,'' Frances Farrell of Highland said.

However, the mother-daughter mobile DJ team admits it does take a certain amount of confidence to do the job. For that reason,

mother and daughter believe a lot of females are deterred.

Frances''It can be nerve-racking to have everyone listening to you,'' Danielle, 28, said. She started as an assistant when she was 15 and became a DJ when she was 18.

Female mobile DJs are very much in the minority. Of the 100,000 mobile DJs in the United States about 5 to 10 percent are female, said ''Drax,'' the national vice president of the American Disc Jockey Association.

''You just don't see them, especially mother-daughter teams,'' he said.

Going out on their own.

Frances, 46, started in the business by setting up sound systems for different bands. From 1985 to 1995, she worked for a company with seven other DJs. But Farrell wanted to break off on her own. So, in 1995 she started Music By Frances. And, Danielle would accompany her mother to events as an assistant.

In June of that year, Danielle's friend needed a DJ for her wedding. Farrell was booked, so her daughter agreed to do it -- by herself.

''I was so nervous,'' she recalled. ''I was shaking.''

''It's hard because you can't act like it's your first time,'' said Frances, a Dutchess County native. ''I knew she would do good, though.''

DanielleFrom that point on, Danielle started to take clients when her mother was booked and that helped her build her own clientele, and self-esteem. By the end of 1995, the business became Music By Frances & Danielle.

Today, both Frances and Danielle are booked a year in advance, mostly from referrals. Last year they did 106 events, from weddings to holiday parties to sweet 16 parties to bar mitzvahs.

Jody Cleveland and Jeanne Icolari of Fishkill called Farrell to DJ their commitment ceremony in September.

''I've never been to an event where no one sat down the entire time,'' Cleveland said. ''She was wonderful.''

Being female and a wedding DJ can be advantageous. Stephanie Padovani, co-owner of The DJ Solution in Poughkeepsie, said female DJs can provide a special sentiment toward the occasion that most males cannot. Padovani and her husband, Jeff, started their DJ company four years ago.

''We redecorated a firehouse for a wedding once and filled in as a photographer,'' Danielle said. ''We pay attention to more than just the music.''

Helping the bride

''Drax'' said savvy female DJs cater to clients from a bride's perspective.

''You have to be able to market what's important to them -- a fun, emotional and personal wedding,'' he said.

That's what makes Music By Frances & Danielle special.

''If it wasn't for them, my wedding would have been totally ruined,'' Lori Lovelace of Rosendale said. Lovelace's banquet hall booked two weddings in the same hall. After she straightened everything out, she only had minutes to set up before her guests arrived. ''Frances ran the show,'' Lovelace said. ''She stood in for the justice of the peace during the practice run. She showed me where I was going to stand during the ceremony and directed people down the aisle. And she started an hour later and didn't charge me extra.''

Their experience and female perspectives are an asset.

''What it comes down to is having the confidence to do this job,'' Frances said.

Sarah Bradshaw can be reached at sbradshaw@poughkeepsiejournal.com

Profile

Music by Frances & Danielle

What: Mother-daughter DJ company.

Owners: Frances Farrell, 46, and Danielle Bushnell, 28.

Where: Highland and Wappinger Falls.

Company founded: 1995.

Employees: Two, plus part-time assistants.

Combined experience: 30 years.

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