Saxophones Playing at Old people’s home

[LostCircuits]

The sign of a good song is that it can be played many different ways rhythmically. It used to throw the drummer when I slipped into 68 in the middle of Lulabye of birdland but I heard George do it live and couldn't resist.

You can also change the lyrics and substitute the words of Pinball Wizard for Folsom Prison Blues...

I mean, that's what I think music is all about, anything goes as long as it works.

 

[Grumps]

You can also change the lyrics and substitute the words of Pinball Wizard for Folsom Prison Blues...

I mean, that's what I think music is all about, anything goes as long as it works.

Which reminds me. The lyrics from the Green Acres theme go very well with Purple Haze. Try that at karaoke some time.

 

[skeller047]

The sign of a good song is that it can be played many different ways rhythmically. It used to throw the drummer when I slipped into 68 in the middle of Lulabye of birdland but I heard George do it live and couldn't resist.

68 what? 68/4??? How do you subdivide that? 6 bars of 9/4 plus one 5/4 ????

😀

 

[Colin the Bear]

Sorry. My phone doesn't do time signatures. Six eight. 123, 223. Dance tempo.

 

[LostCircuits]

Sorry. My phone doesn't do time signatures. Six eight. 123, 223. Dance tempo.

Sounds like one of the old grotty-looking dance bears doing a waltz. In the second measure, did you trip over your own feet?

😀😀😀😀​

 

[Colin the Bear]

Busy in the woods. 🐻

 

[LostCircuits]

Busy in the woods. 🐻

If a bear ....ps in the wood, does it still ..... ?

 

[Dr G]

If a bear ....ps in the wood, does it still ..... ?

… find relief?

Do bears pee while they are fishing? I am realizing there are still so many things that I’ve never thought about before.

 

[Punchysax]

Well a follow up I have been playing every other weekend alternating between homes and they love it , in fact so do I . I will play some jazz ballads then some glen miller then perhaps some more modern sweet Caroline always gets them singing this week I threw in some Bob marley and UB40 they loved it.
It’s a great way to spread the joy , alas some cry when they hear certain songs. However all in all I really enjoy it and it’s a great confidence booster , I use Tomplay which has a great variety of tunes.
I mainly use my YTS 475 and a rubber 60,s Florida link , then from time to time get my new wonder 1 tenor or my 26m Conn alto.

Any one else do care homes and would you use alto or tenor as wasn’t sure re alto as a sensitive ears for elderly folk.

Anyway yes it’s going very well

 

[mizmar]

I threw in some Bob marley and UB40 they loved it.

alas some cry when they hear certain songs.

Redemption Song is guaranteed to fill the air with dust and make the eyes water, for me, anyway.

 

[mark_addy]

Well a follow up I have been playing every other weekend alternating between homes and they love it , in fact so do I . I will play some jazz ballads then some glen miller then perhaps some more modern sweet Caroline always gets them singing this week I threw in some Bob marley and UB40 they loved it.
It’s a great way to spread the joy , alas some cry when they hear certain songs. However all in all I really enjoy it and it’s a great confidence booster , I use Tomplay which has a great variety of tunes.
I mainly use my YTS 475 and a rubber 60,s Florida link , then from time to time get my new wonder 1 tenor or my 26m Conn alto.

Any one else do care homes and would you use alto or tenor as wasn’t sure re alto as a sensitive ears for elderly folk.

Anyway yes it’s going very well

Well done - that's a brilliant thing to do. They say that music can reach people who are unreachable in other ways, when memory goes. That reminds me I need to sort out the 2nd-hand 'dementia radio' I got hold of for my Dad - a secret DAB+ set hiding inside a simple enclosure without so many buttons. I think he might enjoy 'Boom Radio' for instance.

