A week in the life of a therapeutic musician

In the space of a week, I have a diverse range of experiences bringing music to hospital patients and people with disabilities.  There was the day at the hospital I was playing on an ICU unit and was asked to play outside of a room full of people. A big family surrounded this patient and I could see that something big happened. People were crying and embracing and huddled together. After awhile, a woman came out and said, "Hi, I know you from my school."    I nodded hello and smiled to acknowledge her as I continued to play soft instrumental guitar music.  Then she said, "My father passed away today! " and she pointed to his room and began to sob. I said, "I'm so sorry" and looked away to give her space and I kept playing quietly. It can be hard to see people in these kinds of moments but it is also an honor. I am often placed into people's lives at a crossroad or a major rite of passage.

The next day found me in totally different circumstances where I played for a group of young adults with developmental disabilities.  I could see they were in the mood to be silly, so I got out some Madlibs I made up to create our own funny songs. Here's the one everyone liked the best:

"My spaghetti skied over the mountain
my spaghetti skied over the pool
my spaghetti skied over the mountain
now bring my spaghetti to me..."

(To the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean")

I even ended up telling some Christmas jokes. (That's because those are the only jokes I know)

Q: Why is Santa good at Karate
A: Because he has a black belt

You see? There is grief one day and laughter the next. Music has a place in our hearts for every kind of situation.

VSA Art Show and Community

Each year  VSA Arts  has an art show featuring local artists with disabilities.   It is one of my favorite events of the whole year!  I love to see their creative art pieces framed and hung on the walls of the local recreation center. You can usually meet the proud artist standing underneath their work who will tell you all about their piece. I provide instrumental guitar music as a backdrop to the gathering of local artists, friends and family members who have come to support VSA.

When it's time for the speakers to come and say a few words about VSA and the participants, I am so struck with how proud I feel to be a part of this community. Some of these artists are people I have known since the early 1990s.

Music and art are what bring people together, sharing memories and creating more.  When I see the news on TV and watch the presidential election coverage,  I see how much negativity we have in our world now. Then when I look at the art that my friends have made and see their smiles and pride beaming, I am overcome with how grateful I feel to be a part of something that brings joy to others.

This night was a rainy night but that did not stop people from coming. I was standing with the two of my artist friends when a man came up to ask about the art show.  I told him all about VSA and introduced them to my friends who proudly showed them their paintings. He brightened when he saw their works of art and when he saw they were for sale, he asked, "How can I go about purchasing these?"   I led him to the desk where payments for the art were being made. Earlier, before this man came, I had just been talking the artists about what they planned to do with the money they made from the sale of their pieces. "Go to Outback for dinner!" one of them replied.

A delightful thing we have going here in my town and I'm so proud to be a part of it!

We'll keep that a secret...

Playing music for older adults with Alzheimer's and dementia can be challenging at times but in the long run, it is all worth the effort.  There is one woman where I play who yells things out as I play relaxing instrumental music on my classical guitar. "Turn that music off! It's awful! That's enough of that." Is what she says about every five minutes all through the hour. But would you look at that view in the picture above? This is in Madison county and the home where this woman yells at me is. I don't take offense at this because she is ill and maybe her saying that is the only way she can have a sense of control in her life.

There are also some surprises that can happen too. The other day I was singing and playing for one group I play for once a month. At the end of our sing along session, one of the ladies said to me, "You are a very sweet person." I said, "what a nice thing to say, thank you." She said, "You are." Then I said, "Thank you, it takes one to know one. " She blushed then and said, "Well...I guess that is true." Then she gave a mischievous smile and said, "We'll keep that a secret."

Not only was this an endearing encounter it was also a surprise because when this woman was new at this home, she would plug her ears and tell me to go away and yell out, "Make it stop!" This went on for a couple of months.  I am not sure what made her decide I was alright but we are apparently friends now.

There are all kinds of things like this I see in my work and it still is the best job I've ever had.  

The Art of Reinventing

Yesterday was my debut performance with Nursing Homes Swing, a non- profit that brings jazz music into local nursing homes. This marks an exciting new direction for me and I feel I am really hitting my stride reinventing myself as a jazz artist! Perhaps it was always in the making waiting for me to discover. I say this because when I was a child, my mother worked as a waitress next door to a jazz club (in Chicago). She used to take me there and I have very faint memories of standing in that smokey room with the exotic sounds of jazz filling the atmosphere. My mom became friends with one of the jazz musicians then, Jimmy Smith  and to this day, those memories are my mothers' favorites to talk about.

