As music therapists we rarely get the chance to come together and create music. This may seem ironic but it is true. Working in the school-based music therapy environment we are constantly moving from district to district and providing services to students. Staff meetings are spent discussing reports, research and continuing education opportunities. But…we hardly ever have the chance to play together and enjoy the main backbone of what we all are, musicians. This fall we changed that and decided to put on a concert at Elderwood, an assisted living facility in Penfield around the corner from our office. This concert was beneficial for not only the residents but for us as well. Music provides seniors with the opportunity for memory recall, improved awareness, socialization, and an overall enhanced quality of life. Songs we performed such as “Ring of Fire”, “Love Me Tender”, “Hey Good Lookin”, and “Sunny” became sing along opportunities and the smiles that accompanied these songs revealed the joy the residents felt. This concert was an opportunity for our therapists to work with a different age range and to give back to the community while promoting our own self-care. Many staff members also played instrumental songs ranging from fiddle tunes to “Linus & Lucy”. As the concert ended, we were flooded with positive comments from the residents who shared their own experiences with music and conveyed how much they appreciated our hard work. Music truly has the opportunity to create connections and promote wellness; we look forward to continuing our outreach to area facilities and sharing the joy of music with everyone.
For more information on the benefits of music therapy in Elder care please visit the following links:
- Music: The Most Powerful Medicine in the World (metalstate.wordpress.com)
- Healing Effects of Music (andersonissues.com)
- Music therapy: a key to unlocking the diseased brain (babyboomersandmore.com)
- Alzheimer’s Disease Sufferers Benefit Greatly From Music (Documentary) (inquisitr.com)