When I was in school, to get out of the Army Cadets (which, in some ways, I think I missed out on - but I was certain I didn't want to do it back then) I did 'community service volunteering'. Because I was one of the music kids, we formed a small concert party and did occasional sessions in local old-folks homes - 'My old man said follow the van', 'It's a long way to Tipperary' and all that as well as some jazz ballads (some folks there would have been born in the very end of the 19th C, which is strange to think about now). I remember thinking 'a time will come, when it will make sense to play 'Layla' and 'Stairway to Heaven' in a place like this'. Well, we are nearly there, time-wise, though taste-wise perhaps Chirpy-chirpy-cheep-cheep and the hits of the Bay City Rollers are more likely to go down well with the incumbents 🙂

 

[thomsax]

Don't be afraid to put some songs with melancholy. I thinks it's different to play in a "Old people home" in Sweden compared to UK , USA ..... . What's polar in the cities are not so popular on teh countryside.

Some songs that are good to play here over.

"Gamle svarten". It was recorded by a former long-jumper.

View: https://youtu.be/yHIvSyK-jPI?si=2-QNshhDQNZFg21Y


"Änglahund".

View: https://youtu.be/49mLR0zRFvE?si=BmQCUWUD9AZBoYj6


Country influenced songs are popular in Sweden.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Well a follow up I have been playing every other weekend alternating between homes and they love it , in fact so do I . I will play some jazz ballads then some glen miller then perhaps some more modern sweet Caroline always gets them singing this week I threw in some Bob marley and UB40 they loved it.
It’s a great way to spread the joy , alas some cry when they hear certain songs. However all in all I really enjoy it and it’s a great confidence booster , I use Tomplay which has a great variety of tunes.
I mainly use my YTS 475 and a rubber 60,s Florida link , then from time to time get my new wonder 1 tenor or my 26m Conn alto.

Any one else do care homes and would you use alto or tenor as wasn’t sure re alto as a sensitive ears for elderly folk.

Anyway yes it’s going very well

Brilliant, @Punchysax! So valuable for care home residents and I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy it too!
I've been involved as a volunteer in local social work - mainly for the elderly - for 15+ years. And I know just how much care home residents - and elderly visitors to local 'community centers' too- enjoy these 'musical performances'. They really do brighten up their day/week! And - as you say - often 'activate' residents to experience memories and express a range of emotions. So good on you for this initiative!

The local social organisation that I volunteer for in NL runs 6 local neighborhood 'community centers' that - 20+ years ago - were the social centers of 'old people's homes' (apartments). To which 65+ pensioners often retired to for an 'easier (supported) life'. Times have longed changed and we no longer speak of 'old people's homes'. Instead we support elderly people to live independently in their current homes for as long as they can and wish So the previous social centers of 'old people's homes' have long since expanded to include visitors from the local community. In practice most visitors to these local community centers are still 'seniors/elderly'. And 'musical performances' are still a big draw at these local community centers. Most run a series of concerts by local (amateur) performers, for example on Sunday afternoons.

The value in 'care homes' (in which people reside who can no longer live independently) is even higher. They are dependent on volunteers such as yourself to provide some kind of 'entertainment' in an otherwise 'same as' daily routine with little variation. As others have mentioned, music can really 'break through' to residents with mental disabilities(such as Dementia) in ways that other forms of entertainment can't. And for residents who have physical disabilities but have have full mental/memory abilities, musical (and other) performances can be 'a breath of fresh air' in their environment with little mental/emotional stimulation.

FWIW, my Big Band has - in the past - performed at care homes and - for staff and residents, these were always a 'celebration'. I know of other local Big Bands who rehearse at local care homes/community centers and all residents are always invited to attend each rehearsal. These Big Bands perform at least one public concert per year at their 'rehearsal venue'.

As you say, my musicians get as much out our their performances as the public.