I learned a lot of new repertoire for this gig and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge!  Something about jazz that is very freeing is that you find your own way to sing the song. When I was working on learning a new song, I would listen to the great singers such as: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Judy Garland, Brenda Lee,  and each version was different! It was impossible to learn the "right" melody from these recordings because every singer had their own unique interpretation. And so I worked to find my own. If the notes that were written on the musical score were beyond my vocal range, I found a note that harmonized with it and sang that. It was so freeing and so much in the spirit of jazz! One does not need to sing exactly what is written, that is just a map or a recipe. For those who like to cook, you know what I mean by this. When you look at a recipe, you can alter the ingredients, adding your own flavors and spices to your own liking. No one's pot of chili is the same. Some like it hot, others don't. (I like it hot! :)

It's the same with jazz and me. Here are some of the songs I sang yesterday: "Moonlight in Vermont," "How High the Moon," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "My Favorite Things," "Smile," "Nature Boy," etc. Learning a new genre of music is like learning a new language. I wonder where this new direction will take me? Stay tuned!  

What new direction might you be taking with this new year?

Music really is the universal language

I love how in my work I am asked to do something I've never done before and how this new discovery makes me feel inspired to keep learning. Last week I played music for a memorial service for a former neighbor and friend.  She was from Norway and lived many years in Sweden and so I was asked to play the music of the Swedish troubadour, Evert Taube.  The song I was requested to play on my guitar was a beautiful one called, "Lill Lindfors" and after hearing it once, it brought me to tears.  Have a listen to it yourself and see how hauntingly beautiful it is:





Pictured above is the transcription I wrote of this haunting melody and translated into a solo guitar piece. I've never done such a thing before and I loved the challenge of finding ways to articulate the emotional nuances of Evert Taube into my playing. Such an example of music being the Universal Language too. I cannot understand the words in Swedish but I can definitely understand the emotional sensitivity that Evert Taube gives to this song.


Here is a recording of it, though a very rough draft:  Lill Lindors.I hope you enjoy the beauty of that piece. I also played, "Nocturne," and "Brysson Lull."  I felt honored to be able to play music for such a special occasion. She was loved and remembered  by many and we will miss her.

A New Year's Eve recollection

Happy New Year, everyone!  I wanted to tell you about my New Year's Eve gig and experience.    I played some solo guitar music at a local Labyrinth walk at the Unitarian church. It is such a nice way to reflect upon the year ending and a new one to come. I shared playing music with a friend who played her hammered dulcimer. We set up a code to let me know when it was my turn to play by her playing, "Simple Gifts".   We had to have some quiet way to make the transition without talking or much movement in the room so as not to disrupt the walkers. I was set up across the room with a little desk on my lap I made to do my art work as I waited my turn to play. Pictured above is what I worked on through the night.  A page from my Mehndi Designs coloring book.

I was so "into it" that I think Suzane must have been in her second time playing "Simple Gifts" before I realized she was summoning me to play guitar. It was such a peaceful and creative space to be in. It was the mood I had been craving for a long time. Since December was such a busy month, I really needed some kind of restorative activities. I love this about the Labyrinth walk. We are all doing our own thing together in silence. Some walking, some seated and reflecting, some waiting to walk.

I enjoyed seeing the Labyrinth filled with people and a nice metaphor too. People of all ages and walks of life and beliefs walking the path together. Making room for each other, getting out of the way at times, smiling to each other, nodding a silent "hello", sitting in the circle together.

And so a year has ended and a new one has begun. I am very optimistic about this New Year! How about you?  Do you make any resolutions? For me, I am working on dreaming bigger and finding new ways to be with people with music.  I wonder where this year will take me? You will soon see.

Wishing you all happiness, prosperity and good health in the coming new year and always! Thank you for visiting!

The true spirit of Christmas

Today I played my last Christmas party of the season. I have to say that I am somewhat glad as I have been playing this music since the end of November. I've been feeling a little worn out from all the holiday traffic, endless rain, added activity level with low motivation.  Sometimes it feels like it is all up to me to cheer everyone up and I need some help now and then. Today, I got it.

I was so impressed when I walked into the office of the activity director at one of the nursing homes I play at each week. I could barely get in the door as there were bags and boxes of wrapped presents, canned goods for those in need, eggnog and cookies for our holiday sing along.  When I commented on all of the gifts and things in her office, Mary laughed and said, "Oh yeah, I've been wrapping presents all week and getting ready for our caroling event on Christmas day."  She then told me with a twinkle in her eye that all the staff are going to go around room to room and sing Christmas carols on Christmas for the residents.  Now that's the spirit of Christmas! No complaints about having to work on Christmas--instead, it seemed Mary and her staff enjoyed preparing for it.

I see a lot of folks like them. Their work is more of a "calling" and not just a job they do for a paycheck. I feel so lucky to be around such good hearted people and it inspires me to keep going --even though I feel like I'm at the end of a marathon race. Just two more days left of the holiday... one more push. I can do it.

The sing along today was really a lot of fun. One of the daughters of a resident came and sang next to me and often would put her arm around me or make faces or gestures acting out the songs. It was such fun to have help singing with me and it really raised my spirits. I am now resting before I go out one more time today to sing for some nursing home residents.  I was given a sparkling Christmas lights necklace by one of the residents today and I'll wear that tonight.

Soon it will be Christmas day. Have a very Merry one!