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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
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Perhaps those senior citizens could help YOU start a music night once a week. <g>
TALK with them. They aren't dumb and they've lived a lot longer already, I have found that many of them have plenty of wits about them, regardless of thick glasses and dual hearing aids.
--Mac
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Joined: Feb 2006
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Joined: Feb 2006
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Quote:
My real goal is to stimulate these people mentally and increase their interaction with each other - even when I leave. Perhaps I could help them start a 'music night' of their own once a week.
...ok Mac, you caught me - this is something I would like to do. But aren't the things you're most personally interested and enthusiastic about the things that you can best infect others with in terms of enthusiasm ? But I do think the nursing home folks would enjoy this type of thing. Music appeals to most, and brings back lots of - hopefully mostly good, memories - compliments of the amygdala. Sure - it's fun to do this type of thing with younger people, or people my age, because they are familiar with 'trendier' songs, or songs from my era. They also tend to be more energetic, and at times more attractive to watch dance ; ) ...but the older folks are fun and interesting in a different way (because of that wit and experience you referred to) : )
Depending on what parts of the brain are still going strong, people unable to take care of themselves might actually be extremely proficient in talking history, science, TV shows - lots of interesting things. I have been exposed to this population when my aunt was in a nursing home, and in doing my Occupational Therapy fieldworks. So I'm speaking from some experience.
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Joined: Mar 2004
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Joined: Mar 2004
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Quote:
Quote:
When are you going to start this venture Joe?"
I have a typical 1 to 2 year lag time from when I get an idea to when I start working on it seriously. I'm sure many of you would not be surprised by this after being inundated with my earlier barrage of posts (BTW - that's over for a while - at least until I have some vacation time again, but I think I actually got feedback and next steps for most of my long-percolating ideas, gotta get to work on them next 
I do eventually pick up steam on many of my penchants. I think this one will materialize, but not sure exactly when.
Like my grand dad used to tell me, and everyone else  , there comes a time in every man's life when you just got quit talking about it and do it. BTW he said that long before Nike did.
Later,
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 317 |
Joe, I can relate to the forgoing information provided by previous posters. I played in a cabaret style band (guitar/banjo, bass, trumpet/flugel, t-sax/s-sax, keyboards/accordian, and drums). With that lineup we played dixe,swing,country,rock'n roll (no heavy metal), pop: also waltzs, polkas, sambas, tangos, tarantellas, rhumbas. What we did was get a rough idea of the "genre" of the audience and play to it. The result was we ended up with multiple set lists with many songs crossing style boundaries.Equally important is that good music incorporates: a structured intro, middle, and ending;steady, in the pocket tempos and balance. For example a younger crowd would have a heavier bass sound with faster tempos.
Equally important is that I would cruise the crowd before we started and during breaks and find out information on birthdays, anniversaries, special occaisions, out-of-town visitors, etc. Our band would then acknowledge that to the crowd during our gigs. I do the same procedure playing at seniors centers with the additional effort of getting to know the attendees names. When I play the next time I usually say something to the effect of "I see my good friend Elmer is here this afternoon-hi Elmer" I then cruise the audience during my breaks and make new friends. This socializing is an immense help in getting other gigs that pay. Hope this helps. Dennis
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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One of the reasons I'll play the good old good 'uns that almost everybody remembers from childhood is the response we get from doing so in the retirement homes.
The staffers pretty much constantly report that someone suffering from Alzheimer's or other dementia, surprised even the staffers who thought they knew them well by suddenly perking up and singing right along with an old favorite.
I don't think they'd be able to do that with more complex tunes or tunes that perhaps were not embedded at an early age.
And, something else learned from having to do that is the fact that musicianship must improve when attempting to present those rather simple songs in a strong performance but still singalong fashion.
One of the most memorable compliments on my playing that I've ever received came from an old gent in a wheelchair, sporting a hearing aid in each ear. As we were leaving, and shaking hands with folks, talking a bit to each, this old fellow who had sat there silently, not singing, not speaking, looked up at me and smiled, said, "You sure can tickle those ivories!" Man, did I thank him for that. Then I asked him if he'd served in one of our armed forces and the old guy lit up and wouldn't stop talking about it.
Yessir, he'd served in the Navy, "back in the big one" over in the Pacific dontcha know...
A Dauntless Dive Bomber Pilot.
For once, the wife was the one waiting for me to stop talking with someone...
--Mac
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