Glee

"I just loved it so much I have to give every one of you a hug." At Grand Lake Gardens Retirement home.

At AgeSong, for Alzheimer's patients: "Did you see? Stanley said for the whole concert and enjoyed it! He doesn't sit still more than five minutes usually and he's always unhappy."
And, "We don't get serenaded like this very often."

"Can I dance? Your singing gives me- pep!" And: "This was wonderful. I'd like to write a letter to support the program. Who should I write to?" At Piedmont Gardens Retirement home.

Opera Piccola's small chorus at Oakland Tech High -- three young men and ten young women from ninth through 12 grades-- comes sleepily to practice once a week at 7:30 AM. By the time our fifty minutes of vocal technique and learning music is over, we're all feeling pretty good about the day ahead of us. We have to relax, breathe deeply and listen to all the pitches that hang in the air around us. Studies have shown the value of music performance on brains and bodies and emotions, but whatever the science of it, it's true. An interesting thing is that a singer doesn't really get to enjoy hearing his/her own voices while s/he is singing, because it sounds different inside the head from what the "audience" hears. It's better to be in the present, and let go the product.

Singing for the senior citizens yesterday, some of whom were quite ill with dementia, gave us the good feeling of the act of singing but also the good feeling of giving. Especially since our society regards seniors as people who've "lived their lives and had their chance," so we don't really need to pay attention to them. Their listening gave back to us and what a joy it was.