Mike

PS. I always try talk to members of the public (especially at care homes) during 'the break' and after the concert. About whether they enjoyed it or not, which tunes they especially liked and/or disliked, whether it was too loud, etc. My personal experience has been than asking 'care home residents' for their opinions on our performance has been very positive. They've given good and valuable feedback. Perhaps more importantly, they really appreciated being asked for their personal opinion. Which (just my guess) validated their ability to listen to and evaluate a 'musical performance'.

So my tip is: ask members of the audience what they thought of your performance. Probably everyone thought you were wonderful! But just the simple act of asking audience members what they thought of your performance 'elevates' your performance to an interaction between you and audience members. In which you 'seek their opinions'. Just this one act of 'seeking their opinions' can - for some residents - translate into thoughts/emotions such as 'Wow, so I'm still allowed to express an opinion!'

 

[MikeMorrell]

Brilliant, @Punchysax! So valuable for care home residents and I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy it too!
I've been involved as a volunteer in local social work - mainly for the elderly - for 15+ years. And I know just how much care home residents - and elderly visitors to local 'community centers' too- enjoy these 'musical performances'. They really do brighten up their day/week! And - as you say - often 'activate' residents to experience memories and express a range of emotions. So good on you for this initiative!

The local social organisation that I volunteer for in NL runs 6 local neighborhood 'community centers' that - 20+ years ago - were the social centers of 'old people's homes' (apartments). To which 65+ pensioners often retired to for an 'easier (supported) life'. Times have longed changed and we no longer speak of 'old people's homes'. Instead we support elderly people to live independently in their current homes for as long as they can and wish So the previous social centers of 'old people's homes' have long since expanded to include visitors from the local community. In practice most visitors to these local community centers are still 'seniors/elderly'. And 'musical performances' are still a big draw at these local community centers. Most run a series of concerts by local (amateur) performers, for example on Sunday afternoons.

The value in 'care homes' (in which people reside who can no longer live independently) is even higher. They are dependent on volunteers such as yourself to provide some kind of 'entertainment' in an otherwise 'same as' daily routine with little variation. As others have mentioned, music can really 'break through' to residents with mental disabilities(such as Dementia) in ways that other forms of entertainment can't. And for residents who have physical disabilities but have have full mental/memory abilities, musical (and other) performances can be 'a breath of fresh air' in their environment with little mental/emotional stimulation.

FWIW, my Big Band has - in the past - performed at care homes and - for staff and residents, these were always a 'celebration'. I know of other local Big Bands who rehearse at local care homes/community centers and all residents are always invited to attend each rehearsal. These Big Bands perform at least one public concert per year at their 'rehearsal venue'.

As you say, my musicians get as much out our their performances as the public.

Mike

PS. I always try talk to members of the public (especially at care homes) during 'the break' and after the concert. About whether they enjoyed it or not, which tunes they especially liked and/or disliked, whether it was too loud, etc. My personal experience has been than asking 'care home residents' for their opinions on our performance has been very positive. They've given good and valuable feedback. Perhaps more importantly, they really appreciated being asked for their personal opinion. Which (just my guess) validated their ability to listen to and evaluate a 'musical performance'.

So my tip is: ask members of the audience what they thought of your performance. Probably everyone thought you were wonderful! But just the simple act of asking audience members what they thought of your performance 'elevates' your performance to an interaction between you and audience members. In which you 'seek their opinions'. Just this one act of 'seeking their opinions' can - for some residents - translate into thoughts/emotions such as 'Wow, so I'm still allowed to express an opinion!'

Sorry, I'm just long-winded!

 

[Punchysax]

Thank you all , yes I perform for a hour then spend another half hour chatting and drinking cups of tea. One 90 year old lady said to me weekend just gone while playing can you sit on my lap please then blew me a kiss bless her , I asked another 102 year old what’s the secret expecting health , advice eat well clean living etc nope she answered me 20 fags a day , whiskey and good sex . Their sweet hearts and I do enjoy it I use Tomplay backing with a fishmans speaker I must says it’s brought my sight Reading and playing on heaps no bounds.