My late husband was a musician and he had a circuit he would play at convalescent homes. The effect of music on these old, sick, sad people was amazing. Wheeled into the room, slumped in their chairs...then the music would start. The smiles! The "chair dancing"! The clapping! They were alive again. You're doing a wonderful thing OP. Enjoy!
Following in your husband's footsteps!
Yep, about 10 years ago, a gal on one of my soccer teams asked if I'd do a set for a nursing home where she worked. I did it once and the responses were off the scale. So I did that for about five years (2x per month) until she left the facility (and I slowly scaled back).
Gonna' do it here as long as my mom is around...and truth be told I'm also falling in love with some of the other residents.
I'd strongly suggest that you portray this as a limited engagement, like "summer karaoke" or "six weeks only", to make sure you can actually do the gig well, instead of making a commitment to be there every week, only to quit a little while later
Volunteering for seniors is no joke. Unless you're being paid by the center, a weekly slot will take a lot of work and energy. Just be aware of your costs of time and energy.
Oldies are still fine and nostalgic, but most younger seniors are more likely Rolling Stones kids rather than Bobby Darrin groupies, so definitely don't ignore classic rock in the rotation.
It's Texas, and the average age is around 85. Think: Wheelchairs and walkers. From what I've heard they know a lot of Merle Haggard and barely know the Beatles. In any case, I would let anyone sing anything they want.
My questions are more around volume? Dealing with dementia? Encouraging an older, weaker singer, by doing songs they've requested? Vision issues...
Oh yeah, different audience makeup than I have worked with.
For help with dementia, having those particular folks choose a song list ahead of time and just request a turn. That usually can prevent a loop of requesting the same thing over again. It's similar to making a grocery list.
That's amusing. Observed a round of karaoke on Saturday at this facility. It was extremely poorly run (the KJ had zero experience/knowledge but was merely an employee with YouTube and a shitty mic). One singer...the ONLY singer...sang 15 songs, one song three times, each time telling us he hadn't sung it in ages.
They're giving her (and me) carte blanche including moving the event to a large open area with a bar. We plan to blow it out of the water but who knows! LOL It's all for my MOTHER!!!
I think your best bet is to speak with the assisted living community’s activities director - they’ll be able to give you insight into specifics relating to their residents, and there’s a chance they’ve already done it in the past and can tell you what worked/what didn’t.
I would suggest a couple of singalong numbers with paper copies being distributed too to get everyone involved. Remember vision to might have to pump up screen size if words.
>My friend's mom is now in assisted living and she's asked if I'll help her execute weekly karaoke.
Unless you really enjoy golden oldies style music sometimes poorly performed for hours, this is a favor you should consider declining.
>Before I delve too deeply, I'm wondering if any other KJs have gone into these dwellings and might have some tips/warnings to share?
Every group is different, but your standard fare of occasional people too old and set in their ways can be a problem if the sky they are shaking their fist at is you.
Even as a GenX who can appreciate a moderate dose of pre-rock era music, some of the most boring karaoke I have ever attended has been dominated by older retirees (and I live in Florida so there is absolutely no shortage of opportunities to do so). It can end up sounding like an endless B-roll of elevator music.
Accessibility issues can crop up, too. Limited movement and vision, memory issues, etc. These are more standard problems, though they're more common in older groups.
My late husband was a musician and he had a circuit he would play at convalescent homes. The effect of music on these old, sick, sad people was amazing. Wheeled into the room, slumped in their chairs...then the music would start. The smiles! The "chair dancing"! The clapping! They were alive again. You're doing a wonderful thing OP. Enjoy!
Following in your husband's footsteps! Yep, about 10 years ago, a gal on one of my soccer teams asked if I'd do a set for a nursing home where she worked. I did it once and the responses were off the scale. So I did that for about five years (2x per month) until she left the facility (and I slowly scaled back). Gonna' do it here as long as my mom is around...and truth be told I'm also falling in love with some of the other residents.
I'd strongly suggest that you portray this as a limited engagement, like "summer karaoke" or "six weeks only", to make sure you can actually do the gig well, instead of making a commitment to be there every week, only to quit a little while later Volunteering for seniors is no joke. Unless you're being paid by the center, a weekly slot will take a lot of work and energy. Just be aware of your costs of time and energy.
Good tip... that said? My mom is there so my time and energy will be limitless. (I'm there every day already.)
Oldies are still fine and nostalgic, but most younger seniors are more likely Rolling Stones kids rather than Bobby Darrin groupies, so definitely don't ignore classic rock in the rotation.
It's Texas, and the average age is around 85. Think: Wheelchairs and walkers. From what I've heard they know a lot of Merle Haggard and barely know the Beatles. In any case, I would let anyone sing anything they want. My questions are more around volume? Dealing with dementia? Encouraging an older, weaker singer, by doing songs they've requested? Vision issues...
Oh yeah, different audience makeup than I have worked with. For help with dementia, having those particular folks choose a song list ahead of time and just request a turn. That usually can prevent a loop of requesting the same thing over again. It's similar to making a grocery list.
That's amusing. Observed a round of karaoke on Saturday at this facility. It was extremely poorly run (the KJ had zero experience/knowledge but was merely an employee with YouTube and a shitty mic). One singer...the ONLY singer...sang 15 songs, one song three times, each time telling us he hadn't sung it in ages. They're giving her (and me) carte blanche including moving the event to a large open area with a bar. We plan to blow it out of the water but who knows! LOL It's all for my MOTHER!!!
I think your best bet is to speak with the assisted living community’s activities director - they’ll be able to give you insight into specifics relating to their residents, and there’s a chance they’ve already done it in the past and can tell you what worked/what didn’t.
Big monitor for them to see the lyrics. No little iPad jobbers - their eyesight isnt what it used to be
I would suggest a couple of singalong numbers with paper copies being distributed too to get everyone involved. Remember vision to might have to pump up screen size if words.
Vision is DEFINITELY an issue! My own mom cannot see a thing!
>My friend's mom is now in assisted living and she's asked if I'll help her execute weekly karaoke. Unless you really enjoy golden oldies style music sometimes poorly performed for hours, this is a favor you should consider declining. >Before I delve too deeply, I'm wondering if any other KJs have gone into these dwellings and might have some tips/warnings to share? Every group is different, but your standard fare of occasional people too old and set in their ways can be a problem if the sky they are shaking their fist at is you. Even as a GenX who can appreciate a moderate dose of pre-rock era music, some of the most boring karaoke I have ever attended has been dominated by older retirees (and I live in Florida so there is absolutely no shortage of opportunities to do so). It can end up sounding like an endless B-roll of elevator music. Accessibility issues can crop up, too. Limited movement and vision, memory issues, etc. These are more standard problems, though they're more common in older groups.
Sanitation is an issue as some residents may have compromised immune systems. Microphone covers, sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer is a must.
Sanitation is an issue as some residents may have compromised immune systems. Microphone covers, sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer is a must.